It’s Prime Time for the Wild Turkey

The changing seasons always bring a transition in the wild.

In the early spring, when the first wildflowers poke through the leaves, the lively calls of chickadees and titmice break the stillness of pre-dawn woods.

In trees, high on ridgetops, wild turkeys begin to stir. The gobblers–male turkeys–thrust their necks forward and belt out the calls they’re named for. From their lofty vantage points, the boisterous gobbles resonate over hills and hollows as if to proclaim ownership of the forest.

Gobbling is a means of communication. A turkey’s “gobble” is both an invitation and a challenge–depending on who’s listening. To a hen turkey, it is an invitation to courtship. To another gobbler, the call proclaims dominance and may result in a fight if challenged.

Dominant gobblers typically gather a group of hens and mate with them. Besides gobbling, they put on a visual show for the hens. Strutting gobblers show off, thrusting out their chests, puffing up their feathers and fanning their large tails to exaggerate their size and impress the females.

Gobbling peaks on warm, clear and calm mornings early in the spring. This “spring fever” doesn’t last, however. As summer closes in, gobbling wanes as hen turkeys are occupied with incubating eggs and raising their broods. But, for a time, the spring woods belong to the gobblers.

Gobble, gobble!

• A popular gamebird, the wild turkey is found in mixed forests and grasslands statewide.
• Like other ground nesters, their reproductive success may be greatly reduced by extensive precipitation at nesting time.
• In the 1950s, populations in the state were at an all-time low of fewer than 2,500 birds in 31 counties; in 2004, hunters checked nearly 61,000 turkeys. Successful management focuses on proper seasonal combinations of food, cover, and water.
• Wild turkeys forage by scratching in the leaves beneath hedgerows and leafy areas in forests.
• Young turkeys eat mainly insects, which provide greater protein for their rapid growth.

For more on the wild turkey, check out MDC’s Field Guide.