 When
you are hunting wild turkeys it helps to understand their social structure
during the different seasons of the year, and what type of habitat, forage
and resting areas they prefer.
Social Structure
Turkeys habitually occur in flocks. Hens and young of the year often
stay together throughout the summer in family groups or flocks of several
families, with an older hen as the dominant bird of each family, and possibly
of each group. In the fall young males or "jakes" form their own flocks
and stay together through the winter. These groups of jakes may join adult
males in the spring, during the breeding season. Adult male flocks form
in the summer after the breeding season and remain together until spring,
when some toms go off by themselves. But, males may form small groups of
two or more birds during the breeding season. I have seen as many as six
toms in one group. Several groups of gobblers may form an alliance and
fight other groups of gobblers for dominance and breeding rights. Since
dominance is established within each
family as he young birds grow, and the male siblings of each family
often stay together into adulthood, the dominant male of each group is
often the sibling of the other males in the group.
Winter Behavior
During the winter turkeys separate into flocks of different sexes and
age groups; the old and young hens remain in their own flocks, the jakes
in other flocks, and the toms in yet other flocks. This flocking instinct
is strong in most grazing animals that depend on their ability to see and
hear for defense. Because they spend so much time eating they can't always
be on guard. Therefore, the more animals there are together, the more time
each one can spend eating while others watch; there is security in numbers.
Spring Behavior
With the approach of spring the weather gets warmer, daylight hours
become longer and turkeys get the urge to mate. The jakes may join the
toms and begin forming small groups that search for hens. Both the jakes
and toms begin to associate ith the hens as they all look for new spring
growth, succulent grasses, forbes and insects that appear near stream beds
and on south facing slopes that warm up first. They look for leftover agricultural
crops, mast crops of nuts and acorns,
and pick through cow chips, cattle feeding areas, and old and new plowing
for insects and leftover food. Where turkeys inhabit hilly or mountainous
terrain they may even change home ranges, seeking higher elevations as
snow depth decreases and new forage becomes available. They may travel
from as little as a quarter mile, to as many as several miles between their
winter and spring range.
Habitat
Generally speaking, the Eastern turkey is found in open, mixed hardwood
and pine forests, the Osceola is found in the subtropical regions of Florida,
the Rio Grande in scattered brush land of the southwest, and the Merriam's
and Gould's in pine forests of the southwest. Turkeys prefer to roost in
trees larger than the surrounding vegetation and will often choose roost
sites on east facing slopes out of the prevailing winds. Because sight
is a main means of defense against predators for turkeys, they use open
fields and meadows as feeding and strutting sites, and wooded areas roosting
sites. Strutting sites are often traditional, used year after year by successive
birds.
Forage
Turkeys eat a wide range of foods including succulent grasses and forbes,
insects, leftover grains, fruits of the grape, cherry and black gum, seeds
including mast crops of acorns, pine nuts and juniper (cedar) berries,
and new growth agricultural crops. In the winter turkeys rely heavily on
acorns and seeds; branch tips of brush and trees; leftover grain crops;
and will feed heavily in fields where manure has been spread; at corn cribs
and feedlots; and at silage piles. In the early spring turkeys often rely
on leftover grain in agricultural fields. Once the weather warms and new
green growth appears they will begin feeding in pastures, river and creek
bottoms, and hayfields, where they eat green forage and search for insects.
Hens often seek out sources of calcium (such as land snails) for egg production
in the spring.
Roost Sites
The availability and location of roosting sites is a determining factor
in turkey use of the habitat. If few or no roosting sites are available
turkeys may leave the area or not use it. They prefer to roost in heavy
timber in ravines if possible; where they can be out of strong prevailing
winds in winter, but they will roost in trees open to the wind. Roost sites
are often located over or near water in the south.
Scientific studies have shown that turkeys often roost on an east or
south facing slope, about a third of the way down the slope where the winds
are calm. East and south facing slopes also receive the earliest sunlight,
allowing the birds to warm-up and be able to see early in the morning.
In one study roost sites were often within one half mile of water, and
five hundred yards of a meadow. This could be attributed to the fact that
turkeys often feed before going to roost in the evening, and they don't
travel far at dusk. The preferred roosts in the study were mature trees
with open crowns giving
the turkeys room to fly into the trees and move around. They also preferred
trees with large horizontal limbs to roost on.
In western areas turkeys use fir, pine, spruce, cottonwood and large
aspen trees as roosts. Eastern birds often choose pines, elm, maple, box
elder, large oak, and cottonwood. Mature toms often choose pines because
the pines can reduce wind speeds by 50-70 percent. Eastern turkeys generally
have several roost sites in their home range, and they may use different
sites on successive nights. In limited and poor habitat, Merriam's turkeys
often roost in the same trees on a regular basis.
This article is an excerpt from the Turkey Addict's
Manual ($14.95 + $5.00 s&h), by T.R. Michels,
available in the Trinity Mountain Outdoor Products
Catalog. E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com
T.R. Michels, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA. Phone: 507-824-3296
T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife
behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail,
Elk, Duck and Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are
the 2003 Revised Edition of the Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised
Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition of the
Duck & Goose Addict's Manual. For a catalog of books and other hunting
products contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors,
PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983, USA.
Phone: 507-824-3296
E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com
Website: www.TRMichels.com
*This article is an excerpt
from the Turkey Addict's Manual ($14.95) by T.R. Michels.
For more information on
specific seminar titles and times contact;
T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain
Outdoors / T.R. Michels Guide Service, PO Box 284, Wanamingo, MN 55983,
507-824-3296, trmichels@yahoo.com,
www.thehunterseye.con/trmichels
| To
List Of T.R. Michels Articles:
T.R. Michels
T.R. Michels is a nationally
recognized big game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and
speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck and Goose, and Turkey
Addict's Manuals. His latest products are the 2003 Revised Edition of the
Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2003 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's
Manual; and the 2003 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.
Web site: www.TRMichels.com
For a catalog of books
and other hunting aids contact:
T.R. Michels
Trinity Mountain Outdoors
PO Box 284
Wanamingo, MN 55983
507-824-3296
E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com
Web: www.TRMichels.com |
|
| To
List Of T.R. Michels Articles:
T.R. Michels
T.R. Michels is a nationally
recognized big game researcher, speaker and writer. He is the author of
the series Whitetail, Elk, Turkey and Goose & Deer Addict's Manuals
and the innovator of the Moon Indicator.
T.R.'s latest books, available
for 2001, are the Deer Addict's Manual, Volume 7: Hunting Tactic; the Scrape
Addicts Manual; and the Outdoorsman's Cookbook, Volume 1 and 2.
Contact:
T.R. Michels
Trinity Mountain Outdoors
PO Box 284
Wanamingo, MN 55983
507-824-3296
Web: www.TRMichels.com
E-mail: trmichels@yahoo.com |
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