Wild Turkeys Of Montana
Watching a flock of wild turkey move across a Montana meadow is a fine sight.
They forage, yelp and gobble, oblivious to the plight of millions of
their domesticated brothers doomed to grace holiday tables. If you are
a wild turkey living in Montana, it is highly unlikely that you will
ever wind up in the oven.
Watching a flock of wild turkey move across a Montana meadow is a
fine sight. They forage, yelp and gobble, oblivious to the plight of
millions of their domesticated brothers doomed to grace holiday tables.
If you are a wild turkey living in Montana, it is highly unlikely that
you will ever wind up in the oven.
Once non-existent, Montana’s wild turkey population is flourishing.
Distinguished from other birds by their impressive size, iridescent
bronze-colored plumage and naked bluish head, wild turkeys are a prized
addition to the state’s diverse upland game bird population.
Although the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopova) is native to North
America and was an important staple in the Native Indian diet across
most of America, it is only in the last fifty years that the succulent
bird could be found in Montana.
Merriam turkeys are actually native to Colorado and were introduced
into central Montana in 1954 with 13 birds obtained from our Colorado
neighbors. In 1955 another 18 birds from Wyoming stock were introduced
to Montana. The hardy new residents thrived and as their population
grew surplus birds were trapped and transported to other parts of the
state.
Presently there are about thirty Merriam’s turkey flocks with
huntable sized populations in about seven areas of the state. Hunted in
Montana since 1958, wild turkeys have become a favored game bird.
Montana has both a spring and fall gobbler season, but don’t be too
worried about the turkey. Successful turkey hunting takes a very high
degree of skill and luck. Wild turkeys are wary, have very keen hearing
and eyesight and a seemingly magical ability to disappear during
hunting season.
Mt.gov, Montana’s Official Website offers the following information and tips for turkey hunters:
“Montana has a spring gobbler season and an either-sex fall season.
Hunters are required to purchase a turkey tag in addition to a bird and
conservation license. Hunters are allowed one wild turkey per special
tag holder per special season. Popular hunting areas include the Long
Pines and Ashland areas of the Custer National Forest and portions of
Fergus County and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
Specific information on season hunting dates, open and closed areas,
and other information on regulations can be obtained from the turkey
regulations for the spring and fall hunts.
Consistently, successful turkey hunting for toms requires a high
degree of skill. Wild turkeys are extremely wary and possess keen color
vision and good hearing ability.
Finding a place to hunt turkeys in the spring does not present major
problems since much hunting in eastern Montana occurs on either U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service or Bureau of Land Management land. But
finding turkeys can present a problem. Preseason scouting for sign left
by turkeys is the best way to find a good hunting area. Signs to look
for are roost trees, droppings, feathers, scratch and dusting areas.
Also, listen for gobbling. Make a note of feeding areas. In the
timbered areas, preferred roost trees are tall, over- mature and dead
ponderosa pines that are sheltered from high winds. A lot of the turkey
range east of the Continental Divide is on private property. You must
have permission to hunt turkeys on private property.
Climbing a high butte during late afternoon and scanning the open
park areas with a spotting scope is a good way to spot turkeys. If any
toms are in the vicinity, chances are good they will be out in the open
going through their courtship display. Once you spot a tom, mark his
location and arrive there early the next morning before he leaves the
roost tree. Some hunters use an owl hooter during the early morning to
get roosted birds to call back. Hooters are commercial mouth-blown
devices that imitate a large owl’s hoot. Once a gobbler is located, the
hunter can move in quietly, then hide and use his turkey call.
If you don’t hear a bird gobble of its own volition, move through
the woods and make several hen yelps every 300 to 400 yards. Such
calling should be done only from a location where you can hide quickly
and also have a good view of the surroundings.
-
Be in the woods by the crack of dawn because this is when the
breeding-age toms begin sounding off with lusty gobbles audible half a
mile away on a still morning. Breeding-age toms do most of their
gobbling during the first two hours of daylight, but during the height
of the mating season, an occasional gobble may be heard at any time of
the day. -
If you hear more than one tom gobbling, move in on the closest tom
as fast as possible. Stalking a more distant tom may result in a busted
stalk. -
When calling to a tom on the roost early in the morning, a couple of
soft, sleepy clucks works better than the hen yelp. A tom is reluctant
to respond to a love yelp so early in the morning. -
Whether you wear camouflage or not, your clothing should blend with
the foliage around you. Although some hunters swear by facial
camouflage and clothing, other good hunters are inclined to believe
one’s movements spook turkeys. -
Where should you take a stand? After a gobbler sounds, try to move
within 200 yards of his position and then choose a stand in a fairly
open area. As a general rule, turkeys avoid thickets that could conceal
an enemy. A turkey likes a certain amount of ground cover within the
timber to make it feel secure. However, the ground cover must be open
enough to instantly afford the turkey good vision, allow it to walk
without touching or coming into bodily contact with thick ground growth
and assure it quick wing action and passage if need be. Turkeys are
like any other animals-their behavior is mostly directed toward
survival. Once you are on a stand, sit still and be patient. Smoking,
coughing and other unnecessary movements simply do not fit into the
strategic plan for hunting turkeys. -
Try to get uphill and on the same ridge as a gobbler. It’s the
easiest place to call from. Turkeys are a lot easier to call uphill
than downhill. -
When selecting a calling site, look for a tree with a good thick base. Sit in front of it, and use it as a backrest.
