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Understanding Turkeys/Turkeys Habits 101

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:00:00 -0500

Turkey habits vary greatly by region and local area. Some Eastern and Merriam's birds become accustomed to human activity and inhabit cities and towns, while a few miles away the mere sight of a car will send birds into cover. In some western areas birds may frequent farmyards, use groves and buildings for roost sites; exhibit no fear of humans, dogs or livestock; and become pets.

Understanding Seasonal Turkey Behavior

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0500

Turkey habits vary greatly by region and even local areas. Some Eastern and Merriam's turkeys become accustomed to human activity and inhabit cities and towns, while a few miles away the mere sight of a car will send birds into cover. In some western areas birds may frequent farmyards, use groves and buildings for roost sites; exhibit no fear of humans, dogs or livestock; and become pets.

Reaction to Danger
Wild turkeys are extremely wary, with excellent eyesight, but they don't hear much better than the average human. However, they are very aware of suspicious noises. Their first reaction to possible danger is alarm, the sounding of the Alarm Putt, and they often fly or run away. Turkeys have better eyesight than humans but, because of their widely spaced eyes, they have poor binocular vision and depth perception; they see very little in front of them with both eyes at the same time, which makes it difficult for them to determine the relative size and distance of objects. However, movement makes them alert.

Hunting Merriam’s Turkeys

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:03:24 -0500

The sun was already high in the sky when Bill and I saw our first Nebraska turkeys. They weren’t in the wooded ravines where I expected them; they were just off the highway that ran through the Sandhills region of north central Nebraska. I had just been commenting on the lack of trees, except for those around the numerous abandoned and occasionally occupied farmhouses. Then I saw the two tom turkeys, strutting 20 yards from a highway department sand pile, 50 yards from a farmhouse, complete with a dog lying in the dust near the front porch and several cats. Because of the amount of white on their tail feathers and rump I thought they were domestic turkeys. But, when we passed a flock of fifteen turkeys walking across the prairies 15 miles down the road I realized I was seeing my first Merriam’s Turkeys.

Turkey Communication / Advanced Turkey Talk

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0500

When you are calling turkeys you need to understand the meaning of the calls they use, and when and why they are used. So, let's talk turkey talk. Turkey researchers have described as many as 20 different turkey calls, which fall into six basic categories; Agonistic, Alarm, Contact, Flying, Maternal/Neonatal and Mating.

Spring Turkey Scouting

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:00:00 -0500

It was still dark as I turned the Suburban off the gravel road onto the field access road that ended at oak woods a half mile away. Not wanting to alert the turkeys, I turned off the engine and got out, quietly closing the door behind me. I reached into my turkey vest, pulled out my Lohman owl hooter and blew eight notes, imitating te call of a Barred Owl. A thundering gobble answered my call, followed by two more gobbles. Good, the birds were right where I expected them, roosted on the died of a southeast facing ridge about two hundred yards from the picked cornfield where I had seen them feeding before sunset last night.
If the birds did what they normally did , they would fly down about 15 minutes before sunrise, spend a little time looking for food in the woods, and ten would work there way along the bottom of the ravine until they came out of the woods into the cornfield.

Fall Turkey Hunting

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:00:00 -0500

When you call turkeys in the fall it's helpful to understand the differences between spring and fall calls. Since the birds most likely to respond to calling in the fall are the young, you should use the calls of the hen and her young. In the spring the poults signal to the hen that they are lost by using the three note Lost Whistle; a high pitched peep, peep, peep. As the turkey poults grow their voices change, and the Lost Whistle they used in the spring becomes the Kee-Kee, which is the juvenile version of the "Here I am. Where are you?" or Lost Yelp, of the adult birds. This call should probably be re-named the Kee-Kee-Kee. Sonogram recordings of the Kee-Kee show that it usually consists of three (not two) unevenly spaced .10-.15 second notes, performed in one second. The first note is short and not as high pitched as the last two notes, and the call generally rises in pitch.

Foul Weather Turkey Hunting

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:30:00 -0500

Even though the first day of the spring turkey hunt was cloudy, and a cold wind was blowing, I headed for the soybean field where I had seen a flock of turkeys appear just after daylight for the last two weeks. I was fairly sure the birds wouldn’t show up because of the weather. Just to be on the safe side I drove to the field forty-five minutes before daylight. I parked on the road, got out of the suburban, and owl hooted loudly. When I didn’t get an answer I hooted again. Still no answer. I waited several minutes as the sky grew lighter and then blew a flydown cackle. No answer. The birds were either not there or not talking.

