Things turkeys do

The night gobblin thread got me thinking about all the unexpected (until they did it) things a turkey will do. Switch roost trees at some point during the night, birds that hung up at a puddle in the road while others flew across a river to get to me (and subsequently die). Struttin' limbhoppers gobblin all the way in...just crazy stuff.

What else have you seen em do over the years that the first time you saw it, was bit unexpected?

My cousin shot one a couple years ago. Went to pick it up and the other turkey that was with the one he shot walked up to him and walked circles around him (about 2-3 feet away). He has video of him trying to pet it. That turkey followed him all the way back to our cabin (about 1/2 mile). He then proceeded to stand on hoods of cars, our pump house, etc….hung out for over an hour. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen the pics/videos

Act like their too good for the dirty girl talk I'm sending their way.

Roosted some birds came back next morning they were over 1200 yards across the highway on the other ridge when day broke! Called those birds back over two creeks and the highway back up to their original roost and @rem270 killed one of them!

A few years ago I had two gobblers coming in. When they were about 100 yards away they flew up in trees to try and see the hen they were hearing. I shut up and about 20 minutes later they flew down and ran straight to me. I had to shoot in self-defense. I saw this one time before in WV about 20 years ago hunting with my dad. I remembered. Be quite, they'll give in.

knightrider said:

Roosted some birds came back next morning they were over 1200 yards across the highway on the other ridge when day broke! Called those birds back over two creeks and the highway back up to their original roost and @rem270 killed one of them!

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That was an awesome day. I still tell that story of how far they came and everything they crossed to get there. That stupid live hen was about 30 seconds away from ruining all that work you did too!

I used to earn my living working in the woods. I saw lots of nests over the years, but only one on top of a rock. This was in Sinking Cove, Franklin County.

TRHC said:

I used to earn my living working in the woods. I saw lots of nests over the years, but only one on top of a rock. This was in Sinking Cove, Franklin County.

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Craziest one yet...never heard of such.

Reenact famous movie scenes

I've had them fly up in trees when coming in, fly across creeks and then get hung up over a puddle. Craziest one for me is when I watched two longbeards swim like ducks across a large creek to get to me. Wouldn't fly it. They looked like two big wood ducks swimming single file.

Hens comng in looking for the hen that was making the calls, and fly up in low limbs so they can see better. Heifers

TRHC said:

I used to earn my living working in the woods. I saw lots of nests over the years, but only one on top of a rock. This was in Sinking Cove, Franklin County.

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18 eggs may be a record. Wow!

Gobbler humping the ground while his buddy is laying there dead

Jake chasing a ground squirrel until he caught it and ate it

Had one come in in Missouri, never seen him till he was 10 yds, caught me off guard. I couldnt move. It had rained all nite, thundered. He walked up to my decoy, got still, pulled his head into his body, stood there, dozed off. Then, he would jump, like startled, look around, settle back down, doze again. This went on for twenty minutes, finally I eased my gun up, let him doze off, popped him. Also had one come in about 15 yds, started humping himself. Kinda embarressed me.

knightrider said:

Hens comng in looking for the hen that was making the calls, and fly up in low limbs so they can see better. Heifers

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Is that what they do that for? Last season I called a hen up mid day, she looked around for a while then flew up into a tree near me. I was wondering what the heck that was for. She didn't see me because if she did, she'd have flown much further away than that. And it was like 2pm, so way too early to fly up for a roost.

Watched one SPRINT 7-800 yards out of a field after being called to. Was and will probably always be the funniest thing I've seen turkey hunting. We gave the caller 10 shades of grief over that for a long time.

MidTennFisher said:

Is that what they do that for? Last season I called a hen up mid day, she looked around for a while then flew up into a tree near me. I was wondering what the heck that was for. She didn't see me because if she did, she'd have flown much further away than that. And it was like 2pm, so way too early to fly up for a roost.

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Yep, if they dont see the hen thats pissed em off they will jump up in the limbs to get a better vantage point, ive gobblers do it before as well

While bow hunting deer in Iowa from ladder stand on wind swept ridge, I saw a flock turkeys work around the ridge point in front of me. As the flocked moved on, several young turkeys trailed behind. Due to the high winds, the young birds began to call without success trying to find the flock. Although more than one hour before sunset, I yelped once and all of these young birds flew up to join me in my tree.

Lots of good memories. Here are a few that come to mind.

Sitting at the base of a bluff one time I had a bird skirt by me and go up on top of the bluff I was against and start gobbling. I was pointing my gun straight up waiting on him to stick his head over the bluff.

I've had birds fly up in trees 2 different time to gain a better vantage point and look for the hen.

Had a bird that wouldn't cross a powerline one time. Walked a big circle around him to get on his side of the powerline. Called and he was 40 yards from me. He had been tracking me in the leaves the entire time thinking I was a hen.

I called in 8 gobblers from over a 1/4 mile away one time. They were walking to me in a single file line across a field. They walked all the way across the field to 50 yards only to have a hen walk up behind me and start putting and ruin it.

I had a bird hung up around 60 yards all morning one time. He gobbled and strutted. Couldn't get him to commit. Out of nowhere he got angry and started running right at me. I almost felt I had to shoot him in self defense. I shot him at 18 yards running at me as fast as he could. When I shot him, I realized there was a Jake standing right behind me and he was coming to give the other bird the business.

Last year I had a bird completely circle me 2 times before giving me a shot. First time I've seen that in watching a large number of turkeys hit the dirt. I was so twisted up when I shot, my gun slipped off my shoulder and caught in the bend of my elbow and hit me in the face, bloodying my nose.

Not weird behavior but, My most unusual turkey story came from deer season. I was bow hunting couple large oaks. At dark, turkeys started to fly up in the oaks to roost not more than 30-40 yards from me. I think I may have sat in the stand a little longer than usual due to the birds being all around me. Figured if I could wait till dark I could try to slip out undetected. Just as I was getting ready to climb down I noticed something large flying towards me. I was squinting hard trying to see what it was because there was still a small amount of light in the sky. It got close and hit one of those turkeys and took it straight to the ground. Turkeys went everywhere. I climbed down and they were running around on the ground in front of me like they had no idea what to do. I never seen the bird again, which I assume was a great horned owl.