Wild,Turkeys,Montana,Watching, education Wild Turkeys Of Montana

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Watching a flock of wild turkey move across a Montana meadow is afine sight. They forage, yelp and gobble, oblivious to the plight ofmillions of their domesticated brothers doomed to grace holiday tables.If you are a wild turkey living in Montana, it is highly unlikely thatyou 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, iridescentbronze-colored plumage and naked bluish head, wild turkeys are a prizedaddition to the state’s diverse upland game bird population.Although the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopova) is native to NorthAmerica and was an important staple in the Native Indian diet acrossmost of America, it is only in the last fifty years that the succulentbird could be found in Montana.Merriam turkeys are actually native to Colorado and were introducedinto central Montana in 1954 with 13 birds obtained from our Coloradoneighbors. In 1955 another 18 birds from Wyoming stock were introducedto Montana. The hardy new residents thrived and as their populationgrew surplus birds were trapped and transported to other parts of thestate.Presently there are about thirty Merriam’s turkey flocks withhuntable sized populations in about seven areas of the state. Hunted inMontana since 1958, wild turkeys have become a favored game bird.Montana has both a spring and fall gobbler season, but don’t be tooworried about the turkey. Successful turkey hunting takes a very highdegree of skill and luck. Wild turkeys are wary, have very keen hearingand eyesight and a seemingly magical ability to disappear duringhunting 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 andconservation license. Hunters are allowed one wild turkey per specialtag holder per special season. Popular hunting areas include the LongPines and Ashland areas of the Custer National Forest and portions ofFergus 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 turkeyregulations for the spring and fall hunts.Consistently, successful turkey hunting for toms requires a highdegree of skill. Wild turkeys are extremely wary and possess keen colorvision and good hearing ability.Finding a place to hunt turkeys in the spring does not present majorproblems since much hunting in eastern Montana occurs on either U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service or Bureau of Land Management land. Butfinding turkeys can present a problem. Preseason scouting for sign leftby turkeys is the best way to find a good hunting area. Signs to lookfor are roost trees, droppings, feathers, scratch and dusting areas.Also, listen for gobbling. Make a note of feeding areas. In thetimbered areas, preferred roost trees are tall, over- mature and deadponderosa pines that are sheltered from high winds. A lot of the turkeyrange east of the Continental Divide is on private property. You musthave permission to hunt turkeys on private property.Climbing a high butte during late afternoon and scanning the openpark areas with a spotting scope is a good way to spot turkeys. If anytoms are in the vicinity, chances are good they will be out in the opengoing through their courtship display. Once you spot a tom, mark hislocation and arrive there early the next morning before he leaves theroost tree. Some hunters use an owl hooter during the early morning toget roosted birds to call back. Hooters are commercial mouth-blowndevices that imitate a large owl's hoot. Once a gobbler is located, thehunter can move in quietly, then hide and use his turkey call.If you don't hear a bird gobble of its own volition, move throughthe woods and make several hen yelps every 300 to 400 yards. Suchcalling should be done only from a location where you can hide quicklyand also have a good view of the surroundings.Be in the woods by the crack of dawn because this is when thebreeding-age toms begin sounding off with lusty gobbles audible half amile away on a still morning. Breeding-age toms do most of theirgobbling during the first two hours of daylight, but during the heightof the mating season, an occasional gobble may be heard at any time ofthe day.If you hear more than one tom gobbling, move in on the closest tomas fast as possible. Stalking a more distant tom may result in a bustedstalk.When calling to a tom on the roost early in the morning, a couple ofsoft, sleepy clucks works better than the hen yelp. A tom is reluctantto respond to a love yelp so early in the morning.Whether you wear camouflage or not, your clothing should blend withthe foliage around you. Although some hunters swear by facialcamouflage and clothing, other good hunters are inclined to believeone's movements spook turkeys.Where should you take a stand? After a gobbler sounds, try to movewithin 200 yards of his position and then choose a stand in a fairlyopen area. As a general rule, turkeys avoid thickets that could concealan enemy. A turkey likes a certain amount of ground cover within thetimber to make it feel secure. However, the ground cover must be openenough to instantly afford the turkey good vision, allow it to walkwithout touching or coming into bodily contact with thick ground growthand assure it quick wing action and passage if need be. Turkeys arelike any other animals-their behavior is mostly directed towardsurvival. Once you are on a stand, sit still and be patient. Smoking,coughing and other unnecessary movements simply do not fit into thestrategic plan for hunting turkeys.Try to get uphill and on the same ridge as a gobbler. It's theeasiest place to call from. Turkeys are a lot easier