Pre-Late Breeding, Late Breeding and Post Rut Phases

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:46:42 -0500

From early to late December the does that did not conceive earlier may come into a late estrus. Older unhealthy does and does fawns may come into estrus at this time. Both the dominant and subdominant bucks may start cruising, scraping and chasing does again. By late December most of the breeding is done and the bucks may return to their core areas to rest up after the rut, and feed to put on the weight they lost during the rut, so they can make it through the winter. Depending on the severity of the weather, the snow depth, and the availability of food sources, the deer may shift from fall home ranges to winter home ranges. In some areas they may migrate from less than one mile, to several miles. It's time to buy your feed and supplements for winter-feeding. Locate the food sources and watch them to find out which ones the bucks are using.

Hunting Transitional (mid-September to mid-October) Bucks

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:01:47 -0500

In many areas mid-September to mid-October is a time of transition, for both the deer and the habitat. As summer rains decrease some food sources become dry and unpalatable to deer, and other food sources (such as nuts berries and agricultural crops) start to ripen, making them more palatable. October is also when temperatures may begin to drop and the wind speed increases, which means the deer may begin to look for core areas more suitable to colder, windier weather.

The result of these seasonal forage availability and weather pattern changes is that the deer may have from one to four seasonal home ranges; spring summer, fall, and winter. In many areas the deer begin to shift from their summer home ranges to their fall home ranges from early September and late October. Sometimes the deer (both bucks and does) will use the same core areas for different seasonal home ranges, but they use different portions of their home ranges for different seasons.

Choose the right Treestand Location...

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:02:42 -0500

An understanding of deer behavior and travel patterns can help you choose a hunting site. Because deer feed primarily during low light conditions they have two primary rest periods, late at night and during mid-day. Generally they leave their daytime bedding areas in heavy cover late in the afternoon and move toward night time food sources. They intermittently feed, travel and rest during the night before returning to their daytime bedding areas.

How to: Call like a Duck

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:01:01 -0500

As a guide, researcher, speaker and writer, I have always been interested in learning about the animals I hunt: how they react to the weather, which calls they use and why, and when and how they mate; so that I could use the information to become a better hunter. Even though I'd cut my eye teeth on a duck call, and I'd been hunting ducks for over thirty years I knew I didn't know it all. So, when I met well known waterfowl biologist and goose researcher Dr. Jim Cooper a few years ago I decided to pick his brain. I specifically asked him what calls were best for hunting. He told me that if I really wanted to learn about duck behavior I should read the book Handbook Of Waterfowl Behavior by Dr. Paul Johnsgard. He also suggested the book Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America. What I learned from my conversations with Jim, and from those two books, has dramatically changed the way I hunt ducks and geese.

Advanced Goose Calling

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:00:04 -0500

The two most important aspects of goose calling are tempo (frequency) and volume (intensity). The tempo of a call is related to the action of the goose. The faster the movement of the goose, the faster the call. When a goose is calling on the ground to keep the family in contact it’s calling is slow. When a gander is chasing an intruding goose it’s calling is fast. When a goose is flying the calling is directly related to the downbeat of the wing stroke, which is when the goose contracts it’s chest muscles and exhales. When a goose is flying in formation its call is a slow, measured honk. When a goose is pumping its wings rapidly during takeoff or landing it’s calling is fast.

Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 09:00:00 -0500

Normal duck hunting techniques work well during the first part of the season on the "locals" and early season migrants. But the local ducks usually learn that the season is open in a very short time. They know where they'll get shot at, what decoys spreads to avoid, and which calls to stay away from. Shiny gun barrels, thermos bottles, shell casings, glasses, or white shiny faces are enough to send even the youngsters downwind in a hurry. This is when it's time to try something different.

Goose Decoying Explained..

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:05:05 -0500

When you are hunting geese decoys provide the visual stimulus needed to attract birds to a particular location. The more visible the decoys are, the more effective they are at attracting geese. There are five different ways to make a decoy spread highly visible; size, numbers, color, movement and location.

Treestands for Whitetails...

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:00:00 -0500

There was a time when hunter would visit the hardware store, pick up a bag of nails and some wood and head to their favorite spot to erect a stand. Treestands, when used correctly, are one of the whitetails hunter’s greatest advantages over their prey. In this day and age, hunters have a vast array of methods to get above a whitetail. The type of treestand you choose depends on the situation and surroundings you’re hunting in.

First and foremost, a hunter must read the manufactures instructions on the gear they are using. He or she must also remember to wear a safety harness while climbing into and using a stand. The majority of accidents and injuries sustained while hunting come during the climb into or out of a treestand.