![]() ![]() If she was hatched in the Spring, she usually won’t lay till the next Spring. It could be 7 or 8 months to a year before she starts to lay. How long does it take turkey to start laying eggs after mating? The tom will climb onto the hen’s back as she lifts her tail up exposing her vent and copulation takes place. Once a hen accepts a gobbler’s advances, she will lay down on her ventrum and expose her dorsal aspect to the gobbler. Why does a male turkey walk on a hens back?Īnd if all goes his way, breeding. In other words, what looks like extremely ominous behavior to human eyes is actually just a bunch of birds who can’t decide how scared they should be of roadkill. The circular nature of their march is just a result of their instinct to stay within the safety of their flock. Why do turkeys chase each other in circles? Calling every 15 minutes or so and starting off quieter and then getting more aggressive/louder as the day goes on are good rules of thumb. How long should you call turkey?īut don’t call too often – less is more. A wild turkey’s gobble can be heard up to one mile away and is a primary means for a tom to communicate with his harem of hens. A group of turkeys is called a rafter or a flock. Very young birds are poults, while juvenile males are jakes, and juvenile females are jennies. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Once all the eggs have been laid, the hen will incubate them, day and night, for about 28 days. In between laying eggs, the hen will focus on feeding and bulking up to withstand the upcoming incubation period. “Feeding turkeys, whether intentional or not, can cause turkeys to act tame and may lead to bold or aggressive behavior, especially in the breeding season from March through May. What time of year are turkeys aggressive? Their dancing display is meant to entice the females to mate with them. Once the females come around, the males fan out their tail feathers and raise their body feathers while they dance around. What do turkeys do during mating season?Įvery morning during the mating season, just before sunrise, the male turkeys start loudly gobbling to attract the females. The nest is a shallow, leaf-lined depression on the ground, and contains 12 to 15 eggs. This is when the males puff out their feathers, fan their tails and “strut their stuff.” Hens lay eggs after the first mating. Gobbling, during breeding season, usually starts in March and can last through May. But as we mention above, these vary based on … Spectators are welcome.įor more information, go to or call Drake at 70.The general time frame for turkey breeding across the United States is February through early June. Thursday at the Columbus Firefighters Association office on Lynch Road in Midland, Ga. People have another opportunity to talk turkey at a sanctioned turkey calling contest sponsored by Realtree and the Columbus Firefighters Association at 5 p.m. He'll be teaching turkey calls and when to use them. "If you draw calls you aren't so great at, you can potentially have a bad day."įort Benning folks will have a chance to try and talk turkey when Outdoor Recreation hosts Turkey Talk by Drake at 6 p.m. "You can have good days and bad days in this sport," said Drake, who is a turkey calling world champion. They draw five calls randomly and those are the ones they must complete in the competition. In competitions, turkey callers must know at least 10-13 turkey calls. The more calls you know and when to use them, the better chance you have at harvesting them."įrom December to turkey season in March, the 60-year-old Fortson, Ga., resident practices talking turkey every day for at least two hours to prepare for turkey calling contests on the weekends. If you don't call enough, the turkey will figure 'well, she's not interested.' Every turkey is different. "If you call too much, the (turkey will) figure something out and won't come. "You have to call to the gobbler (male turkey) just right and you have to make sure nothing goes wrong," said the five-time southern open champion. ![]() The key to turkey hunting is knowing when to call, said the three-time national champion. They'll come to you because spring is the only time they mate." When you call one up, you actually reverse nature. In reality, a hen turkey will go to the gobbler. "It's the mating time of the year, so you are trying to call the male. "When you call, you are imitating the hen turkey," he said. Hunters use the language to attract turkeys with metal, bone, glass, slate or wooden instruments, named calls, to imitate turkey noises. "Talking turkey is an art," said Joe Drake, a professional turkey caller. ![]()
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