How far can the average turkey fly?
Although the maximum distance turkeys can fly in a single flight is estimated to be approximately one mile, they rarely fly more than about 100 yards, which is usually enough to bring it to safety. The average speed a turkey obtains while flying any distance is anywhere between thirty and fifty-five miles per hour.
In the United States, five subspecies of wild turkey inhabit 49 states, not including Alaska. The subspecies which exists in Connecticut, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, ranges from southern Maine to northern Florida, west to eastern Texas and north to North Dakota. The eastern wild turkey is a large, majestic bird.
Unlike the muscles of the hind limbs, which are made for sustained use, the breast muscles that power a turkey's wings are built for rapid but brief exertions. A wild turkey rarely flies more than about 100 yards, which is usually enough to bring it to safety.
General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in morning and early afternoon hours. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain. During extremely wet and rainy days, turkeys are neither vocal nor very active.
So in summary, turkeys can travel anywhere from 1 to 3 miles per day. Their decisions are heavily influenced by predators, food, and water.
Today, ballistics have advanced significantly; your average turkey load in a standard shotgun is reliable at 35 yards but the right combination of ammo, shotgun, choke, and red dot extend your reach to 50 yards and beyond.
Wild turkeys generally move a mile or two in one day depending on habitat and distance to food and water sources. The annual home range of wild turkeys varies from 370 to 1,360 acres and contains a mixture of trees and grass cover.
Wild turkeys rarely move without their flock. Being birds of a feather who, all the time, flock together, wild turkeys are social creatures. Wild turkeys perform most of their life activities together as a group. Moving and foraging together gives them a sense of security against possible predators around.
Overall, the answer to the big question is that turkeys do not always roost in the same place. Turkeys are much like deer in that they shift to different parts of their home range throughout the year. That said, they do seem to favor certain ones, and spend more time roosting in favored locations than anywhere else.
Wild turkeys sleep in trees. The birds are usually seen walking so many people are surprised they even fly. Though they only fly for short distances, they are speedy and can hit about 55 miles per hour when going full tilt.
Can a wild turkey fly 40 miles per hour?
It eats a variety of foods, from fruit and nuts to fern fronds and insects. And, in fact, contrary to popular myth, turkeys can and do fly--they can fly up to 55 miles per hour for short distances!
Guinness World Records lists the longest recorded migration by a bird without stopping for food or rest as 12,200 km (7,580 miles) by a satellite-tagged male bar-tailed godwit flying from Alaska to New Zealand.
Turkeys tend to travel the same routes or circuits to the same areas every day, as long as those areas provide what turkeys need and want. Hunters can use this information to place themselves right in the path of the birds, or at least pretty close to where those birds typically travel on any given day.
As a general rule a gobble made in a tree can be heard twice as far as one made on the ground. That same “twice-as-far” rule applies to all other turkey sounds.
Most turkey hunters know their best chance to bag a bird is in the early morning (right off the roost) or at dusk as they prepare to roost again for the night.
The gobbler wanted to be where you were when you spooked him. So, after he thinks you're gone, and he hears a hen softly calling, there's a very good chance he may come back in that direction. Remember — the gobbler has a limited number of days to breed.
Turkeys are creatures of habit. Although they may not use the precise locations and travel routes every day, the flock will stay in the same general areas.
If you can legally hunt past noon—or simply want to scout—midday is the time to sneak toward loafing areas. Preseason scouting likely uncovered a few select, shady areas adjacent to field edges and feeding zones. Turkeys congregate here to escape the midday heat. Turkeys also spend the midday hours dusting.
A standard 2 Âľ-inch or 3-inch magnum tungsten load is more than enough for killing turkeys out past 50 yards. Additionally, the advantages of tungsten shells make 20-gauge shotguns indisputably effective turkey killers.
The most effective firearm shot for a turkey is to the head and neck. The preferred shot angle for bowhunters is broadside, aiming for the heart or lungs.
Do turkeys travel a lot?
