Turkey fall behavior

BSK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 1999
Messages
80,880
Location
Nashville, TN
OK, someone school me on turkey behavior. Will toms strut in front of females in the fall? Will a hen strut as a dominance display towards other females?
 

DoubleRidge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
9,621
Location
Middle Tennessee
Mega or someone else can likely explain it better than I can....but from personal experience I can say tom's absolutely will strut in the fall and winter months....I've seen tom's strutting in December.... and opening of rifle last Saturday I had two toms gobbling on the ridge behind me.....as for hens....not sure I'd call it strutting but I've seen them puff up and dance around another hen making a bunch of racket.....I've always assumed they were working out the pecking order....but again, maybe Mega will check in with a better explanation.
 

BSK

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 1999
Messages
80,880
Location
Nashville, TN
In the first video, the birds strutting are clearly toms. But what about in the second video? Jakes?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0061.MP4
    30.2 MB
  • IMG_0012.MP4
    30.4 MB

megalomaniac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
14,597
Location
Mississippi
Yes and yes.

The 2nd video are hens (but I am looking via cell phone, so it's a little small).

Heck even baby turkeys as young as 2 weeks will strut to display dominance over their siblings.
 

LenS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
188
Location
Montgomery County, TN, USA
I actually witnessed a hen strutting this past Saturday as several dozen turkeys fed through. For whatever reason this group had several small fights going on among the flock. Turkeys are great from March-May but I don't want them anywhere around during deer season. Too loud!!
 

peytoncreekhunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Messages
2,984
Location
Hermitage
OK, someone school me on turkey behavior. Will toms strut in front of females in the fall? Will a hen strut as a dominance display towards other females?

Yes and yes, he'll strut and gobble when he wants to. Spring, summer, fall or winter. I've seen and heard it.

I've seen hens fan out and strut/walk around. I haven't heard it for myself but I've been told hens can/will even somewhat gobble.
 

TnKen

Well-Known Member
2-Step Enabled
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Messages
1,099
Location
Nash, tn
I had 3 toms strutting Friday morning heads were white as snow. They also gobbled on the roost.
 

GOODWIN

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
1,453
Location
Jackson, MS
Forgive the quality as I was trying to video through binos. Past Saturday morning here. Tom strutting in circles around another tom for 15 min.
 

Southern Sportsman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2011
Messages
3,304
Location
West TN
@gasman and myself witnessed this. She was actually pretty good at it. Sounded much like a jake would
I called in a hen a couple years ago that gobbled twice from about 40 yards away. I would never have mistaken it for a tom gobbling. It didn't even really sound like a jake. Just a very feminine, high pitched, undeniable gobble. I've never seen one truly "strut" (head tucked, low to the ground, full display). I know they'll do it. I've seen videos. But I've seen them puff up and walk around with their fan partially out several times.
 

catman529

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2010
Messages
29,472
Location
Franklin TN
Yea, they do a lot of displaying/fighting when they're in fall and winter flocks. I've seen hens strut but only a couple times in the spring.
 

Latest posts

Top