What does it mean when a turkey gobbles at you?
Male turkeys gobble to attract hens and assert their place in the pecking order, and while a gobble is meant to excite and attract receptive hens, it has nearly an equal effect on hunters. Hearing a gobbler sound off lets a hunter know he or she is in the game and gives them hope.
General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in morning and early afternoon hours. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain. During extremely wet and rainy days, turkeys are neither vocal nor very active.
When the gobbler quits gobbling, look at your watch, and force yourself to stay on your stand. Don't move around for an hour after the bird has quit gobbling. If you'll use this strategy, you'll see more turkeys, and you'll take more turkeys.
According to the NWTF, barometric pressures of 29.9 to 30.2 inches yield the highest vocal activity from turkeys. Barometric pressures below 29.7 inches decreased vocalization dramatically. The National Wild Turkey Federation has also cited some interesting data on wind speeds and gobbling frequency.
The circular nature of their march is just a result of their instinct to stay within the safety of their flock. In other words, what looks like extremely ominous behavior to human eyes is actually just a bunch of birds who can't decide how scared they should be of roadkill.
Calling every 15 minutes or so and starting off quieter and then getting more aggressive/louder as the day goes on are good rules of thumb. If you hear a hen, try to mimic her exact vocalizations. If she does a soft 4-note yelp, you do the same – if she gets loud, you get loud, too.
Midday gobblers can provide a completely different style of hunt. These birds have moved away from the turkey roost and shifted their focus to feeding, presenting a worthy challenge. With the afternoon ahead and the hens returning to the nest, you can find yourself a lonely tom ready to come to your call!
The rule is to sit at the base of a tree wide enough to cover you from behind for safety, break up your outline and give you support to lean against. When you find a likely tree, sit down and determine how well you can see in front of you. Sitting on the ground decreases your field of view by yards.
Overall, the answer to the big question is that turkeys do not always roost in the same place. Turkeys are much like deer in that they shift to different parts of their home range throughout the year. That said, they do seem to favor certain ones, and spend more time roosting in favored locations than anywhere else.
And you'll have to rethink your approach to turkey hunting as you leave the calls in your vest pockets more often. Gobblers often go silent due to one important factor: hunting pressure. In many cases the bird has evaded a swarm of near deadly hunters' shot that erupted from a shotgun at close range.
How can you tell how far a turkey is gobbling?
It is clearer and less muffled. As a general rule a gobble made in a tree can be heard twice as far as one made on the ground. That same “twice-as-far” rule applies to all other turkey sounds. A gobbler in an open field will sound clear and can generally be heard twice as far as a gobbler in timber.
Turkeys use creek bottoms as corridors to get to and from preferred feeding and roosting areas. The bigger the scratchings, the bigger the turkeys. Gobblers also love to scratch near the base of bigger trees as well. Gobblers will also leave sign along sandy roads leading to and from fields and food plots.
The fact that birds gobble and their location is known takes some of the guesswork out of it. Again, mornings generally provide faster and hotter action with vocal birds, making it the preferred time to turkey hunt.
Because turkeys are most active during times of mild weather, too hot or too cold weather slows their activity. It has been estimated that turkeys are most vocal in temperatures between 60 and 69 degrees fahrenheit.
When the metal melts, it releases the red stick (A) and the spring (C) pops up the stick so you know the turkey is done. Turkey is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius).
Don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent. Turkeys that repeatedly challenge or attack people may ultimately have to be destroyed.
The changing colors of a gobbler's head indicates his level of excitement and/or agitation to other turkeys. Usually when their heads turn a bright reddish color, it means they're sexually excited or just agitated.
Make a loud, short burst of crow or owl calls, and then listen for gobbles. If you get no response, walk 100 yards and repeat until hearing a gobble. Call again until pinpointing where they're roosted. When returning the next morning before dawn, set up within 200 yards of the roosting tree.
Call every few minutes, and act like a disinterested hen going about her daily routine. Moving also helps in such situations, because turkeys rarely sit and yelp in one place for long.
If you are a first-time turkey hunter, the easiest call will be a friction turkey call. These include turkey pot calls, box calls, and push/pull calls. These are fairly easy to use and are a good option when approaching your first spring turkey season.
What time are most turkeys killed?
It's no secret that most turkeys are heard, seen, and killed in the morning. For some states, it's the only time you can hunt mandated by state game laws. But for those that are turkey hunting all day in the spring, the success can be great in the afternoons.
Turkeys often move to fields in heavy wind because they can see danger more easily there and escape the noise of clattering branches and swishing bushes. Scout to see where they enter and exit, then set up an ambush just back in the woods at those locations.
Spit and Drum
This gobbler-only sound is used while a tom is displaying or closing the distance on a hen. Like the gobble, a tom is using this to attract hens but will only start as the bird closes the final gap.
Osceola Turkey
That said, public land hunting opportunities for these birds exist, but are without question some of the hardest public land turkey hunts out there. Osceolas are on average quite a bit smaller than the three other subspecies, but look similar to their Eastern cousins save for much darker wings.
Never move, wave or make turkey sounds to alert another hunter of your presence. Keep your hands and head camouflaged when calling. Maintain a clear field of view when using a camouflage blind or netting. Ensure your decoy is not visible when you are transporting it.
Never wear red, white, blue, or black, the colors of a male wild turkey. Dress defensively, and wear hunter orange when moving in the turkey woods. Never stalk turkey sounds or attempt to sneak up on wild turkeys. Always call the turkey to you.
The gobbler wanted to be where you were when you spooked him. So, after he thinks you're gone, and he hears a hen softly calling, there's a very good chance he may come back in that direction. Remember — the gobbler has a limited number of days to breed.
