Turkey Travel
 

So for all you seasoned turkey hunters...whats the range a turkey travels? I dont know thats why Im asking...Ive seen either 2 groups or one group that splits up within 1/2 to 3/4 mile from each other. Its hard to tell the numbers because one time I see around 12-40 and the other place it varies from 6-12. I have a feeling some people I know are going to mess up opening day hunt...just wanted a fall back location in case they mess one area up...we can go to another. Ive also seen another group thats maybe 2-3 miles away as the crow flies but I dont think they are the same group...

IMO - I watch huge flocks right now as they are in the winter groups. Some are all hens, or hens and their broods all grouped together and then I see bachelor flocks of toms - no jakes in their though from up to 7 to 12 good toms.
Soon they will break up and form thier breedging groups of 1 to 2 and sometimes 3 nice toms together with a bunch of hens.
As these breeding flocks form I feel they are small circle groups that overlap each other and do use the same area outwards from the winter roost area.

And while hunting I always look for a back up area as things happen, mistakes are made, so back out and try another group or area. This has worked well for me but it takes time to scout. One good thing though ~ once you have found a good area, the area habitat stays the same, it will always hold birds. And to that is what gives me the msot success. The so called Honey Hole!

Good luck out there - stay safe

JW

in kansas the rio's travel at least a mile most every day where i hunt, i can actually have a visual on them for over 700 yds. when they are not in a strutting group, they just seem to wander all over the place

cheers

well ive seen jakes and some toms with good beards...and lots of hens in the biggest group and mostly jakes and toms in the small group...so hopefully that means there are plenty around...I just hope some people I know dont mess it up for me...they think they know ALL hunting and really are inexperienced and just chasing game out lol guess Im just getting to be a grouchy old hunter haha

not sure on how far they will go but ive seen them travel almost a mile in a day so they kinda go lots of places but usually roost in similar areas.

I think it's dependent on terrain, food supply, and weather. Everything I've read has been heavily dependent on those factors and has ranged from very little movement to a few miles.

I've read before that a turkey flock needs about 10,000
Areas of habitat but I agree with the last post that it
Most likely depends heavily on the quality of the
Habitat/food supply available.

You've gotten some good information thus far. Turkey will travel for food as far as necessary and that could be miles. also it depends on how much the flock is disturbed in a given area. I have seen areas that lost the mast crops due to frost or blight and the turkey just left the entire area as well as being under too much hunting pressure will cause them to leave a given area. That is why preseason scouting is so important. They might be in a given area in winter and the spring and disappear from that same area in the fall.

Ive been seeing them at the edges of winter wheat fields and their numbers seemed to have doubled...or they are grouped together pretty good...I just hope they stay in the same area...there seems to be lots of food for them and the deer in the wheat field

You could be seeing multiple flocks that have come together for the food source. Turkey tend to combine flocks, gobblers and hens, in the winter if there is a good food source there. There may be gobbler bachlor groups in that same flock. Those bachlor groups will usually seperate in the spring from the "main" flock. But if the hens stay in that area there most certainly will be gobblers to be found there. Keep an eye on them and monitor their movements once spring starts. Near the edges of fields make for great nesting areas.