A hunter leans against a tree listening as turkeys fly up on a spring evening. As if on cue, a tom belts out a gobble from the roost. The hunter scans the heavens and mouths a silent thank you, Lord. As the saying goes, “roosted ain’t roasted.” What turkey hunter hasn’t felt tempted at the challenge of executing a predawn sneak to set up and seduce a tom right off the roost? Hunting tight to a turkey roost can be a risky tactic, a boom or bust strategy, literally! Therein lies the source of many a turkey hunters’ passion—being close enough to actually feel the vibration of thundering gobbles. Since most turkey hunts begin with turkeys on the roost what better reason to explore wild turkey roosting habits, behaviors and site management?
To better understand wild turkey roosting, important insight is included from wild turkey expert, veteran turkey hunter and researcher, Dr. Michael J. Chamberlain, PhD., Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and recently appointed to chair the National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor position at the University of Georgia.
Evolved Roosting Preferences
Tes Jolly
Through the ages, turkeys have evolved precise roosting preferences and habits. Turkeys mainly prefer to roost in trees, however in certain circumstances they creatively utilize other structures. Height and tree structure are key in providing weather protection, thermal regulation and safety. A turkey’s poor night vision and large body size would make them vulnerable to coyotes, bobcats, foxes and other ground predators. Proof is demonstrated through research that shows hen mortality is highest during the 28 to 31-day incubation period and extends another two to three weeks after hatching when the hen and her poults spend nights on the ground. Once flight is achieved and roosting begins their mortality rates drop significantly.
However, roosting doesn’t eliminate threats from an aerial attack. According to Dr. Chamberlain great-horned owls kill more toms than hens on the roost. He speculates it may be related in many cases to the tom gobbling in the morning, allowing an owl to locate and attack while the tom is distracted.
Depending on the subspecies, geography and season, preferred roosting sites generally exhibit the following components—mature timber and/or conifers, proximity to a water source, open areas nearby, travel corridors and shelter sites like deep hollows and slopes.
Following are some common tree preferences by subspecies and regions.
Eastern: South and Southeast — various oaks, loblolly pine, cypress and sycamore. East, Northeast and Midwest — elms, oaks, conifers and basswood.
Merriam’s: Primarily ponderosa pines over much of their range.
Rio Grande: Rios exhibit exceptional roosting adaptability. They occupy mainly open and prairie habitat and utilize cottonwoods along rivers and creeks and/or live oaks in their southern range. Pecan, willows and cedars are also used. Rios are known to roost on power lines, power poles, windmills and oil derricks.
Osceola — Florida turkeys often choose cypress trees over shallow water, oaks and pines.
Dr. Chamberlain: “We see turkeys roost in many types of trees, with Easterns definitely roosting in more different types of trees than the other subspecies which is likely at least partially attributable to roosts being more limited for the western subspecies. Research has shown Rios in many parts of their range select cottonwoods for roosting, whereas we found that Gould’s roosted in pine/oak forests mostly on north facing slopes. We have also seen that for several subspecies, roosts tend to be associated with some kind of topography, sometimes in very rugged locations and sometimes in less rugged – but always associated with some type of topography or incline.
As for nontypical roosting structures, some that stick out to me are roosting on telephone and electricity poles, fences and fence posts, and even on cars or buildings in suburban and urban areas. I once hunted a tom that roosted on the top of a huge pile of logging debris in a fresh clearcut, and to say he kicked my butt would be an understatement! He definitely had the upper hand on anything that tried to approach him.”
Hub Roosts Defined
Dr. Michael Chamberlain
I photographed a memorable Eastern tom with a distinct gobble, nicknamed Loverboy, or LB, over several spring seasons. During the breeding periods from mid-February through March, LB was the dominant tom each year and regularly roosted in one of two oaks in a hardwood drain adjacent to a large clover plot. Less frequently LB roosted further away in a swamp along a couple of ridges. Most mornings started with LB belting out gobbles from the roost before fly down then strutting into the plot. Hen flocks and other toms and jakes used various roosts sites but LB definitely had a couple of home base roosts that put him close to his strut zone and a food source that attracted hens. Dr. Chamberlain refers to such sites toms use in breeding season as “hub roosts” adding that Rio Grande and Merriam’s turkeys tend to repeatedly use the same roosts throughout the year more but because suitable roost sites are limited their ranges.
Dr. Chamberlain: “Research has shown that Easterns are less prone to this hub behavior, and although some toms have a small number of roosts they use repeatedly, (like LB), most scatter their roost sites all over their home ranges during spring (See map images). Ongoing research suggests that some roosts appear more important than others during breeding season. Hub roosts likely provide toms with the perfect mixture of protection, the ability to project gobbles across the area around them, and access to hens that may be receptive. I speculate that when toms use these roosts, they may have different behaviors once they fly down than when they use other roosts.” Hens establish hub roosts too, but in a different strategic way.
