Late morning roosters (turkey)

[cbhunter]

So there is a kill topic in the general forum where a member said he hadn't heard any gobbles 20 minutes after sunrise so he calls and one gobbles 50 yds away still on the roost.
I have had the same thing happen before. On short hunts while heading back to the truck 1.5 - 2 hours after sunrise I have sometimes bumped birds off the roost.
Anyone have any insight as to why birds sometimes stay in the tree for extended period of time instead of pitching down way before sunrise???

 

[RUGER]

I have heard all kinds of "reasons" but honestly they are just a stupid turkey, who knows why they do what they do.
Kinda like a duck. LOL

I have seen them fly down at the absolute first second of daylight and I have seen them stay till 10:00 a.m.
Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why they stay longer that I have seen.

 

[REN]

we all like to sleep in from time to time

could be a number of reasons, got spooked prior to flydown and hung tight for a while. Sometimes its as simple as they just dont feel like it if there are no hens they hear or see around. Most of the time Ive seen it on foggy days or on ones that heard or saw me walking in during the twilight period and just never flew down since.

 

[cbhunter]

I have heard all kinds of "reasons" but honestly they are just a stupid turkey, who knows why they do what they do.
Kinda like a duck. LOL

I have seen them fly down at the absolute first second of daylight and I have seen them stay till 10:00 a.m.
Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why they stay longer that I have seen.

Just another stupid bird eh? That's pretty much what I expect the responses to be. :tu:

 

[PalsPal]

Several years ago, I hunted one that stayed in the tree until he saw a hen below him.

The last day of the season, I determined to not call and get as close to his tree as possible. It was least an hour after normal flydown, and I ended up within gun range. I was really having a hard time deciding what to do, as the little devil and little angel on each of my shoulders both made compelling arguments.

At this moment he flew down out of the tree and landed about 10 steps from me. At the shot, the hen, that I had not seen, flew off.

 

[Harold Money jr]

I was deer hunting this fall, all around me were roosted turkeys. As day broke a coyote trotted through, then several minutes later another and then another several minutes later. After awhile two (maybe the same ones) came trotting out of a thicket under the roosted birds. No turkeys were on the ground and no squirrels came down until an hour after the coyotes came through. The squirrels were active in the trees but didn't hit the ground until the turkeys did and that was about 10:30am on a sunny calm day. That's just something I've seen.

 

[Shooter77]

Several years ago, I hunted one that stayed in the tree until he saw a hen below him.

The last day of the season, I determined to not call and get as close to his tree as possible. It was least an hour after normal fly down, and I ended up within gun range. I was really having a hard time deciding what to do, as the little devil and little angel on each of my shoulders both made compelling arguments.

At this moment he flew down out of the tree and landed about 10 steps from me. At the shot, the hen, that I had not seen, flew off.

I had a similar instance with a bird I hunted for 2 years. i've had him sit in the tree 60-70 yards away gobbling at 9 am on a clear sunny day. I spooked him one day walking up on him still in the tree gobbling. He used almost the same tree on top of this knob over looking a river. one day I came up with a plan and I went about 2 hours before light and just pick a tree near his roost site. I set there with a good size tree between us and he fired off almost non stop for 30 mins. I stayed still and never pulled out my calls. after about another 15 mins of him gobbling sporadic, a hen comes walking by me going straight to him. she cutt hard as she passed me and he gobbled and flew down to her. He strutted for about 5 mins just over the rise of the knob before i could get a shot. It was almost 8.30 when I picked him up. one of the most memorable hunts ever. He ended up being 25.3lbs, 12.125 beard & 1.50" spurs.

 

[cbhunter]

Several years ago, I hunted one that stayed in the tree until he saw a hen below him.

The last day of the season, I determined to not call and get as close to his tree as possible. It was least an hour after normal fly down, and I ended up within gun range. I was really having a hard time deciding what to do, as the little devil and little angel on each of my shoulders both made compelling arguments.

At this moment he flew down out of the tree and landed about 10 steps from me. At the shot, the hen, that I had not seen, flew off.

I had a similar instance with a bird I hunted for 2 years. i've had him sit in the tree 60-70 yards away gobbling at 9 am on a clear sunny day. I spooked him one day walking up on him still in the tree gobbling. He used almost the same tree on top of this knob over looking a river. one day I came up with a plan and I went about 2 hours before light and just pick a tree near his roost site. I set there with a good size tree between us and he fired off almost non stop for 30 mins. I stayed still and never pulled out my calls. after about another 15 mins of him gobbling sporadic, a hen comes walking by me going straight to him. she cutt hard as she passed me and he gobbled and flew down to her. He strutted for about 5 mins just over the rise of the knob before i could get a shot. It was almost 8.30 when I picked him up. one of the most memorable hunts ever. He ended up being 25.3lbs, 12.125 beard & 1.50" spurs.

He was obese and lazy! lol

 

['borohunter]

Those birds are for those of us that can't be in the woods at first light and drop the kids off first... They may be my only hope...

 

[Shooter77]

Several years ago, I hunted one that stayed in the tree until he saw a hen below him.

The last day of the season, I determined to not call and get as close to his tree as possible. It was least an hour after normal fly down, and I ended up within gun range. I was really having a hard time deciding what to do, as the little devil and little angel on each of my shoulders both made compelling arguments.

At this moment he flew down out of the tree and landed about 10 steps from me. At the shot, the hen, that I had not seen, flew off.

I had a similar instance with a bird I hunted for 2 years. i've had him sit in the tree 60-70 yards away gobbling at 9 am on a clear sunny day. I spooked him one day walking up on him still in the tree gobbling. He used almost the same tree on top of this knob over looking a river. one day I came up with a plan and I went about 2 hours before light and just pick a tree near his roost site. I set there with a good size tree between us and he fired off almost non stop for 30 mins. I stayed still and never pulled out my calls. after about another 15 mins of him gobbling sporadic, a hen comes walking by me going straight to him. she cutt hard as she passed me and he gobbled and flew down to her. He strutted for about 5 mins just over the rise of the knob before i could get a shot. It was almost 8.30 when I picked him up. one of the most memorable hunts ever. He ended up being 25.3lbs, 12.125 beard & 1.50" spurs.

He was obese and lazy! lol

LOL....well it's a fairly hard hunted area but yea, he could just the old fat boss there.