how often and for how long do turkey drum? for the last couple of morning i have heard drumming out in the field but i can' t tell if its birds or not....any help?

From my experience:
I' ve been close enough to them while they were still on on the roost and I' ve heard them drumming.
Mostly:
It seems to be when they are in the close proximity to hens or if they think a hen is nearby. Someday you will most likely call in a tom (no hens around) and you WILL hear him spit and drum! It is one of my favorite things about spring gobbler hunting. It usually precedes a very loud BANG!

Just a thought, I have hunted turkeys for years and this " drumming" seems to have passed by me somehow, are you sure that " drumming" is not Grouse. A grouse will get on a log in the spring and beat their wings, it sounds like a mechanical motor trying to start, but cant. If there is such a thing as turkey drumming, let me in on it.

Grouse drumming and turkey drumming are totally different. Turkeys don' t produce the drumming sound by rapid flapping of their wings (as grouse do), it is produced somewhere internally. The " spit" sound before the " drum" is produced by a quick inhalation/exhalition of air. The origin of the actual drumming is sort of a biological mystery.

Seems to me everytime they drop strut and then fan out again, they spit and drum. I' ve also heard gobblers drum over and over without breaking strut.

Tyler

THE DRUMMING IS SUCH A LOW TONE THAT NOT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO HEAR IT. I' VE BEEN HUNTING WITH A BUDDY OF MINE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME AND HAVE A BIRD WITHIN 30-40 YARDS AND HE COULDN' T HERE IT AT ALL. I THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY AT FIRST, BUT AFTER 2 OR 3 TIMES I KNEW HE REALLY COULDN' T HEAR IT.

All the ones I' ve heard, do it just as they start to go into full strut. As they reach the full stage of strut they will " spit" . If you watch them while they are close you can see them actually shake when they spit. It seems to kinda jar their whole body.


GH

All I know is I like to hear it and they are close when you do.

Ive heard it a couple times last year, its a real interesting sound nothing like a grouse. When you hear it you will know its a turkey rather than a grouse its like nothing else ive heard.

I am still confused, Are you all talking about the turkey " vibrating" and spitting. If this is what you are talking about, it definitely can " not" be heard over a long distance, just up close.

If this is not what you are talking about, please explaine further...........[>:]

Thanks.

Yeah Don thats what we are talking about, The conditions have to be really quite and he has to be really close to hear it, I would guess within about 50 yards. Now its not the sound you hear at the end of his gobble that you hear sometimes, this is a real low pitch psssttt rupppppp sound.