Eyes or Ears?

[mossy835]

Vision, one thing for sure they do not need glasses or contacts   

The reason they have such eyes is they don't live long enough for contacts, but like a woman they hear everything.

[old frank]

I read somewhere that " A Turkey can hear you think and see you change your mind".

[TANK]

Vision

[camp man]

I think their hearing is at least as impressive as their eyesight. As far as telling them direction and distance, it is almost unbelievable.... Their eyesight is amazing at detecting movement though... That is a really good question...

[JVA54]

Ears

[Snoody Bastid]

From my experience- vision.

[BoWhoop]

Which do you think is better, a turkeys vision or his hearing?

If by "better" you mean which protects him the best, I would say vision.  Turkeys will tolerate all kinds of sounds and often just stand there and listen, but usually, as soon as they visually make out danger (close enough to do them harm), they react to it pretty quick.

While gobblers will respond to decoys, all kinds of decoys...some days..., that is about all that we can do to attract them visually.  Their hearing, on the other hand, lets them down all the time.  We could all list 100 things that make a turkey gobble, giving away his location.  On top of that, some of the calling that gets them killed is much less than "realistic", even to a human ear.  If a gobbler believes there is a hot hen just up the ridge, he will most likely believe a rusty lag bolt drug across a mason jar lid sounds like that "hen" yelping.  Once he's a believer, it's pretty hard to change his mind.

A turkey's vision is so unlike ours, in that they can see in the ultra-violet realm, in addition to having rods and cones like human eyes have, that we really can't even comprehend exactly what they see.  Having said all of that, I will say that a turkey's eyesight can be beaten in ways most hunters are lead to believe isn't possible.  Great eyes, quick movement recognition, but tiny little brain! 

I believe BOTH their hearing and sight are far superior to ours, they just trust their eyes more.

[Woodsman4God]

Gotta be the eyes, even on a mildly windy day it creates enough background noise that the turkey cant trust it, secondly when you consider the woods the turkeys home, and they usually hole up in the same general area its like asking a parent which kid is crying and in which room of the house, we know right where the sound came from even at a distance that would be hard to understand for someone who doesnt live there 24/7.

[shootumindaface]

Which do you think is better, a turkeys vision or his hearing?

Hahaha this was just on another forum.. How in the sam heck are we supposed to know..

All I can say for survival purposes, they trust their eyesight

[PANYHunter]

I think they rely on vision the most, especially with movement.  When you put eyes and ears together that is when they have the amazing ability to pinpoint and locate where sound is coming from.  I'm just glad they cant smell cuz I don't think I would ever kill one.

[shootumindaface]

I think they rely on vision the most, especially with movement.  When you put eyes and ears together that is when they have the amazing ability to pinpoint and locate where sound is coming from.  I'm just glad they cant smell cuz I don't think I would ever kill one.

It would be like hunting coyotes

[ctwny1]

Eyes...

[M,Yingling]

I read somewhere that " A Turkey can hear you think and see you change your mind".

Thats good one ,,,,,, I think sound is a little move forgiving ,,,but any slight movement turkeys gone

[TheTwistedOne]

If you are worried about their eyes then be still!

If you are worried about their hearing then shut up!

I think turkeys depend the most on whichever sense is working best for them that particular day.

Ex.  A still but foggy morning they depend the most on hearing.
      A randomly gusty wind they depend more on vision.

[kyhareraiser]

vision