1.) The closer you can set up to a roosted bird the better your chances of calling him in, but getting too close causes many flushed birds and ruined hunts. The difference between close enough and to close is usually on step. most hunters set up somewhere between 70 to 200 yards of the roosted bird.
Several factors effect the setup distance; among these are the amount of cover and how light it is becoming in the woods.
Early in the season before many trees have leafed out, a hunter may be afraid to set up closer than 150 yards, whereas he may feel its safe to approach to 70 or 80 if foliage is heavier.
If it is well before dawn, a hunter can approach closer to the bird than when the woods are becoming lighter or on a morning with a full moon. Noise made in the leaves is another factor to take into concideratioin.You can approach closer to a gobbler through wet leaves, as after an all night rain, than you can through 8” of dry leaves.

2.) Turkeys usually sound farther away when they are gobbling. This is especially noticeable when a turkey leaves the roost and hits the ground.
Terrain and foliage absorb a certain amount of the sound. A turkey 80 yards away over a hill will sound like one at 150 yards on flat ground. Also, a turkey facing away from the hunter will sound different than when facing toward the hunter.

3.) Many hunters, novice and experienced alike, have trouble judging the distance to a gobbling bird. Therefore, when moving toward a roosted bird, never approach straight on. Always approach 70 to 80 yards to the left or right of the suspected roost tree. Then if you misjudge the distance and overshoot, you won’t spook the bird.

4.) Turkeys may not use the same roost tree nightly but they usually will roost in the same hollow or on the same slope within 60 to 100 yards of the previous night’s roost. They’ll also use the same roost areas year after year. Most turkeys roost in the head end of “bowls” or hollows, usually just below the ridge line.

5.) Try to call a turkey to a place where the bird is in range when you first see him. If you try to call a bird through a large open area, he’ll be expecting to see a hen and will probably spot you before he gets in range.

6.) Trust your camouflage; set up in front of a large tree or stump, not behind it. If you’re behind it you’ll be constantly peeking around the object and will spook the bird with all the movement.

7.) Before sitting down, rake the leaves away from the tree base and pile them 8 to 10 inches high about 5 feet from the tree. They’ll hide your light colored boot soles and small movements of your feet.

8.) If you use hand-operated friction calls, make an apron of camo netting and hang it from your neck down to your lap. It will cover the movements needed to call. Some hunters use a piece of camo hung from their knees to their boots when sitting; it will help cover movement.
If you use a push button yelper, you can tape it under your gun barrel and use one finger of the hand holding your gun up to cluck and purr when a bird gets close.

9.) Sometimes a tom will fly from the roost straight to the caller, so don’t call so early in the morning that you can’t see the bird that comes in, but try to be the first “hen” the tom hears.

10.) When shooting, aim for the point where the base of the neck meets the feathers. If you aim at the head, half of the shotgun pattern will go high.
Try to shoot when a turkey is standing upright with the most neck exposed. A strutting turkey is a poor shot, as over half of the neck is drawn into the “V” of the chest and is protected. A sharp cluck or putt will bring a bird out of a strut and give you the upright shot you want.

11.) Before you go hunting be sure to pattern shoot your shotgun at various ranges and with various loads so you know your maximum effective range and just where your gun throws its pattern.

12.) If it’s raining at fly down time, turkeys may stay on the roost until 9 or 10 o’clock or later; but if rain comes after flydown, the birds can be called in the same as on a dry day. It seems that turkeys particularly dislike foggy weather and may stay on the roost all day.