By Doyle Dietz | outdoors@republicanherald.com
PUBLISHED: May 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM EDT
It was 60 years ago that the group The Outsiders crooned the lyrics “I can’t wait forever; Even though you want me to.”
They could well have been singing about the frustration hunters feel that have not bagged a spring gobbler as the final days of the season slip away. Of course, it would be another three years before Pennsylvania had a spring gobbler season, but the message is not lost.
So, one of the best ways to have an encounter is by throwing caution to the wind and hunting turkeys on the roost in the morning or when they are returning to roost in the evening. Be advised, however, this strategy can result in busting the bird and spending what remains of the season searching out its new roost tree.
In the early days of the season the ideal distance when setting up on a roosted bird is generally within 100-150 yards, as the goal is to get close enough to potentially call them into shooting range, but not so close that you are easily seen or heard. As the days run out on the season, desperate times call for desperate tactics, so through caution to the wind, take advantage of the heavy foliage and quietly move in as close as possible without spooking the bird.
Some hunters prefer to get as close as 40-50 yards, especially if the turkey is roosting alone. If a gobbler is roosting with hens, it’s generally best to back off 50-60 yards away when setting up.
While being aggressive when hunting roosting birds in the late season can result in a tagged bird, avoid being careless and reckless. Just because the treetops are in full foliage avoid walking across open fields to set up and breaking limbs and branches when moving through the woods.
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Always be aware of wind direction that will carry sound to a roosted bird. One factor that remains constant – no matter if hunting the opening morning of the season or the final hours on the final day – is the importance of stealth.
If hunting in the morning, once set-up start calling softly to attract the bird and add some scratching in leaves to imitate the sound of feeding hens. As the goal is to get as close to the roost tree as possible without spooking the turkey, be prepared for the turkey to fly down and be in position to take a shot.
Remember, turkeys roost in areas where they won’t be disturbed. Flying up in the evenings as sunset approaches and fly down in the morning near sunrise. Turkeys will rarely move to different roosts in the night, as they have poor night vision and they like relatively clear areas to fly up from and fly down to.
When scouting for roosting trees, which are often stained by droppings, concentrate on areas near water sources, large mature trees and open areas with good cover. Look for ridges, field edges and places where turkeys are likely to feed or travel.
Even if a bird goes quiet once it flies down, it will usually gobble on the roost in the mornings and evenings. Generally, soft calling is a beast in the morning and louder more aggressive calls in the afternoon will get a gobbler fired up that is working its way back to roost.
There is no mistaking a roosting area as the area should have droppings and feathers from birds dusting. Scratch marks and dusting bowls are easy to find, but also look for travel routes as turkeys establish specific routes along paths between feeding areas and roosting sites.
Setting up along the route the bird will use to get to the roost can be highly effective in the afternoon. This means patterning your bird and then waiting for him to walk by, rather than calling to him to try to lure him in, and this technique can be a game changer.
Avoid using decoys with this afternoon strategy, as the bird wants everything to be normal – right up until the load of shot finds its mark.
Exposing the Big Game 