Sense of Smell

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 6th, 2017, 9:12 pm

Hi All!

Im new here and this is my first post.

I've been reading up on turkeys sense of smell. There isn't much info out there. When I visit my son I pass a home that has turkeys. I saw a guy in the yard recently and stopped to talk. I asked if he thought turkeys could smell and he said yes! He has a blind turkey. He showed me how the turkey would follow the smell of a strawberry! Now im wondering if that tom could smell because he is blind or if all turkeys can smell food. I'll stop and ask the next trip to my sons home but for now I'm wondering if any of you can answer the question? Do you have any knowledge of turkeys smelling food?

Thanks!

Post by **HunterGKS** » March 6th, 2017, 9:21 pm

Welcome to the site. There's an old saying that "If a turkey could smell, we'd never kill one."

This is from The Turkey Hunting site:

"The good news for hunters is that turkeys have a poor sense of smell, so you don’t have to play the wind like you must when deer hunting. Biologists have found that turkeys have relatively few taste buds."

Lots of good info here: Turkey Anatomy & Traits

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 6th, 2017, 9:30 pm

Hunter GKS Thanks for the Welcome!

I've read that quote many times in numerous articles. I know they can't smell us but apparently they can smell food or at least some foods. I don't know if the blind turkey developed the ability due to being blind or if all turkeys can smell foods? Or if they can smell foods from a distance?

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 6th, 2017, 9:49 pm

Welcome!!

I have to wonder if the turkey wasn't following the sound of the guy holding the strawberry. I've never seen anything to lead me to believe turkeys have much, if any, sense of smell. Thank God.

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 6th, 2017, 10:06 pm

Thanks for the welcome leadslinger!

I was thinking the same thing. The next time that I visit my son I'll surely stop and ask all of the questions that I should have asked when I was there.

I should mention that I had the strawberries. Dried strawberries. I eat them like candy! They don't have a strong aroma.

I'll experiment. Maybe a natural flavoring sprayed on a tree with a trail cam? Im a nut and once I have a thought I have to find the answer.

appalachianassassin · Post by **appalachianassassin** » March 7th, 2017, 2:29 am

I think ive had turkeys spook from fox piss.

Frankinthelaurels · Post by **Frankinthelaurels** » March 7th, 2017, 3:41 am

Up in snow country their favorite winter activity is pecking in cow manure, heck I 'be seen then running to get it as the spreader was spreading it still steaming..so I'd say they might have some but it can't be much like all birds..

DUCK-HUNT · Post by **DUCK-HUNT** » March 7th, 2017, 8:54 am

How do they find chufa in the ground in an area where it has never been planted ??

Last time I checked turkeys don't go around digging massive holes in the ground just hoping to find some

MKW · Post by **MKW** » March 7th, 2017, 9:17 am

Of course turkeys can smell. They just don't equate our odor (some worse than others) with danger. They are dumb birds. I don't think they can smell exceptionally well, but they can smell.

Stinky J Picklestein · March 7th, 2017, 10:51 am

MKW wrote:...They just don't equate our odor (some worse than others) with danger...

This. ^^^

OLE RASPY · Post by **OLE RASPY** » March 7th, 2017, 5:34 pm

Stinky J Picklestein wrote:
MKW wrote:...They just don't equate our odor (some worse than others) with danger...
This. ^^^

Right

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 5:56 pm

I don't know what ^^^ stands for? What does it mean?

MKW · Post by **MKW** » March 7th, 2017, 6:20 pm

turkeystuffin wrote:I don't know what ^^^ stands for? What does it mean?

LOL...it means "read post above"

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 6:22 pm

Oh ok thanks! I learned something today!

Turkinator · Post by **Turkinator** » March 7th, 2017, 6:26 pm

MKW wrote:Of course turkeys can smell. They just don't equate our odor (some worse than others) with danger. They are dumb birds. I don't think they can smell exceptionally well, but they can smell.

This

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 7th, 2017, 6:34 pm

What I don't understand is if turkeys can smell as well as some people think, how has it not registered to them in all the years that man has hunted them, that our scent represents danger?

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 6:39 pm

I know they can smell. I know they can smell and react to predator feces. I know they can smell cattle feces.

The question that I asked was can they smell food. Meaning Berries and other fruits, nuts ect.

MKW · Post by **MKW** » March 7th, 2017, 6:40 pm

LeadSlinger wrote:What I don't understand is if turkeys can smell as well as some people think, how has it not registered to them in all the years that man has hunted them, that our scent represents danger?

Probably because men don't chase them around or swoop down from the sky trying to sink talons into their forehead. If you shoot them, they are dead...most of the time.

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 6:50 pm

Turkeys can smell but they can't smell us. That is unless we smell like feces.

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 7th, 2017, 6:54 pm

Turkinator posted as I was typing.

Ok, they're dumb birds, but if they weren't capable of, I won't say learning, I'll say conditioning, I think they would have all been killed off a long time ago. If you call a bird in and spook it repeatedly, at some point it stops coming to a call. Or it comes into what it considers a safe distance and refuses to come any closer. I'm not saying the bird thought it through and decided it isn't safe to come to hen calls, but It's instincts cause it to react a certain way to that situation. I've seen this many times here over the years. All I'm saying, is how can they be spooked again and again and at the same time smell a person and not at some point associate the smell with danger. The birds here get harassed before, during and after season and like I said, I've never seen any indication that any of them spooking from human scent.

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 7th, 2017, 6:55 pm

Wow, I need to learn to type faster, lol.

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 6:59 pm

Leadslinger... LOL! If we don't have a strong odor they can't smell us. It is better if we cover our scent while hunting turkey as I've had turkey spook when deer smelled me and spooked.

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 7th, 2017, 7:45 pm

I'm don't mean to be argumentative with anybody, we all have our own ideas based on our own experiences and we all love to hunt turkeys. That's the bottom line IMHO.

turkeystuffin · Post by **turkeystuffin** » March 7th, 2017, 7:51 pm

Leadslinger I was not criticizing your thoughts about turkey smelling people. I was laughing along with you on your comment about typing faster.

LeadSlinger · Post by **LeadSlinger** » March 7th, 2017, 8:06 pm

turkeystuffin wrote:Leadslinger I was not criticizing your thoughts about turkey smelling people. I was laughing along with you on your comment about typing faster.

Sure, you were laughing with me, not at me. I knew what you meant.

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