This Turkey Tuesday is about gobbling in the fall. Obviously, when turkey hunters think about gobbling, they think spring. What’s better than the first gobble that echoes through the spring woods, on a crisp, cool morning? Not much in my book! But gobbling isn’t solely a spring activity, as wild turkeys will basically gobble during any month – and gobbling in the fall is common. And depending on the situation and the individual bird, sometimes you’ll hear a tom in the fall really get fired up! We know that gobbling in the spring is designed to attract hens and alert other toms of a bird’s presence, but what’s the function of gobbling in the fall? One, the flocks of toms you’re seeing now are comprised of some birds that do not know each other – the result is, lots of fighting and scuffling to establish dominance hierarchies. Sometimes, toms will also gobble when around other toms in these flocks, which challenges them to respond. So, gobbling in fall is a way to sort out dominance that will transcend into spring. Two, natural variations in testosterone levels will result in some toms being motivated to gobble whereas others around them are not, which again, can help sort out dominance hierarchies. These ebbs and flows in testosterone can translate to certain toms in flocks gobbling on some days, and not at all on others. The take home is, gobbling during fall is fairly common and serves at least partially to sort out dominance amongst toms well before the spring breeding season.
Pic by Clayton Worrell.
