What do Turkeys do when............

[Trapper_Hunter]

What do turkeys do when it is rainy. Would they shock gobble at thunder or lighting. Cause it is Raining and thundering a little bit. Buy havn't seen it lighten yet. But I am sure it is though. The forecast for this weekend is *(Saturday- High 77Low 57 Isolated T-Storms) (Sunday- high 80 low 51 Scattered T storms. HELP?????

[tj_cubin]

it is Raining and thundering a little bit. Buy havn't seen it lighten yet. But I am sure it is though.

if its thundering, it is lightning.
My suggestion, is dont worry about the turkey, if its thundering, dont go hunting. Sititng outside holding a metal gun with lightening, is never a good idea.

[RayC]

Thunder is for sure a great locater call, be out when there is an approaching storm and your likely to hear all kinds of gobbles. ( just want to be back and inside when storm hits

[Aught Six]

If it's just drizzling or raining lightly, the turkeys will probably move into an open area for increased visibility. They prefer cut fields over timber so they can spot predators farther off. Tj's got a good point about lightning, though. Metal gun in hand, sitting under a tree...not too safe.

[Strut&Rut]

Really depends on the terrain.

Turkeys depend on eyesight and hearing for their defense...no olfactory sense is known.

Hence, they will either congregate in secluded, tight draws with heavy cover---a good spruce/pine/evergreen dense stand is often the case, or they will head to open ground. However, if you have open hardwoods, the turkeys may not change their patterns too drastically unless it really starts coming down hard.

When it pours, they are often in the thickest stuff imaginable. When it is lightly sprinkling/raining, I have found very little difference in their patterns/behavior during the day here in the Northeast, although they may stay on the roost longer and almost always roost sooner that evening...

With that said, the one thing that does tend to happen is the birds stop vocalizing, probably due to their diminished senses (don't want to call in all the predators). Hence, if hunting in the rain I tend to actually break out the decoys and call very sparingly, use the gobble tube, and just hope I've patterned the birds relatively well...

And as the other guys have said, if you've got thunderstorms, I've found it's best to be out right before and right after---you're better off during the storm to get some grub and catch a nap, because more than likely you won't see anything but raindrops...

[DaveH]

From my own personal experience, turkeys definitely DO gobble at thunder. One of the times we experienced this, we sat it out because there were at least a dozen gobblers in the hollow below us and they were gobbling in strings of 25-30 gobbles at a time. Dang birds came in strutting and stayed just out of range. Rain--while not fun to hunt in--can help you. It helps to silence your sneaking around in the woods and often prompts them to move to fields. Knowing that in advance, you can greet them there in a most rude manner!

[Gobbling Buck]

Like others have said, stay out of the lightening/thunder conditions. Take it from someone who knows. But as soon as the weather breaks or if it is a light drizzle, open areas and don't expect them to gobble, but it's a plus if they do.