DRUMMING QUESTION!!!!

[Chilly]

I've been turkey hunting for roughly 22 years.  I have just recently (last 5 years) been able to hear drumming.  It has definitely made me a better and more successful hunter.  I have always been able to hear them spit.  I just assumed that in order for a turkey to drum, he had to be strutting.  I thought it was the feathers that was making that sound. 
Well this weekend, I learned that strutting is not necessary for drumming to occur.  My son and I was set up in a holler that usually holds birds on public land.  We never heard a gobble all morning.  We set up and just blind call every now and again.  We have a decoy out and my son is watching down the creek bed and I am pretty much to his left on the same tree.  Our patience is running thin due to not hearing anything other than song birds although it was a beautiful morning.  Crows weren't even calling.  Just a weird start to the day.  We are just passing the time whispering about this and that and I suddenly hear the "DRUM".  I tell him to freeze and to not make a move.  He didn't hear it and asked what I heard.  The bird drummed again and then Landon heard it.  We still didn't know where it was coming from and my legs are straight out and gun laying across my lap.  Landon's gun is on a trigger stick pointing down the creek bed.  He drums again and I look up the knob and I see him walking.  He stops and looks our direction.  Drums again, while just standing there.  He walks about 5 more yards and does it again.  Never dropping a wing nor raising his fan. Landon sees him but it is impossible for him to swing left since he is left handed.  The bird is right in front of me, 55 yards and closing.  He gets a cluster of trees in between himself and me and I manage to get my knees and my gun up.  We hadn't called for close to 10 minutes but he had us pin pointed.  He couldn't see the decoy due to the thick cover and there was one opening for me to shoot through.  He finally mad it to that opening at 40 yards and I rolled him.  He was a 19lb, 10 3/8 beard, 1" sharp spurred bird.  It wasn't a textbook gobbling, strutting type hunt but we managed to bag another good bird.

So here is my question, What are we hearing when a turkey "Drums"?   

[renegade19]

Great story!  Congrats.  I have no idea how they make the noise, but it's cool when they do.

[Turkeyman]

Drumming is purely vocal...easy to do so yourself . Although they are generally in strut, and seem to "shake" a bit when drumming the sound is not from their feathers. You can't get that sound no matter how you rub feathers together! Years ago when scouting on a very cold morning, I had a jake walk by close...and he was drumming. It was neat seeing his mouth open and his breath coming out during the drum.

[SinGin]

I'd like to knw also. I killed a bird a few years ago that was drumming but wasn't strutting, first time I had ever heard it. I heard it again this weekend. The bird would drum right at the end of his gobble but I never saw him to see if he was strutting or not. Maybe someone should make a drumming call. If they do I want 10%.

[TauntoHawk]

I'd like to knw also. I killed a bird a few years ago that was drumming but wasn't strutting, first time I had ever heard it. I heard it again this weekend. The bird would drum right at the end of his gobble but I never saw him to see if he was strutting or not. Maybe someone should make a drumming call. If they do I want 10%.

I was just thinking I should give a natural voice spit and drum sound a try on a hung up bird sometime

[Chilly]

Drumming is purely vocal...easy to do so yourself . Although they are generally in strut, and seem to "shake" a bit when drumming the sound is not from their feathers. You can't get that sound no matter how you rub feathers together! Years ago when scouting on a very cold morning, I had a jake walk by close...and he was drumming. It was neat seeing his mouth open and his breath coming out during the drum.

It sounds like it is deeper than a throat noise to me.

[renegade19]

Spit and drum: Once thought to be humming of a gobbler's shimmying tail feathers, biologists now agree the spit and drum is a melodious, two-note vocalization forced deep from a gobbler's chest. A tom drums in the spring to attract hens. Depending on terrain, wind and foliage, you can hear drumming 60 to 100 yards away.

Google, cut, paste.  This is my life as an old, retired dude with no more turkey tags!

[Greg Massey]

I've had turkeys drumming in the past and it always seems like it's the ones you don't see at first for some reason. I've seen this maybe 3 or 4 times in 30 years of hunting turkeys..

[yelpy]

I believe it was HS Strut that use to make a spit and drum call. I have one laying around here somewhere. 

[stinkpickle]

I'd like to knw also. I killed a bird a few years ago that was drumming but wasn't strutting, first time I had ever heard it. I heard it again this weekend. The bird would drum right at the end of his gobble but I never saw him to see if he was strutting or not. Maybe someone should make a drumming call. If they do I want 10%.

I was just thinking I should give a natural voice spit and drum sound a try on a hung up bird sometime

Yes, it worked for me last week.

[stinkpickle]

I believe it was HS Strut that use to make a spit and drum call. I have one laying around here somewhere.

Lohman made one.  I can do it with my voice better, though.

[drenalinld]

In my opinion drum part of the spit and drum is just a long drawn out version of the gobble. If one gobbles very close you can hear the chest drumming quickly. DRUM DRUM Drum Drum ..drum....drum.......drum

[RutnNStrutn]

Very interesting topic guys. Thanks for bringing it up! I've never "seen" a gobbler drumming that wasn't strutting. I've heard gobblers drumming out of sight, but whenever they came into sight they were strutting. Can one of you guys that do it naturally post a sound bite showing how to make drumming with your natural voice? I'd love to see that!

[Tennessee Lead]

Come Heah tuh me turkey calls makes a nice spit and drum call
I've watched it on Facebook a few times
I've given thought to buying one never know when it could be what seals the deal.

[Chilly]

In my opinion drum part of the spit and drum is just a long drawn out version of the gobble. If one gobbles very close you can hear the chest drumming quickly. DRUM DRUM Drum Drum ..drum....drum.......drum

We call that throat rattling....
If I had to spell how the drum sounds it would be like this..
DDD'OOOOOOOOOVVVE.........LOL