Hunting Tips - Know Your Bird

Understanding turkey behavior and biology gives you a serious edge in the field. Here's what to pay attention to:

• Eastern (common in the Midwest and East): Loud gobblers, wary, thick woods.
• Merriam's (West): Often in open country, gobble less, easier to call.
• Rio Grande (Texas & Central Plains): Travel in open areas, respond well to calls.
• Osceola (Florida): Smaller, fast-moving, often in swamps and palmettos.
• Gould's (Southwest US/Mexico): Rare in the US, often in mountainous areas.

Knowing which you're hunting will shape your tactics.

• Roosting: Turkeys sleep in trees at night. Pre-dawn gobbles from the roost help you locate them.
• Fly-down: Just after sunrise, they fly down from the roost—this is prime hunting time.
• Feeding/Strutting Zones: Mid-morning to afternoon, gobblers head toward open areas to feed and strut for hens.
• Midday: Hens often go to nest. Gobblers may become responsive to calls again.

• Turkeys are vocal, and understanding their sounds helps you call more naturally:
  • Yelp: "Come here" call—hens use this to gather.
  • Cluck: Short contact call.
  • Purr: Contentment or soft communication.
  • Cutting: Aggressive, excited hen—can fire up a gobbler.
  • Gobble: Tom advertising his presence. Loud and far-reaching.
  • Spit & Drum: Low-frequency sounds toms make while strutting—can be hard to hear but important to recognize.

• Turkeys see in color, and their eyesight is sharp—better than 20/20. They detect movement instantly.
• Their hearing is also excellent. A gobbler can pinpoint your location from hundreds of yards away based on your call alone.

• During spring, toms are laser-focused on hens.
• They may follow hens all morning, ignoring your calls until hens leave them.
• Understanding this helps you time your calling and setup for better success.