Well, first of all, not all turkeys gobble. Only male turkeys gobble and that’s why they’re sometimes mentioned as gobblers. Male turkeys don’t gobble all day long or all year long. There are seasons when male turkeys gobble and there are reasons for it. Male turkeys/ toms gobble during the spring or fall. They do this during the mating season to draw in the feminine hens.
During the mating season, the male turkeys perform a sort of dance, strutting and making gobbling sounds. This attracts the hen and interested ones come around. So basically, male turkeys’ gobbling may be a quite mating call.
If you’re a hunter who hunts wild turkeys, this sound would probably be right to them during this season.
Male turkeys’ gobbling also can be an answering call. When a male is roosting and is trying to seek out the situation of the others, it gobbles and therefore the other turkeys gobble reciprocally. Hunters use this strategy to hunt wild turkeys all the time. They call it “shock gobble”.
The hunters make a sort of gobbling sound, the turkeys who don’t know better gobble in answer and their location is instantly detected by the hunters.
Why do turkeys gobble? Do they lecture each other?
Well, turkeys make tons of sounds during which gobbling is one among them.
I know they gobble to call themselves and attract males but it’s hard to mention if any actual conversation goes on. Who knows, it might be an animal language and humans don’t understand those. But I do know gobbling is one among the ways of communication within the turkey kingdom.
Related article: 6 Best Types Of Turkey Calls To Consider This Spring
What sounds do turkeys make?
Turkeys’ aren’t as chatty as chickens which seem to speak all the time, but once they do talk, they need a series of sounds they create. Turkeys can make quite 20 different sounds and about 7 or 8 are the essential ones. These sounds are used at different times for various purposes. I have talked about the gobbling sounds male turkeys make and why they create them.
Female turkeys make different sounds like cackling, purring, putting, yelping etc. Let’s discuss some.
Yelp. Female turkeys make this sound to collect their scattered flock/ poults.
Putt. Turkeys make the sound once they are alarmed. it’s made in repeated notes.
Purr. Turkeys usually make this sound once they are feeding. it’s a soft rolling sound that shows contentment.
Cutt. This is often a quick and loud sound of single notes that a female turkey makes when seeking a companion. It is often employed by a hen to encourage a tom to return closer to the world.
Why do turkeys gobble at owls?
Owls are bird predators, they feed on other birds including turkeys. While adult turkeys could be an excessive amount of a hassle for them, they easily feed on young turkeys because they’re weak and vulnerable.
I guess, turkeys gobble to daunt owls from the hen and therefore the young turkeys around it. It is more sort of a territorial thing. Turkeys also gobble at owls because they don’t like loud noises.
When other birds or animals like crows, peacocks, owls make loud noises, male turkeys get mad or excited and make their own noises back. They gobble at these birds and animals. They go on and on about it and it almost becomes a contest of “who makes the loudest noise?”
Why do turkeys gobble once you whistle?
Well, like I’ve explained, turkeys gobble whenever they hear sounds or a bang. They could mistake it for an additional tom’s gobble and respond. It could even be how for them to point out they’re irritated or excited by the noise. So a whistle comes out as a sound to them which they need to answer. they might respond out of irritation or excitement. While hunting, you’ll want to make sure you’re able to kill before whistling, as this will attract toms to you.
Why do turkeys gobble within the morning?
Turkeys are unpredictable creatures and sometimes you can’t tell why they are doing what they are doing. Some days they gobble all morning and even all day, some days they’re silent. Like we’ve explained, turkeys can gobble during the mating season. It is commonplace to listen to a tom gobbling in his roost within the morning. It’s usually a sort of mating call.
Turkeys also gobble within the morning due to the opposite sounds it hears within the forest. It might be the sounds of hens approaching or other animals.
What does one do once you hear a turkey gobble?
If you’re a hunter then the gobbling sound is what you’ve been expecting. The next thing is to be ready and permit the turkey to come to you. If they’re during a flock and you can’t combat a quiet one, just wait till they separate and choose the lone tom. If you’re not a hunter but somehow within the bush, you’ll want to travel to the opposite side of the sound.
Something may need to irritate the turkey to form its gobble, and you don’t want to be alone with an angry turkey. If they’re not wild turkeys, just ignore them. They might shut one’s mouth after a short time.
Do female turkeys gobble?
No, female turkeys don’t gobble. Female turkeys make an entire lot of other sounds which I’ve explained but not gobbling. That honor is reserved for the males.
Conclusion.
Only male turkeys gobble and that they roll in the hay mostly once they try to draw in the feminine turkeys during the mating season. It can also be an answering call once they hear other turkeys gobble or hear a loud sound that appears like gobbling. They gobble at owls too. Whether to scare them away from their young ones or because they only hate owl sounds. Female turkeys don’t gobble but make tons of other sounds like yelping, putting, purring, cackling etc.