to call uphillthan 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 springgobbler hunt. A day that starts with a clear, cool morning and no windis a good choice for hunting turkeys. Eastern Montana unfortunately hasits share of inclement weather during the spring turkey season. Coldweather-especially when coupled with a foot of snow-usually dampens theamorous attitudes of gobblers, making calling almost useless. If suchweather conditions occur, stay home, practice your calls, read up onthe life history of the wild turkey and hope for a better day.Although rifles are legal, most turkey hunters prefer using a12-gauge shotgun with a full choke and using 0.2 or No. 4 shot. Turkeysare big, tough birds, and their vital organs are tucked away beneathheavy, metallic-colored feathers. Breeding-age toms also have what iscalled a breast sponge, which acts like a flak jacket. It's a largemass of fatty tissue that helps them remain in prime physical conditionduring the breeding season. Wild turkeys also have blinding speedafoot, 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 toagree on a selection. This diversity is understandable, since callsdiffer widely in appearance and method of operation.One of the most popular and easiest to use is the large hinged-typebox call. The top edges of the box are beveled and are chalked by theuser. By drawing the paddle or lid very slowly and gently across eitherlip, the low, seductive mating yelp of a hen can be imitated.Concentrate your efforts on learning to imitate only the hen yelps andclucks. These are really the only two calls you have to learn for asuccessful hunt. The yelp is soft and plaintive and usually uttered ina series of threes. Visualize it as: "kee-yuk, kee-yuk, kee-yuk . . . .key-yuk, key-yuk". It must be done pleadingly with medium-pitchedsounds, and with each perk ending on a rising inflection. A callingsequence should start with four or five yelps.The rhythm of the yelping sequence is far more important than thetone, and this is what you should try to perfect when calling.Surprisingly enough, some hens will produce yelps that are really offkey. When the hen is responsive to the gobbler, her call is snappy andto the point. As soon as you make some hen yelps, the tom will usuallyrespond quickly with a gobble. Make a second call soon after the firstto convince him that he really heard what he thought he did. Then,remain quiet for a while, regardless of how much he keeps gobbling. Youcan be sure he has zeroed in on your position and can come straight toyou, if so inclined.If he is still gobbling from the same location 10-15 minutes afteryou last called to him, you might try a couple of clucks every 5 or 10minutes until he comes in. If the bird is a 2-year old tom unable togather a harem of hens, he will often move in quickly after hearingyour hen yelps. But if you are working on a long-bearded old tom with acomplement of hens in the vicinity, you are probably going to have afrustrating experience.The hens in his harem may go to him soon after he starts gobblingand your early morning efforts to lure him to you usually will befutile. A little patience and a different call may turn the tables.Under such a set of circumstances, a gobble from your box call mayspell the margin of victory. Many box calls have a crisscrossarrangement of rubber bands holding the lid gently to the box top. Ifyou hold the call bottom down in the palm of your hand, handle pointedaway from you, a quick shake will produce a gobble. This call oftenmoves a hesitant tom into range because he thinks a rival gobbler ismoving in on his hens. Use it with caution, however, because it alsomight call up another hunter.Probably the best way to learn the yelping sequence of the henturkey is to listen to a good caller or to a turkey-callinginstructional record. If you are halfway serious about learning thebasic calls, practice the yelping sequence outdoors throughout the yearand don't wait until the day before the hunt to review your callinginstructions 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 acrossmost of Montana. You will find turkeys in thick grasslands as well asareas with deciduous trees and brush coverage.Foraging on the ground, wild turkeys consume a wide variety offlower heads, tubers, seeds and insects. When available, the sweetseeds of the ponderosa pine are favorites of the Merriam turkey. InNorthwestern Montana, wild turkeys also eagerly feed on snowberries,service berries, chokecherries as well as rose hips. The turkeys arehelpful in keeping spider and grasshopper populations controlled,happily snapping up the invasive insects. Cultivated grains includingwheat, barley and oats are also favorite foods. Some of the largerturkey populations have prospered in proximity to grain fields. Whenavailable, wild turkeys will also feast on small vertebrates such assnakes, frogs and toads. Survival through Montana’s fierce winters isoften dependent on the kindness of local landowners that supplementtheir diets with corn and grain.Wild turkeys generally nest on the ground, seeking shelter underbrush near woodlands that adjoin an open meadow. Turkeys will oftenroost in trees at night.Males have a prominent bright red neck wattle, a beard and spurs ontheir legs. The male sports a proud plumage of brownish-bronzefeathers, tipped in black. An adult male is about 48 inches in lengthand will weigh an average of 17 pounds. Rather drab, the more demurfemale is smaller with the back and breast feathers tipped in yellowishbrown or yellow. A female will average about 34 inches in length andweigh about 10 pounds.