Truths & Lies

[Southern Sportsman]

I'm going to say that 90% of these alleged "myths" are just old wives tales that are not really believed by anyone who has actually turkey hunted for more than a couple of years. Thus Steve Hickoff is just dispelling myths that have already been dispelled by countless others, in writing and practice, for decades. I guess this is true of most magazines and magazine writers. There are only so many ways to spin the same facts, myths, and stories.

Also, I'm pretty sure there are numerous verifiable and respected accounts of turkeys eating quail eggs. It is talked about quite a bit in Joe Hutto's book.

 

[catman529]

I saw a hen strut for the first time a couple weeks ago

 

[woodsman87]

I agree with Southern Sportsman 100%. It also looks like alot of begginner turkey hunters will try to do shortcuts if they read this. He is right, gobblers do not all the time get hung up on a fence or creek, and gobblers do not all the time stay on the high ground, but most of the times they really do. If I can help it, I always try to get above or the same level as the turkey, and on the same side of the fence.
I think now some begginers will just automatically sit down to a gobbler and try to call him up through hell and high water everytime.

 

[TLRanger]

I have always liked the myth that you can tell the sex of a turkey by looking at the droppings. EG - A gobblers dropping will be "J" shaped and a hens droppings will be a clump.

I would like to know the person that has researched this phenomenom but I would not shake his/her hand.

Most of these myths got started in the articles in magazines and have absolutely no truth to them.