Turkeys and fences

catman529

catman529

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2010
Messages
29,472
Reaction score
2,552
Location
Franklin TN
Why do turkeys have so much trouble crossing a fence? I see it frequently behind the house (watching one right now) and have seen it elsewhere too. They like to walk back and forth over and over and over, especially if they are trying to get to other turkeys across the fence. They won't go to a known crossing spot, they won't usually fly over either. I've seen them fly once or twice, but they seem to hate the idea of it. Just walk back and forth dozens of times hoping the fence will let them through. Why do they do this...
 
cause they are dumb and lazy to boot. Turkeys will not fly unless it is absolutely necessary, mainly because unlike most birds they have a very hard time just picking up and flying without a running start. Fences are a very foreign object to the natural environment so they are not really programmed to understand what it is and why they cannot just walk around it like most other things in the woods.

Turkeys have awesome instincts, however they are not very smart lol.
 
This is just my opinion. I turkeys dont want to look up. In fear of drownding from such a young age. Thus do not understand how to get over the fence. That being said I have seen a turkey fly over a 12 foot high fence in texas to get to his resting place.
 
chebuck said:
This is just my opinion. I turkeys dont want to look up. In fear of drownding from such a young age. Thus do not understand how to get over the fence. That being said I have seen a turkey fly over a 12 foot high fence in texas to get to his resting place.
Click to expand...
turkeys turn their head sideways to look up
 
Ive had turkey come to a open spot in the fence from the adjoining property to get to me when hunting also see them go under the fence never fly over a fence tho
 
REN said:
cause they are dumb and lazy to boot. Turkeys will not fly unless it is absolutely necessary . . . .
Click to expand...
I think each turkey, as well as localized flocks, can be highly variable regarding how much they "fly".

I've seen some turkeys regularly fly rather than walk, say, just to cross a hollow, maybe that being lazy (easier to fly than walk sometimes), but certainly not dumb.
 
Most of the turkeys I hunt have never seen a fence ;) I prefer to not hunt the "pets" :grin:
 
Wes Parrish said:
REN said:
cause they are dumb and lazy to boot. Turkeys will not fly unless it is absolutely necessary . . . .
Click to expand...
I think each turkey, as well as localized flocks, can be highly variable regarding how much they "fly".

I've seen some turkeys regularly fly rather than walk, say, just to cross a hollow, maybe that being lazy (easier to fly than walk sometimes), but certainly not dumb.
Click to expand...

Agreed the terrain makes a difference as does pressure to name a few. They are very quick to flight in fields where they can run and start and not nearly as fast to flight in a hardwood bottom where they have to pick up fast
 
It's usually the younger birds that have a problem with a fence.

I was hunting a bird one year that would not respond to a call. He finally came into a field (I was about 40 yards from the fenceline) and proceeded to meander in the field without a care in the world.

When he went behind a huge woodpile from where the farmer had cleared the field, I took off and crawled under the fence and sprinted to the wood pile (yes, I was going to ambush him, and smile all the way home :D ).

I eased around and spotted him at about 35 yards, but he saw me too and took off running. I rolled him, and ran closer while he was down expecting to have to make a follow up shot. He backflipped and took off running. I saw the fence not 15 yards behind him and decided to wait until he ran into it for a follow up shot.

That joker DOVE under the bottom strand without slowing down. I just stood there with my dropped jaw! Never found him!
 
I watched one come to a woven wire fence one time. I have heard turkeys hang up at a fence but there was an open gate they used daily about 15 yards from where he hung up. He would go back and forth for about 20 minutes before he turned around and walked off. I think they are stupid. Its the inherited paranoia that makes them so hard to kill at times. Also its hard to guess what a turkeys going to do when he dos not know himself.
 
I'm not sure I agree with the running start theory, I've seen em jump up and fly plenty of times in person and in videos, they can jump straight up and fly but they do seen a bit lazy to do it to get over a fence. Usually but not always. I still have seen two fly over the fence behind my house. The fence is about 4 ft high. If they need a running start, then why don't we see them run up to the roost in the evening? I don't recall them running to fly up unless spooked. They just jump up and fly to the tree.
 
Well apparently my turkeys are a lot smarter than yours. Where I hunt there are just 3 strand barbwire fences and have never had a turkey freeze up and not go under them. Maybe a woven fence deters them but never experienced a fence keeping them from coming to me..... I am sure it happens just never seen it in my years of hunting them.
 
If you want to see a critter freak out on a fence then go out West and watch antelope...those idiots will literally run for a mile before they find the "best" place to cross.

I no longer worry about the traditional barriers when it comes to turkey hunting; creeks, ditches, fences, hills, etc. I still think about it when it comes to my set up, but every time I think I have them suckers figured out they do something completely new and different.
 
MRUTVOL said:
Well apparently my turkeys are a lot smarter than yours. Where I hunt there are just 3 strand barbwire fences and have never had a turkey freeze up and not go under them. Maybe a woven fence deters them but never experienced a fence keeping them from coming to me..... I am sure it happens just never seen it in my years of hunting them.
Click to expand...
I'm not talking about 3 strand barbed wire, this is woven fence about 4 ft tall.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top