Learned Or Habitat?

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guesswho
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Learned Or Habitat?

Post by guesswho »

What's your opinion on birds habits. Just say a piece of property you hunt really hasn't changed in the last 20 years. I have a couple spots like this. And year after year the birds basically do the same thing. Roost areas, strut zones, travel routes etc are the same as they were 20 years ago. I'd bet a weeks pay on opening morning that I can point to three places and there will be a bird gobbling in those spots. I often wonder if you could remove all the turkeys from these areas and replace them with new turkeys from another part of the state would they eventually have the same routine as the previous birds. Or would it be entirely different. Is it a habit passed on from birds that were hatched there and lived their whole lives there, or is it terrain driven.
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swampchicken
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by swampchicken »

I would say terrain driven. I have s few places like that.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by chipper »

I agree on terrain, I have a spot that has been like that also around 20 years and generally kill a Tom on the same 100 yards of ridge line at the very minimum of every other year and for at least 14 years my partner and I killed every year there.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by Hobbes »

Both, but I bet completely new turkeys would eventually do the same.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by hookspur »

Yep, terrain.
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GobbleNut
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by GobbleNut »

Hey Jethro,...is this one of them thar "rat-orical questions"?
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by guesswho »

Yep, been doing some sipherin.
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SwampDrummin
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by SwampDrummin »

Put a bar, a titty bar, and a football stadium in the same place for twenty years. That’s where you’ll find your gobblers, year in year out.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by coconut »

I know exactly what you are talking about and I want to say it’s terrain and habitat. I just wish I could learn how to pick it out every time on a new hunting place. Very easy on a places that I have hunted for a few years.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by GLS »

Terrain and habitat. For over 40 years I know of a handful of spots that are a waste of time preseason scouting because birds are always there. Gil
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by Cut N Run »

Habitat for sure. When one gobbler gets taken out, the next guy in line takes the spot over. Just like a quality stump on ideal structure, when the big bass is gone, the next most dominant one takes it over.

There's a bench below the ridge on a powerline cut at my old lease that we probably took 26 gobblers off of in 10 years between the three of us who hunted there. It almost wasn't fair.

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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by MKW »

Yeah, some spots will just always have turkeys, as long as there are turkeys. I've got one spot, on public land, that I killed 9 gobblers over 4 seasons, while leaning against the same tree. The best thing about it is that it is less than 40yrds from the public dirt road.
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

I think it's terrain. They see stuff we don't see that makes it attractive for various times of the day. I have 100-150 different parcels, many I have hunted since 93. I have spots I can all but guarantee where they will roost hang out mid day or use a field corner in evening. Granted when I take people confident they do something different.lol

For the most part I've given up roosting in evening. I know some roosts for the most part im confident there will be a bird. Roosting late may is 930 or later I'd rather be home. Sometimes I wrong, get a gobble 1/2 mile and scratch my head. Why I cut and run so much looking for the horny retard

Have alot of spots if your patient which I have zero, you'll kill. Our birds mid day love these junk little cherry trees in tall grass. You strike a bird in these semi open open areas he's gonna die

Off topic, but back to what they see. Grinding geese since 2000. There are certain fields in our area that you couldn't round up a pail of corn on.80 acres. They'll fly over 2-3 with way more feed to get to said field. Once again we will never understand it, they read terrain different than we do.

Thanks Ronnie for bringing up an actual turkey thread!!!
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by Tail Feathers »

All they need is there. It was 20 years ago, it still is or they would move. They are somewhat imprinted in their home range, unless something changes to make them move.
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by Hoobilly »

terrain driven

reason I think this is where the amish have bought and have clear cut trees they seem to change patterns
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Re: Learned Or Habitat?

Post by GobbleNut »

It appears the phenomenon of turkeys gravitating towards specific, habitual roost sites over time is pretty common across the country. The same thing exists here in the mountains of New Mexico even though there are thousands of trees that look like they would fit the bill, our turkeys just develop a preference for certain locations. Sometimes it is exactly the same limb in the same tree,...and sometimes it is just a group of trees within a small area. However, there are also places where the turkeys here will roost in the same general area every night but might be several hundred yards between roosting sites from one day to the next.

I know from personal experience that our birds prefer certain terrain aspects here. You can walk/drive down a canyon here and for miles every turkey in the area will be roosted on the same slope aspect,...often either east-facing or north-facing slopes,...and that is amazingly consistent throughout the mountain range.

I'm not sure newly-introduced turkeys would end up roosting in the same places as prior flocks, assuming those birds were not around to "lead" them to those preferred areas, and also assuming that roosting habitat was not limited. It would be an interesting study to see if that were the case,...and the reasons why.
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