Home range shifts of up to several miles are not uncommon, though the distance that turkeys will move often depends on the success of the acorn crop and the proximity of mature forests. By early November, the birds will spend nearly all of their time within mature woods, and they will remain there until late February.
It's tough deciding when enough is enough. If I'm in a good spot, I discipline myself to sit for at least 30 minutes, more if I feel confident.
Wild turkeys love to sleep in trees during winter. Most times, they stay in areas where food is easily accessible. During the day, they hunt for food and rest up in the trees at night. Domesticated turkeys sleep in brooders in enclosed pens.
Push button call
But don't call too often – less is more. 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. If you hear a hen, try to mimic her exact vocalizations.
Noises and Other Disturbances
As a result of sharing space with hawks, raccoons and the occasional badger, turkeys have developed an instinctive avoidance of loud noises. You can take advantage of this aversion by making some kind of noisemaker that will be loud enough to spook the birds from across the lawn.
1. They're social butterflies. Turkeys looove greeting visitors, making new friends, and being around others. They can even recognize human faces!
Don't let turkeys intimidate you
Wild turkeys that become accustomed to humans and human-associated foods, like bird seed, are likely to lose their fear of people and can cause damage or attempt to dominate people. Once bold behavior is established, it can be very difficult to change.
“But they will sometimes answer a call if close by.” Phillips recommends looking for rainy day turkeys in open fields, food plots or along old logging roads. When on the ground turkeys will hang out in more open areas to rely on their keen eyesight to spot any danger from predators.
Turkeys in the wild are highly adapted to sleeping in trees. When turkeys are ready to sleep for the night, they will fly onto their preferred branch and squat down slightly, which causes their strong toes to wrap around the branch and keep them from falling over.
As stated above, both male and female turkeys will leave the roost sometime between 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. The largest factor that determines the exact time during this window is the weather. If the weather is clear, the birds will leave the roost earlier. The gobbler will usually fly down right around first light.
Can turkeys see you in the dark?
Supernatural Hearing
Turkeys really struggle to see at night, though. Their lack of low-light sight is why it's so imperative that turkey hunters are set up early. However, this doesn't mean that you can wander too close to the roost in the dark, since they still have a great sense of hearing.
Turkeys love acorns and pecans, as well as dogwoods, huckleberries, blueberries, and other fruits found in the understory. Planting food plots: Follow these tips to establish food plots as a supplement to natural forage. Food plots can also be used to increase turkey sightings and harvest success.
Turkeys are very consistent in what they do from day to day. They roost in trees, frequently along creeks or rivers, flying up at dusk and flying down at dawn.
Coyote Urine or blood granules can also be used to serve as a deter for Wild Turkeys. Coyote Urine can be purchased at Pet Shops and/or Online at Walmart or Lowe's. Apply the Coyote Urine several times throughout your property, the scent will give the illusion a predator has made a home on your property.
When the ground gets covered with a powdery snowfall, flocks will congregate in stands of hemlock, pine, and other softwoods. "Softwood stands provide mostly shelter, as the trees will hold snow in the canopy, and there will be less on the ground for the turkeys to contend with," explains Alfieri.
Can a Human Outrun a Turkey? Turkeys aren't a species you're likely to run away from. In fact, you're much more likely to be pursuing them. But while wild turkeys may take their time walking around and foraging for food, both their land and air speeds are faster than a human's.
Some birds also fly while sleeping with one half of their brain. All animals need to get their Z's, but some of them do so in more unusual ways than others.
Albatrosses are masters of soaring flight, able to glide over vast tracts of ocean without flapping their wings. So fully have they adapted to their oceanic existence that they spend the first six or more years of their long lives (which last upwards of 50 years) without ever touching land.
And as scientists recently discovered, Great Frigatebirds can sleep in 10-second bursts while remaining airborne for up to two months. But when it comes to uninterrupted flight, the Alpine Swift has held the record for the longest single flight of any avian species at 200 days.
