Beginning a Stand

How do you guys like to begin calling in the mornings?

Do you wait for a gobble or just start with soft short yelps?

Just depends, if I roost a bird, I setup and begin with soft tree yelps. If I have no idea where the birds are I wait. With that being said, usually the toms will break the silence, long before I would anyway.

Owl hooter a good distance away from the known roosts. It is usually good to roost a bird but that don't always mean he will be there in the morning. I have had predators bump birds from roosts several times so I get a couple hundred yards away and use the owl hooter to locate them, then I come up with the poa. Plan of action.

I honk the horn on my excursion. They answer. I get to where I think I need to be, according to their answer. Then I give a good yelp to see if they answer.

I rememebred this thread yesterday morning. Where were set up was completely different than I had mapped out. The creek came up so High the place we wanted to hunt was under water. Without scouting we had to make a plan and make it work. So I found the spot in the dark and shut off the ranger to unload all of our hunting junk. We were right on a fence line. I didn't realize the cows were just on the other side of the fence So as I grabbed the decoys, I reckon the cows thought I was about to feed them. They mooed really loud in the predawn hour. The whole valley below us erupted in Gobbling. That sent my wife into a an adrenaline filled panic. It was spectacular to see her get really excited. She got so excited and overheated she got kind of swimmy headed. That and she way over dressed with a sweat shirt and a jacket. I told her to get that hot stuff off and just realx. I think the getting over heated, adrenaline, early morning, excitement and fumbling in the dark zapped her.

The part of this thread is there was another hen, a live one. She was pissin me off. She was on the opposite side of the two gobbblers that answered my call in the morning. The harder I would call, the harder she would call. I could hear the gobblers split up, one going her way and the other came at nearly a dead run up to us. He was silent coming across the pasture.

Or slam the truck door... or sneeze while your walking to the roost.... or go HEY TURKEYTURKEYTURKEY

such a dumb animal... good times shooting/eating them.

Once I get sat down I make a few soft calls and let it be till they fly down... no need to overcall while they are in the tree

Yesterday I was guessingthey were 200 yards but were more like 300. I never heardt hem fly off the roost. Once that hen started pulling her stunts I had to get it on. I at first thought it was another hunter across the fence.

About an impossible task calling a tom off a real life hen...


Moment you see it your

I think what happened to us is the older Tom hooked up with the hen across the way and the younger jake came running for all he could get

Thanks guys. We will be at it this Friday morning I hope.

How close should I get to a known roosting area? 100,200 yards?

I have never hunted in the spring, hence my questions.

100 is fine unless you can't get in without being busted.

Take absolutely none of the advice given here. I am offering my instructional services for free, in person LOL well you know how we lose our minds when it comes to turkey hunting.

So far as 100 yards, it depends. Is there a lot of brush or heavy with trees? Look at it this way, if it was an open pasture and you got within a 100 yards then the deal is off. Be it a place that has a lot of trees or cover then I would push up as close to them as I could. I would say you best bet is to pattern them. They normally fly off a roost and head in one direction. It would do you best to be located in that direction, with your dcoys and a good calling sequence.

Hens will be headed to feed, toms will be headed to hens... if you know their routes or some good funnels set up on one headed to a feed area on on the edge of one.. id set up off the roost for about an hour or so then move to a good feed/scratch pasture.. don't worry about the wind but stay in the shadows.. as dumb as they are they can still see through your soul

oh.... most of all... if you got a bird in range and you start hearing a quick put..put..put... put... its time to shoot

I am starting to get the feeling that I might be bass fishing by the afternoon once i get schooled by a "dumb" bird! LOL

Does hunting a river change things for me?

Not really other than there should be plenty of good roosting trees. Should make it easier for you on direction of travel assuming they don't fly back and forth across the river which I doubt. I've seen them hang up on a fence walking back and forth for an hour until they remember they can easily jump/fly it.

I have another place that is bow only and the hens cross to my side of the river every morning like clock work. Never have seen any toms or jakes fly the river. They all roost on my side.