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Gobbler on the move ...

Started by Greg Massey, December 05, 2017, 07:40:05 PM

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Greg Massey

In a day how much ground do you think a gobbler will cover ?  Spring

MK M GOBL

Only as far as my gun...

LOL

I'd guess to ask are you talking spring hunting season?

MK M GOBL

Greg Massey

Quote from: MK M GOBL on December 05, 2017, 07:57:19 PM
Only as far as my gun...

LOL

I'd guess to ask are you talking spring hunting season?

MK M GOBL
yes spring

Tail Feathers

I seem to recall reading that it was up to three miles a day.
I wouldn't be surprised if it were higher for some of those Merriams and Rios in open country.
Love to hunt the King of Spring!

MK M GOBL

I'd also think it is dependent on where these birds live, in my experience the birds out west really seemed to travel and probably have a bigger area they roam. I'm here in WI and you add in breeding season, a dominant bird chasing hens all day long would guess to say 5-7 miles...

I would think some states wildlife agencies have probably tracked a few birds and could look up a report.

What's your guess?

MK M GOBL

Rapscallion Vermilion

Quote from: MK M GOBL on December 05, 2017, 08:14:15 PM
I'd also think it is dependent on where these birds live, in my experience the birds out west really seemed to travel and probably have a bigger area they roam. I'm here in WI and you add in breeding season, a dominant bird chasing hens all day long would guess to say 5-7 miles...

I would think some states wildlife agencies have probably tracked a few birds and could look up a report.

What's your guess?

MK M GOBL

Here is a link to one of those studies during the spring.  Table I on the 4th page gives data for 13 Easterns in Louisiana and 5 Rios in Texas.  Average was 2.3 miles for the Easterns and 2.9 miles for the Rios, but the max distances were nearly 5 miles for an Eastern and 7 miles for a Rio.  So all in all in good agreement with all your estimates.

https://www.lotek.com/2015-Minitrack-uGPS-Wild-Turkey.pdf


silvestris

An Eastern preferred male with an intact harem will often travel little in excellent habitat, unless disturbed.
"[T]he changing environment will someday be totally and irrevocably unsuitable for the wild turkey.  Unless mankind precedes the birds in extinction, we probably will not be hunting turkeys for too much longer."  Ken Morgan, "Turkey Hunting, A One Man Game

strutnva

Quote from: silvestris on December 05, 2017, 10:56:06 PM
An Eastern preferred male with an intact harem will often travel little in excellent habitat, unless disturbed.

I would agree with this, when a bird has a bunch of hens around, my feeling is his movement is not very far at all and tends to roost in a similar location from day to day unless spooked.  His travel route might be a mile or two but he won't get to far from his core area that has most of his lady friends.

Bigeclipse

Quote from: Rapscallion Vermilion on December 05, 2017, 09:11:13 PM
Quote from: MK M GOBL on December 05, 2017, 08:14:15 PM
I'd also think it is dependent on where these birds live, in my experience the birds out west really seemed to travel and probably have a bigger area they roam. I'm here in WI and you add in breeding season, a dominant bird chasing hens all day long would guess to say 5-7 miles...

I would think some states wildlife agencies have probably tracked a few birds and could look up a report.

What's your guess?

MK M GOBL

Here is a link to one of those studies during the spring.  Table I on the 4th page gives data for 13 Easterns in Louisiana and 5 Rios in Texas.  Average was 2.3 miles for the Easterns and 2.9 miles for the Rios, but the max distances were nearly 5 miles for an Eastern and 7 miles for a Rio.  So all in all in good agreement with all your estimates.

https://www.lotek.com/2015-Minitrack-uGPS-Wild-Turkey.pdf

couldn't open the study but is it saying they travel those distances "away" from where they may roost OR that is how much ground they cover as in...maybe they travel only half a mile but they walk all over the place within that half mile making it 2-5 total miles of walking? I find it hard to believe a tom moves 2-5 miles away from where he might roost (assuming the hens nearby were not driven away) but I am by no means a great turkey hunter.

Gobble!

I could easily see a five mile round trip.

Rapscallion Vermilion

Quote from: Bigeclipse on January 05, 2018, 01:50:14 PM
Quote from: Rapscallion Vermilion on December 05, 2017, 09:11:13 PM
Quote from: MK M GOBL on December 05, 2017, 08:14:15 PM
I'd also think it is dependent on where these birds live, in my experience the birds out west really seemed to travel and probably have a bigger area they roam. I'm here in WI and you add in breeding season, a dominant bird chasing hens all day long would guess to say 5-7 miles...

I would think some states wildlife agencies have probably tracked a few birds and could look up a report.

What's your guess?

MK M GOBL

Here is a link to one of those studies during the spring.  Table I on the 4th page gives data for 13 Easterns in Louisiana and 5 Rios in Texas.  Average was 2.3 miles for the Easterns and 2.9 miles for the Rios, but the max distances were nearly 5 miles for an Eastern and 7 miles for a Rio.  So all in all in good agreement with all your estimates.

https://www.lotek.com/2015-Minitrack-uGPS-Wild-Turkey.pdf

couldn't open the study but is it saying they travel those distances "away" from where they may roost OR that is how much ground they cover as in...maybe they travel only half a mile but they walk all over the place within that half mile making it 2-5 total miles of walking? I find it hard to believe a tom moves 2-5 miles away from where he might roost (assuming the hens nearby were not driven away) but I am by no means a great turkey hunter.

Those are total distances traveled along their path.  The study also monitored distances between consecutive roost sites.  Those varied from hardly any change at all to extremes of over a mile from one day to the next, with the averages being much less than a mile.