Would you rather hear drumming or gobbling?

[HookedonHooks]

If a bird is 75-100 out on the fringe, assuming also out of direct sight, I would much rather him drumming than gobbling especially mid day. I'm worth the crowd of gobbling might mean many more things than drumming is actively strutting/looking for love.

That being said 20 yards or less in your lap, those gobbles that you feel shake the ground under your tree, absolutely the best part of turkey hunting for me. It's not something every turkey you kill will give you that blessing of coming in hammering all the way to the gun on every little cluck you give him, but the ones that do I seem to remember them the best.

[richard black]

I'll take drumming. He's close!

[RutnNStrutn]

After 34 years in the fire department, my hearing sucks. I can still hear distant gobbles, just not as good as most. But for me to hear drumming, he's got to be close, and strutting. That means I'm in the game, unlike a distant gobble. So I'll take drumming every time!

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[West Augusta]

Gobbling, I can't really hear drumming


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here.

[mcw3734]

Drumming. To me, it means he's close and comfortable. Also, because it can be hard pinpointing just where he is both distance and direction-wise, that makes it even more exciting (stressful). Having said that, gobbling never disappoints.

[Gooserbat]

Drumming, if I'm working one... I know he is close. 

On mile four and 9:00 am I just want to hear a gobble.

[Kyle_Ott]

Gobbling

[Gobbler-one]

If I had to pick it would be gobbling.
If I have already located the bird and working him I love to hear drumming. I can't hear it much past fifty yards anymore, so when I do hear it I pretty much figure I'm about to lay eyes on him. That being said I still prefer a ground shaking, chest rattling, loud gobble. It gets my heart to racing every time.

[Greg Massey]

A gobbler coming and drumming can be hard to located or find sometimes, i will taking gobbling so i can move and get in the right position for the kill..but hearing both is pretty sweet...

[Marc]

As I stated earlier....

I hear that surprise gobble close, and I know that bird is looking for the hen he has heard.  So many times, I hear that surprise close gobble after some period of silence on my part, and all too often the bird is not at all in the direction I expected him.  (I am getting to the point that if I hear birds coming from below to my left, I turn and face up to my right).  But when they gobble close, I generally feel like I am going to get a presentable shot at them.

With drumming, I feel like hens are in the picture more often.  Either they are already with hens, or there are hens close by that they can see.  Seems like a drumming bird is far slower on forward progress, and expects the hen to come to him.  All too often I have had drumming birds skirt just around me.

I can pinpoint a close gobble pretty good, and when they gobble close, it puts my heart in my throat...  That drumming is generally tough for me to get direction or distance on....   Sometimes birds drumming close sound further, and sometimes that drumming carries a lot further than I would think...

I do wonder sometimes if birds drum instead of gobble in response to predator avoidance?   Couple years back, one of the properties I was hunting had more than normal coyotes, and I heard far less gobbling, and heard/saw more drumming (and the birds wanted to be in more open areas a lot more).  While I realize that a coyote can still hear drumming from further than I can, they can also hear gobbling from even further...  I also "feel" like birds tend to drum more than gobble when they are being pressured by "human hunters."

[Turkeyman]

I love to hear gobbling and, when I do, I know the game may be played. When I hear drumming, I KNOW the game is being played.

[stinkpickle]

Definitely drumming.  Because they can shock gobble, but they won't shock drum.

[bbcoach]

Drumming for me.  It means two things 1. He is CLOSE   2. He is Super excited and has LOVE on his mind.  Forgot to mention, when he is Spitting and Drumming, he normally gets Happy Feet which only means ONE thing.  He only has eyes on one thing and you can Normally get away with some movement without getting busted. 

[the Ward]

Drumming for sure. If i can hear it he is close, and because it is exciting!

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

Gobbling for sure, I have a hard time hearing drumming.