GregH

How close to you setup to where they roost? This spring I am goint to set up right under the roost.

How many Decoys do you use/take with you? 3, two hens and a jake.

What decoy do you use? See above, don't know the brand.

Do you have a pattern you set the decoys up in? A formula? 2 hens at 10 yards and a jake at 13 yards like he has the hens blocked off.

quiksilver

One tip for setting up on roosted birds: If they're roosted on a hillside - I usually play the odds and set up my dekes on the high-side. Obviously, there are no absolutes in this game, but more often than not, they'll pitch down off the roost to the high-side of the hill.

GregH

Super good advice!

I learned this last fall. I went in early afternoon and waited for them to come to roost and found that they liked to fly up to roost from the high side as well. The next morning they pitched off the roost to the top of the hill then worked their way down.

HuntingBry

How far?

I don't try to get closer than 100 yards of the roost. Especially if I know which way they like to fly down. Nothing is worse than moving in and getting busted right off the bat. The rest of the day is an uphill battle.

How many and what set up?

I use 3, two hens and a jake. I usually set the hens up facing perpendicular to my position so the gobbler will strut to them coming in sideways to get their attention. The jake is facing me because if the gobbler wants to intimidate him he'll come closer to "get in his face" and for safety sake. If the jake is facing me and someone tries to blast him they can only see the beard from the sides.

What kind?

1 Feather Flex, 2 Flambeau, all cheapo foams.

GMMAT

Some of the are actually pretty humorous in doing so. They take off running to gain flight, easier.

MN/Kyle

Yeah they don't fly real well, as we all know

We've heard them get off the roost, sometimes it sounds like a boeing 737 flying through the trees.

Rick James

As close as I can till I'm about 50-75 yards out. With or without foliage I hate to get closer than this when they are on the roost. If I know they are on the ground though I get as close as I can without spooking them and am fairly aggressive here.

I don't know why, but I've setup right on roosted birds soooo many times when it was still dark enough to know they didn't see me, and even though they respond from the roost they fly down the other way and leave the area, usually shutting up when they hit the ground. When I don't setup super close and hang back 75ish yards or so, I have much better luck.

As has already been said, they seem to like to fly to the uphill side of a side hill when coming off the roost, and they like to fly from the uphill side to roost as well. I've also noticed that it's MUCH more difficult to get a tom to commit to coming up a hill as compared to paralleling the hill or coming down the hill.

I have 3 decoys with me at all times. A bobble head buckwing breeding pair, an el cheapo flambeau hen, and another el cheapo jake. If I'm sitting for a long stretch w/ time to setup such as in bowhunting, I'll usually setup all of them. If I'm in a rush with a hot bird near I'll usually only setup the hen, maybe the jake too if time permits. When setting up, I face the jake towards me, the breeding pair broadside to me, and the hen facing away from me. When bowhunting I set them up all 10-15 yards from the blind.

Read above

I honestly don't think it really matters much. The only thing I can say is the closer to the blind the better IMHO. I think with a bow the decoys are a help because you can shut up on the calls when the bird is 50 yards out and let him lock onto the decoys to bring him in those last few steps. With the decoys holding his attention, it seems like you get away with a lot more movement which can be critical when bowhunting.

bloodcrick

My set up last year was a pretty boy and pretty girl, I put the pretty boy facing me about 20 yards away, im in a natural ground blind so i dont want it to close so as not to get caught drawing. I put the hen about two feet in the front of him. Pretty boy was getting his A$$ kicked last year so i had to put an arrow in his A$$ kicker I have a secret weapon for this year, but its a secret [8D]

ICALL2MUCH

I personally believe you can get however close you want, if you get in early enough. Early season I shoot for 100 yards. Later in the season 60-80 yards is more like it.

I use one mounted hen that a buddy made for me, and a foam jake. IMO, the jake is most important. Jake facing me, hens facing away. Preferably I put them behind a tree, so that gives me time to draw.

Good luck!

jmbuckhunter

I get as close as I feel I can get away with.

My new secret weapon and a hen. 15 yards out.