Start by slipping into an area in mid-afternoon where you've heard birds before — or maybe just by targeting decent habitat. Scout open areas positioned not far from stands of big-branched trees. Sit calmly and quietly, listening as turkeys move into a likely roosting spot.
Although usually seen on the ground, turkeys do fly. A wild turkey may range over several square miles in one day. The tracks of an adult tom are 6 to 7 inches long; adult hen tracks are 4.5 to 5 inches long.
Turkeys are omnivorous and will sample a wide variety of foods. To attract turkeys to your yard, you can provide them with a large ground feeding station containing cracked corn or mixed birdseed. Turkeys will also happily clean up any spills under hanging feeders you may have up for other birds.
What is the best call to make a turkey gobble?
Shock Gobble Options Good luck finding a run-and-gun turkey hunter who doesn't have some type of locator call tucked into his turkey vest. Common options include calls made to sound like an owl, a crow, or maybe even a coyote howl. Gobbling works, too.
If you get to your spot, step out of the vehicle and hear a bird sound off in the roost, do not rush headlong into the woods while calling to him. He's already let you know where he is so there's no need to start hammering away. Let nature take it's course, so don't go adding in turkey calls that are unnecessary.
The little pop-up thermometer in the turkey breast is designed to pop when the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 178 degrees F. By then, your turkey is bone dry.
40 yards is the typical shot distance for most turkey hunting scenarios, and so many turkey hunters start at this distance.
With lighter, underpowered loads of soft lead pellets shot out of a 12-gauge shotgun with a full choke, 30 yards was the maximum range for a lethal shot on a turkey.
In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects. Acorns are a crucial source of nutrients for wild turkeys, especially in the wintertime. To attract and retain wild turkeys, landowners should promote the growth of their favored food sources.
A decoy that faces toward an opposing turkey shows it's dominant – or thinks it is – and ready to fight. If you're using a tom decoy, position the head toward the direction a turkey is likely to come from. If you're using a jake, face the head away. Position the decoys 10 yards away from your blind.
To deter Brush Turkeys, try planting low growing native plants to provide thick ground cover. Put some tree guards around small or newly-established plants to protect them until they get big enough, and spread some river gravel around the base of trees and plants to protect the roots.
General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in morning and early afternoon hours. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain. During extremely wet and rainy days, turkeys are neither vocal nor very active.
Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success.
Why does turkey hunting stop at noon?
The current shooting hours from ½-hour before sunrise until noon are intended to protect nesting hens because incubating hens (hens sitting on eggs in a nest) tend to leave the nest to feed in the afternoon.
As a conservation measure the state purposely and prudently sets the start of the season to begin after the peak of gobbling, for the roughly two weeks before most hens start sitting on their nests. Toms naturally taper off in gobbling in this time, after the hide-and-seek of mating game has peaked, Duren said.
After Locating Birds
Most turkey hunters know their best chance to bag a bird is in the early morning (right off the roost) or at dusk as they prepare to roost again for the night.
Understanding Turkeys: Do Turkeys Move in The Rain
“Turkeys may not gobble when there is a heavy rain falling,” mentions Bob Phillips, of Lincoln, Ala. “But they will sometimes answer a call if close by.” Phillips recommends looking for rainy day turkeys in open fields, food plots or along old logging roads.
They create long-lasting social bonds with each other and with humans. Turkeys love to be stroked, petted and cuddled. They will remember your face and if they like you, they will come up to you to greet you. Turkeys also love music and will cluck along with the songs.
The turkey strut is an incredible courtship display that is intended to attract hens and display dominance.
Preferred foods of wild turkeys
Generally, turkeys thrive in and near mature forests that produce abundant amounts of mast, the fruits and nuts of woody plants. In the spring, they tend to eat leaves and grasses, and in the fall, they feed more on fruits, berries, seeds and insects.
1. They're social butterflies. Turkeys looove greeting visitors, making new friends, and being around others. They can even recognize human faces!
Erik Marcus, the author of Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating, has spent a considerable amount of time with turkeys on farm sanctuaries. He reports, “Turkeys remember your face and they will sit closer to you with each day you revisit.
Don't let turkeys intimidate you
Don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent. Turkeys that repeatedly challenge or attack people may ultimately have to be destroyed.
What scares turkeys?
It's easy to scare turkeys away by making noises (try waving your arms and yelling or blowing a whistle), popping open an umbrella, throwing tennis balls, or dousing the turkey with water from a hose or squirt gun. A leashed dog may also be effective in scaring a turkey away.
During turkey encounters, wildlife biologists advise "don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises." Waving your arms and yelling, flapping your coat or shirt, or blowing a whistle can work, as can opening and flapping an umbrella if you have one at hand.
And you'll have to rethink your approach to turkey hunting as you leave the calls in your vest pockets more often. Gobblers often go silent due to one important factor: hunting pressure. In many cases the bird has evaded a swarm of near deadly hunters' shot that erupted from a shotgun at close range.
Most of their vocalizations come down to a form of low, guttural hiss made when they are irritated or vying for a better spot on a carcass.
Beloved as turkeys may be as holiday-eating fare, you, as a human, probably don't want to be called a turkey. The word is an insult, referring to a person who has done something ill advised or stupid, as in that uncle who decides to introduce his new girlfriend to his ex-wife on Thanksgiving Day.
Make a loud, short burst of crow or owl calls, and then listen for gobbles. If you get no response, walk 100 yards and repeat until hearing a gobble. Call again until pinpointing where they're roosted. When returning the next morning before dawn, set up within 200 yards of the roosting tree.