Strange hen behavior
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Watertown, NY
Posts: 133
Strange hen behavior
I watched these two hens strut for over 40 minutes out my office window one day this past summer...I've seen hens puff up in an aggressive manner when approaching another hen but I've never actually seen one strut like these two...Even their heads turned a whiter color...Amazing!!!
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NewLowell ,Ontario ,Canada
Posts: 2,765
RE: Strange hen behavior
This is the same time of year the Gay Pride Parade's start maybe there is some practicing that had started
yes TP , I've seen hens do the same thing but in the spring has been when I have seen it happen. Good Pic's..
yes TP , I've seen hens do the same thing but in the spring has been when I have seen it happen. Good Pic's..
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 696
RE: Strange hen behavior
I've seen it in the early fall once. My guess is hens trying to show themselves as big dominat gobblers. Make predators think twice about coming after those poults with them. Making yourslef appear like 20 pounds of spurred turkey is probably more intimidating than 12 pounds of hen. Just thinking out loud but that'd be my guess.
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Juneau Alaska USA
Posts: 157
RE: Strange hen behavior
I've seen a large hen doing the partial strut while I was hunting in Oregon, Tim. Kind of like the one hen in your bottom pic. She was obviously the dominant hen of the group of six - with no toms around that I either heard or saw that morning. She was dragging one wing and making a purring sound as she bullied another hen about her size. It was the second time I'd been in the turkey woods with a shotgun and the whole thing was a mystery to me until I asked about it on the old TSO site and I got the same kind of answers I see on here.
Thinking back, the whole show was pretty amusing - including the newbie thoughts going through my head as I watched the whole show! LOL
Thinking back, the whole show was pretty amusing - including the newbie thoughts going through my head as I watched the whole show! LOL