How Close To A Roosted Gobbler
Turkey Hunting Tips: One of the first decisions to make while turkey hunting is how close to get to a roosted gobbler. There is no perfect answer. The logic is to set up as close as possible without being detected.
There will always be certain factors while turkey hunting that will helping making this decision. For the most part, experience in the field will be the deciding factor.
This experience comes from knowledge. The knowledge comes from an understanding of turkey behavior and an understanding of the terrain to be hunted.
Understanding Turkey Behavior
In most cases, the gobbler on the roost will generally have a predetermined route of travel at the start of the day.
Barring such things as being spooked, an overly excited hen, or even weather conditions, the gobbler will usually fly down in the same general direction each day.
For the hunter, this is one part of the turkey hunting equation.
Understanding Terrain
The hunter is wise to have a good idea of how the turkey hunting terrain is set up. What areas is the gobbler more likely to travel? Are there any obstacles that may prevent the gobbler from moving through and so forth.
How thick or how open is the terrain? Can the gobbler see for long distances or is there plenty of leaves and foliage to hide the hunters movement?
Another thing to consider is how far away is the gobbler on the roost? If the gobbler is facing away from the hunter, gobbles will appear farther away.
The gobbles can also be muffled by ridges or thick foliage. In this case, again the gobbler may be closer than he appears to be.
Understanding this information will help the hunter with deciding on the best possible location for a turkey hunting set up.
So the answer to the question of how close should a hunter get to a roosted gobbler will always depend upon individual situations, knowledge of the terrain, and of course experience in the turkey hunting woods.
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