# Mountain Turkey roost trees?



## cornhead (Sep 19, 2010)

I have been scouting an area for birds and had a question about roost tree preference. The area has a mix of Ponderosa, Lodgepole, Aspen, Dead Spruce and Juniper. Of those trees what do birds look for in a roost tree? The ponderosa look best to me with the large horizontal branches. Trying to figure out these mountain birds. Used to hunting river bottom/riparian areas. I know there are birds in the area because of tracks in the snow. 

Thanks.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Ponderosas would be my first choice.. I once killed a gobbler that was roosting in a tiny patch of ponderosas in the middle of an aspen grove. they will roost in any of those trees you named. I think you need to look for an area that is more practical like near a hill top, or off the edge of a meadow, at the top end of a draw. things like that.. and look for their poop. it will be all over the ground and in the trees where they roost


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## Mtnbeer (Jul 15, 2012)

The best way to find a roost tree is to find poop on the ground. Identifying tree species isn't always a reliable indicator for roost trees. A lot of people looking for roost trees think like a human and look for trees with dispersed branches and space. That is not what a turkey looks for though. Turkeys use roost trees for predator protection and thermal cover. Dense canopy cover (tighter limbs) do a better job at providing both predator protection (from above) and thermal cover than more open trees like ponderosas. Turkeys can fold up into a small package and can fit in pretty small places. Most mountain turkeys I've seen will roost in a spruce tree over other choices, but sometimes, they will defy logic. I have seen them roost in ponderosas, lodgepole, and aspen. Once, I even watched a turkey roost in a mountain maple no more than 6-7 feet off the ground.


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