Gobbler Numbers
03-17-2023, 09:35 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 114
Gobbler Numbers
I've been seeing a couple of different winter gobbler flocks in my area over the past few days. One that's about a mile from my property has five and another that I've seen near the house has nine birds. What seems a bit unusual to me is that both flocks are all long beards, not a single jake in either flock. In prior years there would almost always be a few jakes mixed in with the winter gobbler flocks. Not sure what that means for future years or if this is just an early spring thing that I never noticed before but this coming season should be awesome with so many mature gobblers in the area.
This morning I heard what I thought was a single gobbler near the house just before daybreak. About an hour later I saw the same group of nine birds on my powerline that I had seen a few days before. I tried uploading some photos but no go. However, I did post this video to youtube of part of the same group that was taken this morning by a trail camera.
This morning I heard what I thought was a single gobbler near the house just before daybreak. About an hour later I saw the same group of nine birds on my powerline that I had seen a few days before. I tried uploading some photos but no go. However, I did post this video to youtube of part of the same group that was taken this morning by a trail camera.
03-19-2023, 05:32 AM
#2
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,436
The winter turkey flock gathers in groups. It's a safety in numbers. The more eyes the better chance to see danger.
Mature Toms also gather in what is called a Bachelor flocks. It will contain 2 yr old males or older. They eill group and can hover near or around the big hen flocks.
Young Jake flocks( last yrs hatched males) also gather in an age group flock and will mix in with he flocks but do get chased.
And your hens gather together of all ages.
It's a safety in the number of eyes.
All flocks with all birds to jockey for dominance among theirselfs constantly. Leader of the pack syndrome.. They're constantly pushing and fighting each other for a pecking order. Watch the flocks long enough hens will fight hens and jakes fight each other and so do the Toms.
Come spring they start to break up in smaller flocks as more food becomes available. And the Toms start gobbling and displaying following the hens hoping the mate. The real dominant Tom will have a group of hens and chase every male away.
The big bachelor flocks will break up into 2 or 3 or 1 dominant bird.
Mark those flocks tou see. And watch them expand. My last day of Fall turkey season I had over 200 hens, about 50 jakes in 2 flocks and 2 flocks of mature Toms I watched in this 160 acre field. It was an awesome exoerience.
JW
Mature Toms also gather in what is called a Bachelor flocks. It will contain 2 yr old males or older. They eill group and can hover near or around the big hen flocks.
Young Jake flocks( last yrs hatched males) also gather in an age group flock and will mix in with he flocks but do get chased.
And your hens gather together of all ages.
It's a safety in the number of eyes.
All flocks with all birds to jockey for dominance among theirselfs constantly. Leader of the pack syndrome.. They're constantly pushing and fighting each other for a pecking order. Watch the flocks long enough hens will fight hens and jakes fight each other and so do the Toms.
Come spring they start to break up in smaller flocks as more food becomes available. And the Toms start gobbling and displaying following the hens hoping the mate. The real dominant Tom will have a group of hens and chase every male away.
The big bachelor flocks will break up into 2 or 3 or 1 dominant bird.
Mark those flocks tou see. And watch them expand. My last day of Fall turkey season I had over 200 hens, about 50 jakes in 2 flocks and 2 flocks of mature Toms I watched in this 160 acre field. It was an awesome exoerience.
JW
Last edited by JW; 03-19-2023 at 05:40 AM.
06-04-2023, 06:48 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 12,563
They banded some toms up here with a few getting $100 dollar rewards for the ban being returned. The $100 reward was stamped in the tag. It made me smile when on youth day a youth hunter had gotten one of them. What a way for the lucky youth hunter to be rewarded! Others that were banded just had the basic bans on them.
They also have put tracking devices on some of the birds to help keep track of there movements. They tracked one tom that traveled over 50 miles during it’s breeding cycle. So some cases you simply don’t have any idea on where or when they will pop up at. This information also tracks them as to where they winter at during the winter months. Without the big farmlands and feeders this information is quite valuable for our wild turkey population..
They also have put tracking devices on some of the birds to help keep track of there movements. They tracked one tom that traveled over 50 miles during it’s breeding cycle. So some cases you simply don’t have any idea on where or when they will pop up at. This information also tracks them as to where they winter at during the winter months. Without the big farmlands and feeders this information is quite valuable for our wild turkey population..