-
Weather conditions play a big part in the success of the spring
gobbler hunt. A day that starts with a clear, cool morning and no wind
is a good choice for hunting turkeys. Eastern Montana unfortunately has
its share of inclement weather during the spring turkey season. Cold
weather-especially when coupled with a foot of snow-usually dampens the
amorous attitudes of gobblers, making calling almost useless. If such
weather conditions occur, stay home, practice your calls, read up on
the life history of the wild turkey and hope for a better day. -
Although rifles are legal, most turkey hunters prefer using a
12-gauge shotgun with a full choke and using 0.2 or No. 4 shot. Turkeys
are big, tough birds, and their vital organs are tucked away beneath
heavy, metallic-colored feathers. Breeding-age toms also have what is
called a breast sponge, which acts like a flak jacket. It’s a large
mass of fatty tissue that helps them remain in prime physical condition
during the breeding season. Wild turkeys also have blinding speed
afoot, and even a broken wing seldom results in a turkey in the oven.
Because a turkey’s body is nothing less than a miniature armored-tank,
preferred areas to shoot at are head and neck.
Selecting a call presents a bewildering problem for the beginner,
especially if he asks for advice - few turkey hunters are likely to
agree on a selection. This diversity is understandable, since calls
differ widely in appearance and method of operation.
One of the most popular and easiest to use is the large hinged-type
box call. The top edges of the box are beveled and are chalked by the
user. By drawing the paddle or lid very slowly and gently across either
lip, the low, seductive mating yelp of a hen can be imitated.
Concentrate your efforts on learning to imitate only the hen yelps and
clucks. These are really the only two calls you have to learn for a
successful hunt. The yelp is soft and plaintive and usually uttered in
a series of threes. Visualize it as: “kee-yuk, kee-yuk, kee-yuk . . . .
key-yuk, key-yuk”. It must be done pleadingly with medium-pitched
sounds, and with each perk ending on a rising inflection. A calling
sequence should start with four or five yelps.
The rhythm of the yelping sequence is far more important than the
tone, and this is what you should try to perfect when calling.
Surprisingly enough, some hens will produce yelps that are really off
key. When the hen is responsive to the gobbler, her call is snappy and
to the point. As soon as you make some hen yelps, the tom will usually
respond quickly with a gobble. Make a second call soon after the first
to convince him that he really heard what he thought he did. Then,
remain quiet for a while, regardless of how much he keeps gobbling. You
can be sure he has zeroed in on your position and can come straight to
you, if so inclined.
If he is still gobbling from the same location 10-15 minutes after
you last called to him, you might try a couple of clucks every 5 or 10
minutes until he comes in. If the bird is a 2-year old tom unable to
gather a harem of hens, he will often move in quickly after hearing
your hen yelps. But if you are working on a long-bearded old tom with a
complement of hens in the vicinity, you are probably going to have a
frustrating experience.
The hens in his harem may go to him soon after he starts gobbling
and your early morning efforts to lure him to you usually will be
futile. A little patience and a different call may turn the tables.
Under such a set of circumstances, a gobble from your box call may
spell the margin of victory. Many box calls have a crisscross
arrangement of rubber bands holding the lid gently to the box top. If
you hold the call bottom down in the palm of your hand, handle pointed
away from you, a quick shake will produce a gobble. This call often
moves a hesitant tom into range because he thinks a rival gobbler is
moving in on his hens. Use it with caution, however, because it also
might call up another hunter.
Probably the best way to learn the yelping sequence of the hen
turkey is to listen to a good caller or to a turkey-calling
instructional record. If you are halfway serious about learning the
basic calls, practice the yelping sequence outdoors throughout the year
and don’t wait until the day before the hunt to review your calling
instructions and to begin practicing yelps.?
Wild turkeys seem to prefer open ponderosa pine woodlands; however,
Montana’s wild turkey population is adaptive and they fare well across
most of Montana. You will find turkeys in thick grasslands as well as
areas with deciduous trees and brush coverage.
Foraging on the ground, wild turkeys consume a wide variety of
flower heads, tubers, seeds and insects. When available, the sweet
seeds of the ponderosa pine are favorites of the Merriam turkey. In
Northwestern Montana, wild turkeys also eagerly feed on snowberries,
service berries, chokecherries as well as rose hips. The turkeys are
helpful in keeping spider and grasshopper populations controlled,
happily snapping up the invasive insects. Cultivated grains including
wheat, barley and oats are also favorite foods. Some of the larger
turkey populations have prospered in proximity to grain fields. When
available, wild turkeys will also feast on small vertebrates such as
snakes, frogs and toads. Survival through Montana’s fierce winters is
often dependent on the kindness of local landowners that supplement
their diets with corn and grain.
Wild turkeys generally nest on the ground, seeking shelter under
brush near woodlands that adjoin an open meadow. Turkeys will often
roost in trees at night.
Males have a prominent bright red neck wattle, a beard and spurs on
their legs. The male sports a proud plumage of brownish-bronze
feathers, tipped in black. An adult male is about 48 inches in length
and will weigh an average of 17 pounds. Rather drab , the more demur
female is smaller with the back and breast feathers tipped in yellowish
brown or yellow. A female will average about 34 inches in length and
weigh about 10 pounds.
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Tags: bird population, central montana, eyesight, holiday tables, hunting season, impressive size, indian diet, last fifty years, magical ability, meleagris, merriams turkey, plumage, spring and fall, successful turkey hunting, turkey flocks, turkey population, upland game bird, wild turkey, wild turkeys, yelp