Dr. Michael Chamberlain
Dr. Chamberlain: “Recent work reveals that hens have a small number of roosts within their home ranges that are strategically important – these are termed hub roosts. Not only are hub roosts used more than other roosts, but they’re also important in connecting the hen’s movements to other roosts. In other words, these hub roosts serve as a conduit. Hub roosts appear to be closer to water and open areas, as well as closer to lightly traveled roads – collectively these features offer foraging areas, free water, and travel routes to move about her range. It also appears that hens establish an organized network of roosts centered around these hub roosts, indicating the importance of identifying where these roosts may be located and managing to sustain or even enhance them. The take home is, we’ve known for decades that places wild turkeys sleep are important to their survival, but it appears these roosts in many ways may follow the classic hub and spoke model.”
Roosting Habits
At the end of the day turkeys finish feeding, stretch their wings, shake off dust and head to a roost site. It’s not unusual to see a spring breeding flock leave an area together, strung out in a line and walk quietly to a roost area. Once safely in their tree, hens may call and toms blast a final gobble or two into the sunset. Birds limb walk and may tree hop, sometimes a good distance, until they’re satisfied with a sleeping perch. As darkness falls, turkeys tuck their head under a wing and sleep.
As dawn breaks, turkeys are awake and communicating with each other on the limb, some stretching and preening while most are dropping soft, fecal mini-bombs with a payload of digestive byproducts from the prior afternoon’s feeding. At fly down, Merriam’s and Rios may sail long distances in open and mountainous terrain. Easterns and Osceolas in flatter woodlands may glide a ways or simply execute a controlled fall directly to the ground below.
Tes Jolly
Turkeys don’t always awaken in the same tree they went to sleep in. Spring turkey hunters sneaking about in dark woods may be one reason but consider the bird’s poor night vision. Why would a turkey risk changing roost sites? An owl attack, human pressure or weather influences perhaps?
Dr. Chamberlain: “For whatever reason, some birds simply move around to different trees during the night. Why they do is unclear. However, roost studies show hens move fairly often at night when incubating a nest. Presumably they are alarmed or attacked by a predator and leave the nest to roost in nearby trees and will move multiple times during the same night. One hen that was studied ended up about 600 yards away before daylight.”
In winter, turkeys may go to roost earlier to conserve heat, utilizing evergreens, protected valleys, draws and east facing slopes to absorb the morning’s warm sun rays.
Roosting Habitat Management
Roost site management can be beneficial to turkey populations even where there’s no shortage of suitable habitat. Roost trees offer telltale signs—scatterings of droppings, often copious, and feathers under the canopy. Generally, roost trees are tall, with an open crown, adequate horizontal limbs and an open understory. Brush and sapling encroachment under and around roost trees reduces visibility and creates hazardous or impossible flight. A shorter understory allows turkeys to identify threats. Mechanical or hand cutting and prescribed fire are methods that can be used to manage the understory. Once cut, brush is removed from the area. Prescribed fire is also effective at thinning understories provided it’s not so dense that the trees get hot enough to die. There’s always a risk that birds won’t return if disturbed on or near a roost, at least in the short term. So, site assessment and management projects are best performed at midday while the birds are away.
Roost Trivia
Tes Jolly
Have you ever wondered how turkeys survive when forced to remain roosted for extended periods during severe weather events like deep snow, ice and flooding? A friend in New York once reported finding several toms dead under their roost trees after enduring nine days of record cold temperatures, wind and deep, ice-covered snow that prevented them from feeding and watering.
Dr. Chamberlain: “My own research can’t speak to how long they can survive cold/snow, but I published a paper back in 2013 related to birds confined to trees during an incredible flood event in Louisiana. In that work, we had one hen that lived exactly 3 weeks after her range was inundated and we strongly suspected she was nesting when the flood hit. We had a lone tom that we marked who survived 31 days.”
Do a turkey’s toes actually lock onto the branch when it squats to sleep? I’ve heard this for years from hunters talking about how it keeps the bird from falling during sleep and from being blown off a limb in high winds. It seems logical that a limb size that allows the toes to clench it would help stabilize the bird.
Dr. Chamberlain: “I’ve heard this too, but I’ve never seen credible evidence demonstrating it. Rather, turkeys squat down on the roost and use their breast to help balance them, which lowers their center of gravity. During windy periods, you’ll also sometimes see birds move to the base of limbs in their roost tree, presumably to help shield them from the wind and help them remain steady on the roost.”
Roost trees play a vital role in the wild turkey’s survival. Roosted may not be roasted but knowing which tree holds a gobbling tom is a great way to start a hunt.
Visit the Wild Turkey Lab led by Dr. Michael Chamberlain, Ph.D. for access to the latest scientific research and meaningful historic works focused on wild turkeys and the landscapes they inhabit.
Ongoing wild turkey research is supported and assisted in funding by Mossy Oak, state wildlife agencies, universities, conservation organizations and associations like Turkeys for Tomorrow, the National Wild Turkey Federation, hunters, landowners and others.
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