When To Call A Gobbler. OK, so let's narrow it down to the time of day. In my view, the best times of the day are right off the roost, then again from about 8:30 to 9:30 when more hens start to leave the gobbler to go lay an egg, and again from about 11 until noon.
What time of day do wild turkeys feed?
A lot of turkeys, especially old Easterns, will gobble only once or twice in the afternoon, but they'll come to your calls fast and silently. Afternoon hunting generally peaks from around 2 to 4:30 p.m., but you might as well hunt right up until dark some days. Gobblers love to roost within 50 to 200 yards of hens.
Turkeys don't technically roost at midday. They might remain on the roost during extenuating circumstances, such as bad weather or when a gobbler refuses to fly down until he sees hens below him.
It's easy to scare turkeys away by making noises (try waving your arms and yelling or blowing a whistle), popping open an umbrella, throwing tennis balls, or dousing the turkey with water from a hose or squirt gun. A leashed dog may also be effective in scaring a turkey away.
Myth: Turkeys don't cross fences or creeks. Fact: Sure, turkeys hang up sometimes when faced with obstructions but others simply fly over fences or creeks.
It's hard enough to bag a big-boss gobbler, and turkey hunters need to do all they can to keep the odds in their favor. Being quiet and not alerting turkeys to any human presence is one of the most important aspects.
Never wear red, white, blue or black clothing while turkey hunting. Red is the color most hunters look for when distinguishing a gobbler's head from a hen's blue-colored head, but at times it may appear white or blue. Male turkey feathers covering most of the body are black in appearance.
Turkeys generally don't like being in the woods in wet or windy weather, probably because it's much harder for them to see or hear predators. They like to be in open places like fields and pastures, and where they might spend an hour or two there on a pleasant day, they may well be there all day in a storm.
A good rule of thumb for shotgun shooters is 40 yards. Anything further than that and there's a good chance you might not hit the head and neck with enough pellets to kill the bird. Any closer than 20 yards and your pellet pattern may not have time to open up enough for maximum effectiveness.
Turkeys hens sitting on eggs or with very young poults will spend nights in their nests on the ground, but at all other times, both male and female turkeys and even poults as young as a few weeks old will sleep in trees. This is why turkeys can fly, albeit only in short bursts.
Wild turkeys can run as fast as 25 miles per hour (and can fly as fast as 55 mph).
Can turkeys fly a short distance?
And, in fact, contrary to popular myth, turkeys can and do fly--they can fly up to 55 miles per hour for short distances! You will likely see them on the ground, though; they typically remain grounded unless spooked.
Turkeys can fly between 40-55 miles an hour, and possibly even up to 60 miles an hour but only for short distances.
The gobbler wanted to be where you were when you spooked him. So, after he thinks you're gone, and he hears a hen softly calling, there's a very good chance he may come back in that direction. Remember — the gobbler has a limited number of days to breed.
Turkeys don't have a specific number of hours they sleep for in a day. The number varies depending on the weather, time of year, and the turkey's habitat. Naturally, they will need a good amount of sleep to replenish the energy expended from flying around during the day.
Not to be confused with their distant and stupid cousin, the domesticated turkey commonly found in freezers, wild turkeys are highly intelligent and unpredictable. They can fly as fast as 55 m.p.h., run up to 20 m.p.h. and have keen eyesight.
Wild turkeys sleep in trees. The birds are usually seen walking so many people are surprised they even fly. Though they only fly for short distances, they are speedy and can hit about 55 miles per hour when going full tilt.
Because turkeys are able to fly, those birds have been confined to the caged yard. We wanted to allow them free range in the fenced-in grassy area. However, because it has an open top, the turkeys would be able to fly away. Clipping the wings, a painless procedure, prevents the birds from taking flight.
Don't let turkeys intimidate you
Don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent. Turkeys that repeatedly challenge or attack people may ultimately have to be destroyed.
Poults are flightless until they are about 2 weeks old. Until they are able to fly into low branches or small trees at about 4 weeks of age, they roost on the ground under the hen's wings and tail.