# Please explain this.



## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

First off I am no expert on turkeys so if you can explain, please break it down for me.

My son and I were hunting turkeys on Sunday morning. We spotted a flock of 5 birds way off in the distance so we decided to try and cut them off. After a long hike we were on top of a steep ridge overlooking 2 draws trying to spot them one more time before we moved in. I hear a gobble right below me and as I approach the edge of the hill I see a bird down below us out in the open about 250 yards. I figure the birds have closed in faster than we did and now we are stuck. Now there is only one bird visible, so I am moving around looking for the others, but they are no where in sight. The bird below us is slowly picking at the ground but not really going anywhere. Now I am trying to figure out the best route to get in front of him without him seeing us, and it starts to walk toward the creek bottom. When it turns I can see the chest real well and cannot find any sign of a beard. Now I'm about 99% sure this bird just gobbled a few mintues ago. He then walked about 20 more yards and laid down. It rolled up onto it's chest and started kicking dirt up in the air. It did this in 3 locations before it got up and started back over the hill where it came from. We tried to get in front of it again for a closer look but we lost it in the thick brush.
So, was this a male with no beard, or a REALLY small beard, or a hen? Do hens gobble? What was the dirt throwing all about? Do turkeys wallow around like elk?

Thanks for the help.


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## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Sounds like a young Jake. When he was rolling in the dirt kicking he was dusting. If you could of looked really close you may have found his beard. It is easy to not be able to see them on some birds because they are so small and blend in with the feathers.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Toms gobble, hens don't. Young toms (Jakes) may have such a small beard that you can't see it. Now, in the case that you have explained, my guess is that you where looking at a hen. You heard a gobble and then saw a bird... means nothing! * Legal* birds have beards(some hens have beards and are legal to shoot). Remember this, TOMS have great big RED, I mean RED(can be white or blue sometimes for a brief moment) featherless heads, not little heads that may look a little red.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I am pretty sure the beards can freeze off/break during a hard winter. Just a theory, but it seems ice freezes on the beard and then the beard hairs break off, leaving the bird with no beard. I have noticed these ice-balls on toms and seen beardless toms after bad winters.


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## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

So this rolling around in the dirt thing, is that common behavior for turkeys? When I saw the bird kicking up dirt I thought it was a hen starting to dig out a nest but it was in the wide open. I kind of thought they would nest up in some cover, not next to a trail. 

We'll go try it again this weekend and see if we can at least watch some more birds.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

no that's dusting...kind of like birds in a bird bath...it's how they try to cut down on lice and other bugs in their feathers.
Oh yeah and a note to any other newbie turkey hunters...turkeys can see really well!!! You are not going to be able to sneak up on one. So stop trying...if you trying to "cut a turkey off" and you are trying to hunt them like you would deer...then you're gonna be in the woods for a while with no dead turkey. You ever tried to sneak up on a flock of snow geese??? Yeah...doesn't work. You want to get to where the turkeys are and you want to get them to come to you. Just like a bull elk in September. Use a call to locate them then keep calling to bring one in to your set up.


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## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

stablebuck said:


> no that's dusting...kind of like birds in a bird bath...it's how they try to cut down on lice and other bugs in their feathers.
> Oh yeah and a note to any other newbie turkey hunters...turkeys can see really well!!! You are not going to be able to sneak up on one. So stop trying...if you trying to "cut a turkey off" and you are trying to hunt them like you would deer...then you're gonna be in the woods for a while with no dead turkey. You ever tried to sneak up on a flock of snow geese??? Yeah...doesn't work. You want to get to where the turkeys are and you want to get them to come to you. Just like a bull elk in September. Use a call to locate them then keep calling to bring one in to your set up.


ACTUALLY NOT TRUE! LOL in my experience Turkeys are quite dumb. In the past I have literally glassed a large group over a 100 all bunched together from the top of a ridge, I simply crept down the hill until I was right up next to them, I then LITERALLY army crawled into the middle of them, with turkeys walking all around me and sat there. Maybe that was luck, or maybe I am the stealthiest man on the planet 8) FYI there was large sage that I was crawling through to provide me cover.

But hey stablebuck I see your from Bountiful so I have some other questions for you, check your PM please


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

they are a little slow, but they are not dumb...if they could smell then they would be darn near impossible to kill...


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## Guest (May 4, 2011)

stablebuck said:


> You ever tried to sneak up on a flock of snow geese??? Yeah...doesn't work.


uh... yeah it does. just ask the 108 birds our group killed out of 1 jump in delta 2 years ago... ive snuck up on turkeys and killed them before. you just need to know what you are doing. :O•-:



stablebuck said:


> they are a little slow, but they are not dumb...if they could smell then they would be darn near impossible to kill...


i wouldnt go as far to say they cant smell either... i use to think that too. but after several experiences that i have had, im not so sure they cant. they might not have the best nose in the world, but theres nothing saying that it doesnt work for them to some extent.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

I've killed snow geese by jumping them too, but there's a reason why not everyone does it.
I know they can smell GENIUS...it's just not their best defense. Kind of like how the police don't use humans for tracking...they use blood hounds.
Anyone else want to play devil's advocate with my advice on turkey hunting?


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