Will turkeys roost in the middle of the day? And will they roost at different spots every other day? We hunted a group of birds in the morning at their roost and then tried hunting them that afternoon in the same spot, but they never came back. — Chris Cherry

Turkeys don’t technically roost at midday. They might remain on the roost during extenuating circumstances, such as bad weather or when a gobbler refuses to fly down until he sees hens below him. However, birds typically pitch down from their roost trees when they instinctively sense it’s light enough to see potential threats. Sometimes, spooked or startled turkeys might fly up into a tree — or remain on the roost — until flushing when danger approaches or flying back down after danger passes. They might also fly up to roost relatively early during bad weather.

Will turkeys roost at different spots? Yes, in areas with abundant roost trees. If the area you hunt has quite a bit of suitable timber, birds can roost almost anywhere, though they might favor some areas over others. In areas with few suitable roost trees — parts of Texas, Oklahoma and the Dakotas, for example — turkeys predictably use the same roost trees day after day for generations.

Unless you spooked your turkeys by the roost site that morning, they probably just chose — for whatever reason — to roost elsewhere that night. They will likely return to the original roost after a while. Try to locate them after flyup, and then hunt them the next morning.

— Brian Lovett