Visual vs Vocal communication

[ICDEDTURKES]

We have all heard of some old timer that performs a "breeding cackle" or "breeding yelp" to kill tough turkeys and the debate ensues..

And Im sure everyone over the years has had some of them hunts where a gobbler has a harem of hens, you call to him and much to your amazement he breaks, leaves his harem and comes to you, Leaving you scratching your head going "what the hell did I just say to him".. Or hunts where gobblers are so worked up they break the list of rules that they should not do to get to you..

I think most agree visual clues are evident to a gobbler with a hen when she is ready to breed.. Biologists claim turkeys only need to copulate once, yet a gobbler will follow a bred or laying hen for days following along strutting..

So do you feel there is any element of the turkey language, not neccessarily a call (No squealing hen jokes) but some sort of inflection, tonal change, cadence that is an indicator of breeding.

[guesswho]

I've been fortunate enough to witness hen's in the wild being bred at relative close distance's on several occasions. I don't think it's anything vocal, although they all have seemed to purr a lot. I believe it's it's all visual. I feel confident I can watch hen's and tell when one is about to submit to breeding. What I've noticed is a hen will begin to act nervous or antsy several minutes before finally giving in. If you see a hen acting likes she's on crack chances are pretty good she's fixing to do the wild thing. The one's I've seen will sometimes walk in circles or short distances at an elevated pace, then they will sit, stand up walk some more and repeat this until they finally just stay in the sitting position. The only vocal difference I've noticed is more frequent drumming from a gobbler once a hen starts acting antsy, but that may be my imagination, or me paying closer attention to what's happening.

[ccleroy]

I've seen and been close to a lot of hens being breed as well, I echo what Ronnie said, acting stupid running around like a dumb broad. Lots of purring as well.

[BrentM]

I remember not long after i started turkey hunting I got on a turkey years ago that hung up in wide open big timber at about 60-70 yards and I sat there and watched him strut and gobble for the better part of an hour..........finally a hen comes walking to him in a fast trot and yelping continuously and he proceeded to breed her. The hen made a strange kind of cackle while this was going on I know I heard it distinctly 3-4 different times. It wasn't like a fly down cackle the notes were a lot more drawn out
Anyway, they got done and the Ben walked off with the gobbler walking behind her strutting and left me sitting by myself.
Got on that turkey again the next afternoon but set up one bench above him so hopefully when he popped up he would be in shotgun range (it was march and there was no foliage at all yet). Anyway turkey pops out about 70 yards to my left and struts and gobbles a couple times; then after a few minutes kinda loses interest and starts to walk off
Out of desperation, I tried to imitate the cackle I had heard the Ben make the day before on a diaphragm ........I shot that turkey literally in self defense coming at me in a dead run

Rode home that evening thinking from now on I would kill every turkey I set up on and on and wondering whether or not I should let some of my friends in on this new deadly technique

It hasn't worked since; nor have I heard a hen turkey make that sound since. Maybe she was the only one that ever did it but it dang sure worked that day.
We'll always have theories, but we won't ever figure turkeys out.

[BrentM]

Phone calls hens "Bens" sometimes sorry