Roost question?

Tom said:
I saw a show yesterday where they chased turkeys off the roost on a fall Missouri hunt, then called and hunted them. Is that legal in your state?

Here its illegal to hunt within 100-200 yards of a roost as maintaining roosts is essential to maintaining the population.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache...ite:tpwd.state.tx.us&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
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I don't disagree with your premise that maintaining roosts is essential to maintaining the population of turkeys, especially concerning the Rio Grande sub species. Possibly due to the lack of acceptable roosting trees, the Rio has developed a habit of roosting in the same trees night after night unless severly disturbed. The eastern bird, however, will roost in various places within it's habitat depending on where it is when dusk falls. They, no doubt, have favorite areas to roost, but not to the extent that the Rio does. I'm not familiar enough with Merriam's or Osceola's to speak of them.
However, I'm not aware of any law in Texas stating that turkeys can't be hunted within 100-200 yds of a roost. What the handbook says is that, "It is against the law to hunt roosting turkeys by any means at any time." There is no yardage limitation stipulated.
It is common practice to approach within 200 yds of a roost before dawn and try to call the birds to you upon flydown, both in the fall and the spring. And it is a common practice in the fall to try and bust up a flock on the ground and then try to call one within range as they try to gather back together. But I, like you, would consider it highly unethical, and in Texas illegal, to bust up a flock on the roost with the intention of hunting them by calling them back together. Other states may not stipulate as much, but they certainly should...
 
No laws here in AZ on roosts but I hate to end up sitting down in the dark right under one. The fun of hunting turkeys is calling a horny one in from a distance and having him puff up right before you blast him. The merriams here roost all over the place and move around to different trees so I can't see how pushing them would negatively impact reproduction. Unless you shoot them off the branch I think getting too close just screws up the hunt.
 
there's a lot of timber/patches/ditches in most areas of Missouri and turkey roam around and roost in different areas depending on where they end up at dusk. they do favor certain trees in an area...but will return again even if shooting occurs around the roost. There is no shortage of turkey in Missouri....and it's not unusual to bust up flocks in the fall and call them back for a shot.
I was hunting the spring season several years back on my farm in north Missouri...walked into a small timber area midmorning where they roost sometimes...went into a thicket...set up...started calling and got birds answering. they couldnt find the source (me) of the hen calls...and I couldnt see them in the brush. after circling around me for a while...a nice gobbler flew up into one of the trees to scope out the area. he was about 25 yards out and 40' up in the oak...I watched him for about 5 min...then chirped a few times softly...he gobbled and when he bent forward on the branch to look...a nice 11"ish beard flopped out of his feathers. I shot him right out of the tree. That evening probably 30+ turkey roosted in the same trees.
 
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Bio Bo is right, our law just says its illegal any way any time to hunt a roost. It was a place I used to hunt or an old law that had the distance attached to it. The link I gave states the population maintenance as the reason for not disturbing the roost. Our Llano River state park even closes down a big area each spring to protect the roosts there. Our limit is 4 turkeys per year for whoever buys the liscense, I imagine that's a good limit compared to those other states, is it?
 
I wouldnt even hesitate to dust a turkey from a roost tree...if legal.
 
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Ohio state law just states that you can not shoot them while they are in the roost. I know of a person who said they shot one as it flew up to the roost. I guess since it had not got there.....(fall season btw)
 
Some of you guys are missing the point... To shoot a turkey on the roost is like shooting fish in a barrel compared to calling one within shotgun or bow range for a clean shot. There is no sport in it. Never mind that it's illegal, in at least most states. What was it Big Fin said the other day about integrity being something you do when no one else is watching?
I realize most of you have not experienced calling a turkey to you, either in the fall or the spring. And until you have learned to call well enough to do it, you won't understand what it means. And until you've called one up in the spring and seen him strut into you with his head turning all shades of red, white, and blue... you won't understand how awesome that experience can be. For all you elk hunters, the closest thing to it is calling in a bugling elk... But, after the shot, you have a whole lot less to pack out...
But to shoot one on the roost? It's not worth cleaning the damned thing...
 
Bio Bo said:
I realize most of you have not experienced calling a turkey to you, either in the fall or the spring. And until you have learned to call well enough to do it, you won't understand what it means. And until you've called one up in the spring and seen him strut into you with his head turning all shades of red, white, and blue... you won't understand how awesome that experience can be.
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What exactly leads you to this statement?
 
Nut said:
What exactly leads you to this statement?
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Nothing personal directed at you. From your picture you obviously have experienced it. But some on here obviously have not, that's all. I went for a lot of years without experiencing the spring hunt; but once I did, I realized what I had been missing.
 
Legal in WI, no problem I see with anyone doing it. If you scouted them enough to learn where they roosted have at it. I have a traditional roosting area on my land and in the fall they are there 90% of the time. I dont try to roost blast them but instead sneak in on them in the dark and set up as close as possible. I have busted too many out of the roost trying to get too close. The easterns where I am will fly out at any time of the day if there is enough moon for them to see.
 
no laws like that in Md or Va. Last weekend I had 27 birds in the field in front of me. No reason to chase them off the roost.
 
To my knowledge there's no law against screwing your buddies' wife either... still doesn't make it right...
My point is that you guys who see nothing wrong with shooting a turkey on the roost are missing the whole experience of calling a bird in to shotgun or bow range before harvesting. You're just flat out missing all the fun...
 
As long as someone has a legal tag I really don't care how they kill the animal. I prefer calling turkeys in and always do that but it is fine with me if someone wants to take a roosted bird. Same as corn flingers. Whatever you call fun is fine if it is legal.
 
mtmiller said:
How about blasting whitetails/hogs from under corn flingers?:D
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Same thing! It's not worth cleaning the animal. IMO... That's why I don't do it. I prefer to hunt public land even in Texas. And I was successful just a week ago on a nice 22" 11-pt. I just haven't got my pictures back yet.

This idea that everyone in Texas hunts over a feeder holds about as much water as a dirty sock. As a biologist, I'm of the opinion that feeders propagate disease. They improve visibility in a thick habitat where visibility is limited, but it is still like shooting fish in a barrel.
 
mdcrossbow said:
Depends, if your hunting or managing. Feeders are good for management.
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Feeders have a use in culling because they make animals more visible. As for managing, the only real good use they have, other than culling, is to provide a boost to the habitat during late Aug. or the dead of winter when the habitat may or may not be depleted... and that can better be handled by habitat improvemet.
 
What story do you want to tell?............whacking a roosted bird or waging war with him from multiple setups during the course of the day or season and finally coaxing him into range with your ever improving calling/setups................and putting the wood to him!
WD
 
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