All winter we seen zero turkey....just recentley we have about ten dif gobblers we have spotted hanging in our fiel on a rainy afternoon.....lol where did they come from
Turkeys do sometimes "Yard" in different areas in winter then where they live from spring through fall! Reasons being cover, food, etc!
So they dont wander solely on breeding instinct?
I think a lot of it has to do with breeding instinct, but several factors must be present too, such as mentioned above....food, cover, etc. As the days begin to lengthen and the breeding season nears, the gobbler flocks begin to split and the fight over who rests atop the pecking order intensifies. So, that also determines where the gobblers gravitate to. Some stick around close and take their place as either the dominant or subordinate, while others may travel a good distance to find their place in the pecking order for that area. That's why as a rule of thumb I always assume that I am hearing only about half of the gobblers gobble that are actually in the area. Regardless, a gobblers main focus during spring is to breed, and depending on availability of food eating may take a backseat at times, thus you sometimes see gobblers with low weights at end of season. In my opinion though they are going to gravitate to the areas that hens prefer to be, which in most cases are areas that provide suitable nesting cover and food.
The hens will dictate year to year patterns by using nesting areas repeatedly. The gobblers go to where the hens are. Once they go to set thats where they'll be. Hens mortality is lower here and the hens will dictate the nesting areas year to year. The males just follow wlth their tongues hanging out. :funnyturkey:
:drool:
Ive noticed the same patterns from year to year. Fall and winter food sources give way to early spring green up, and the birds move to new sources, and like was said, the hens dictate those areas being traditional nesting areas. Usually a good water source nearby, good nesting cover, abundant insect life, high protein foods they need for laying and rearing poults. The gobblers will be where the hens are.ive seen a property go from deserted to over run with birds in a week when spring arrives.