How late have you ever seen a gobbler still on roost?

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Yesterday (Saturday) was cloudy as the early morning rains were leaving, so typical 7:00 fly down time might have been moved back a bit. The previous morning (Friday) I had marked a bird and he was gobbling at 6:35 from the roost and on the ground by 7:00.

I took my dad and tried to get him on this bird. We never heard a peep from about 100 yards from where he had roosted the day before. I didn't think that was too unusual, considering the weather. We called for a while and listened for a long time after he should have been gobbling, but never heard anything. We backed out and went a few other places to call, still nothing.

The last place we stopped, we walked out an old logging road and called from every good spot. We bumped a hen coming out the road and let her leave before we moved on. We stopped in the bottom of a draw where a couple different branches come together and called. We were only about 300 yards from where the gobbler had roosted on Friday. We stood and listened for 10 minutes and finally decided to call it a morning. As we turned to leave, I heard wingbeats and looked up to see a turkey leaving the roost. This bird had let us walk practically under it and we stood and called not 50 yards from it. I can't help but think it was a gobbler, but this was nearly 9:00. A full 2 hours after normal fly down time. I think he was going to sit tight and let us walk by, but when we came back toward him, he had enough.

 

[delacroix]

about 10:00, once. 0900 or 0930 a couple more times. They'll also switch trees or fly back up to get a good look sometimes. All the instances were one stayed up late was due to me calling in novel ways trying to learn stuff about gobblers when I had no intention of really trying to kill one.

 

[deerpoacher1970]

I have seen them stay in the tree till 11 or 12 if he is old he will sit there waiting on his hens or a predator may be after him

 

[spencer12]

I had one stay in the tree until 10 o clock. He probably gobbled 100 times. I finally had enough and figured he was just standing around strutting somewhere. I had to get closer. Once I got there he was in a pine tree in full strut gobbling looking for the hen who wouldn’t shut up (me)

 

[XIronheadX]

I sat and watched one until 9:30 before church one day. No telling how long he would have sat up there with his head tucked. I walked up to 40 yards and fired off a round in the creek bank to let him know he was going to be late for church. He got ready immediately.

 

[Doug B.]

Once I got there he was in a pine tree in full strut gobbling looking for the hen who wouldn’t shut up (me)

That's why he was still in the tree.

 

[BASS1FUN]

Around 10:45 and that’s because I spooked him

 

[Twiggbuster]

About 10am
He gobbled for hours , I thought he was strutting in a 4 wheel trail down hill below but figured out he was still in the tree.
I went to him and snuck up to his roost.
Popped mouth call one time and he flew down. Shot him strutting around.

 

[Mexican Squealer]

10:00 am

 

[280 Man]

10:30-11:00 It was overcast and cool.

 

[spencer12]

That's why he was still in the tree.

Yes I know that now, at the time I was not wise enough to know that.

 

[4x4]

Last Saturday, it was overcast mid morning. I herd a gobbler and went after him. I got setup in the woods, and as soon as I set down I herd putting. Im scanning the floor of the woods and cant spot the dang bird. Its going on 10:30am and there were 4 birds still on the roost!

 

[Danuwoa]

Around ten or so. Especially late in the season. That’s why when I get one gobbling at me on the roost I shut up pretty quick. They will sit on the limb and gobble at you all morning if you keep calling.

 

[toolmkr20]

Bumped one twice this year in the same morning. I bumped him the first time around 9:30. He was still on the roost I think because of a yote down below him in the creek bed. Second time I bumped him around 10 about 200yds away in a big ole pine tree on a green field.

 

[The mtn man]

Mid morning several times, especially if its rainy, they might sit in a pine for hours after daylight gobbling their heads off.

 

[Thunder Head]

Late season
Ive had what i think was the same bird, 2-3 years. Sit in the tree and gobble all morning and not fly down. Didnt matter if i called or not. I stayed to 11:00 one time and never made a call. He was still sitting there when i left.

If he didnt constantly change what tree he roosted in. I would have shot him off the limb just for spite.

After a couple of trys id go look for a different bird.

 

[NCMTNHunter]

I’ve seen them in trees late morning like that. I’ve wondered if they had actually been there all morning or if me or something else had spooked them a little and they flew up to get a look at what is going on. The area that I have seen it the most I have had hens come in to my setup by “tree hopping”. They fly tree to tree until they get close enough to check out my set up. I’ve never had a gobbler come in like that and I’ve never seen hens do it anywhere else. It’s pretty much the same flock of hens that has done it three times now over the years.

 

[spurrs and racks]

Yesterday (Saturday) was cloudy as the early morning rains were leaving, so typical 7:00 fly down time might have been moved back a bit. The previous morning (Friday) I had marked a bird and he was gobbling at 6:35 from the roost and on the ground by 7:00.

I took my dad and tried to get him on this bird. We never heard a peep from about 100 yards from where he had roosted the day before. I didn't think that was too unusual, considering the weather. We called for a while and listened for a long time after he should have been gobbling, but never heard anything. We backed out and went a few other places to call, still nothing.

The last place we stopped, we walked out an old logging road and called from every good spot. We bumped a hen coming out the road and let her leave before we moved on. We stopped in the bottom of a draw where a couple different branches come together and called. We were only about 300 yards from where the gobbler had roosted on Friday. We stood and listened for 10 minutes and finally decided to call it a morning. As we turned to leave, I heard wingbeats and looked up to see a turkey leaving the roost. This bird had let us walk practically under it and we stood and called not 50 yards from it. I can't help but think it was a gobbler, but this was nearly 9:00. A full 2 hours after normal fly down time. I think he was going to sit tight and let us walk by, but when we came back toward him, he had enough.

well, i'm hunting one right now and he might not fly down until well after 9 going on 10

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

well, i'm hunting one right now and he might not fly down until well after 9 going on 10

Good luck!

 

[spurrs and racks]

no joke!