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A Roost is where birds congregate in the treetops to sleep at night, protecting them from unexpected predators. When setting up on turkeys before daylight try to get within 100 - 150 yards or as close as possible without scaring the birds off the roost. The closer you are, the fewer the obstacles the turkeys have to maneuver around. Scouting is the number one factor for success in turkey hunting. If you know where a gobbler roosts, where he struts and his favorite places to feed, calling him is much easier. It's easier to call a turkey to a spot he already wants to go rather than to call him away from one he is. Often hunters have experience a tom that "hangs up" out of range at 60 yards or more, but is still gobbling while refusing to come close enough for a shot. The Tom may be hung up for several reasons, but there are several things to try when this happens. Try using very soft "clucks" and "purrs" to entice the bird that last 20 yards. Another alternative is to lightly scratch the leaves with your hand, imitating the sounds of a turkey scratching the ground. If that doesn't work, stop calling altogether and wait him out. Turkeys have their own sense of time and it's nothing for a gobbler to stand and strut for an hour or so in the same spot before finally giving into curiosity and coming the rest of the way in. Probably the most overlooked skill in turkey hunting is the ability to sit still and wait out a gobbler.
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