Ask Dr. Tom: Sitting Strutters

"This past season I witnessed something that I had never seen in 35-plus years of turkey hunting. I had four gobblers out in front of me in a hayfield at about 80 to 100 yards. They were gobbling as I called occasionally and were all in a strut. As I watched, one of the birds in full strut sat down in the field in full strut. He just sat there looking around. He eventually stood up and strutted around and then sat back down. He did that four times. I had never seen one do it before. I’ve talked with all of the veteran turkey hunters around here and none have seen anything like it. Any thoughts?"

—Joel Glover, Rockford, Alabama wildlife biologist (Joel Glover passed after submitting this question. Learn more about his contribution to the conservation of the wild turkey.)

Thanks for sharing your observation of unusual gobbler behavior from last spring. I have worked with wild turkeys and hunted them for 50-plus years and they continue to surprise me. The behavior you described of a gobbler that would strut, sit down on the ground while still fanned out in a display and repeat that behavior is something I have never seen either. However, I have seen gobblers in full strut stop with tails fanned and wings dragging the ground to peck at something on the ground or eat a dandelion. It is as though they want to accomplish two things at the same time. And they definitely do not want to be left out of an opportunity to impress a hen.

While live-trapping wild turkeys I have seen birds of both sexes sit quietly on the ground in the shade on a warm day and stay there while they take advantage of the shade to cool down. On cold, snowy winter days I have seen turkeys locate a spot between trees where there was a shallow depression near a baited trap site, sit quietly on the ground and hunker down to escape the elements.

The gobbler you watched apparently was not intimidated by his cohorts because taking an almost submissive posture can lead to an aggressive response from other gobblers. Those four gobblers were likely used to each other’s company, may have been of the same age class and none were dominant enough to make a move on the resting bird. If it was a warm morning, that bird may have been a bit heat stressed or he was simply confident in his position among his peers and was a bit lazy! In any case, that certainly is an unusual behavior, and I appreciate you sharing it with your fellow wild turkey enthusiasts.

Send your wild turkey questions, photos and videos to turkeycall@nwtf.net for Dr. Tom to answer.