The more I hunt with other people, the more I think we are giving too much credit to their hearing. They seem obvious to loud whispering at 40 yards. Just an observation I've notice over the past few years.
I give their ears as much or more credit as I do their eye's. I've witnessed some amazing things when it comes to their hearing over the years. It's their brain that get's them killed. They sometimes hear better than they listen, if that makes sense.
I have heard them gobble to a soft call from way out there. So far I had to cut the distance to make sure it was a gobble. I would say that their hearing is as good as their eyesight. I think it gets analyzed in thrown into a dangerous or not dangerous category pretty quickly and they don't seem to err on the side of caution quite as much as they do with their eyes.
They hear well...
I have had them pinpoint my calling within feet from about as far away as I can hear them gobble.
I have seen them respond from some distance to very quiet and subtle calling.
Yep... Sometimes they come even when you whisper, but there is no telling how many have not come in cause you were whispering.
I also think there are sounds they key in on more as far as being attracted to (such as a soft hen cluck), or sounds that alert them of danger (such as footsteps)... But I do not doubt that there are some cagey ol' toms that have been alerted by the sound of hunters whispering to each other... It is also likely those hunters never knew of it...
I, too, think they hear very well. Perhaps not to the mystical degree that some folks claim they can, but no doubt very well. As for whispering and such, and having them ignore certain sounds, I think they most often hear those sounds but do not interpret them as being something they need to be alarmed by,...or as Ronnie (guesswho) put it, "they hear better than they listen". Pretty much sums it up.
I'll guarantee, however, that if you whisper at them and then shoot at them enough times, they will learn to skeedaddle the next time you whisper at them. ;D :toothy12:
They don't listen very well at all. I always tell them don't put your head up. You would think they would "learn" not to do that. :laugh:
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 16, 2016, 12:01:41 AM
I, too, think they hear very well. Perhaps not to the mystical degree that some folks claim they can, but no doubt very well. As for whispering and such, and having them ignore certain sounds, I think they most often hear those sounds but do not interpret them as being something they need to be alarmed by,...or as Ronnie (guesswho) put it, "they hear better than they listen". Pretty much sums it up.
I'll guarantee, however, that if you whisper at them and then shoot at them enough times, they will learn to skeedaddle the next time you whisper at them. ;D :toothy12:
Exactly! Their hearing is undoubtedly phenomenal, no question about that. I've seen them answer from impossible distances and pinpoint my location within 20 or 30 ft....BUT, they seem to ignore, or at least accept certain sounds and not be alarmed. Make a quiet put? GONE! Make a metallic sound, and they're all ears...For some reason, they don't seem to recognize a whisper or low voice as something dangerous...
:fud: :OGani:
Fact.
Once while pre-season scouting. I had one gobble every time I took a step on a gravel road. He was at least 100yards down in a little hollow. I was trying to sneak back to my car. I took to the sides of the road, but he would still gobble sometimes, when I took a step. On the gravel road, I'm talking about taking a single step, not walking. I wouldn't have believed it, if it wasn't me. Must of thought I was another turkey!
:gobble:
They hear well...I got nailed twice this year but was still able to kill both birds as they were folding up and moving on.
Quote from: guesswho on June 16, 2016, 08:07:31 AM
They don't listen very well at all. I always tell them don't put your head up. You would think they would "learn" not to do that. :laugh:
I think the learning curve is pretty steep on that one. :)
They hear much better than we do; it's much more important to their survival than it is to ours. Their ability to pinpoint the source of calling is amazing. They know what tree your are sitting beside from a long ways after just a couple series of yelps. Try having a buddy make a few yelps from say 100-150 yards and then have him move and you try to pick out the tree he was calling from. In this respect, we are nowhere near the turkey's ability as far as pinpointing sound. Same thing with voice recognition;their ability to recognize and identify individual birds in their area is amazing. A gobbler knows "his" hens and can recognize their sound vs. a strange new hen in the bush from a long ways. As vocal as they are and as important vocalization is to them both for survival and reproduction their hearing has to be exceptional. They have such a poor sense of smell, without exceptional hearing and eyesight to compensate for this they would not be able to survive and thrive as they do. Turkeys don't do anything to damage their hearing like we do as humans. They don't listen to loud music, go to concerts, shoot skeet, etc. So their hearing gets better with age just as well as their eyes. A 3-4 year old turkey is going to have keener hearing and eyes than a jake or a 2 year old bird (as well as more patience).
So actually the reverse is true, if anything most hunters underestimate their hearing ability. Most gobblers prefer to be talked to in a normal conversational tone as opposed to being yelled at. If you doubt their hearing, next time you get ready to shoot one, don't ease that safety off like everyone instructs you to do. Push it off with some force so it makes that nice little metallic clicking sound and see what happens. As far as a loud whisper at 40 yards, I don't know? Turkey Hunting is a One Man Game, you know.
A guy in our club says that as long as they can't see you, you can get away with a little leaf crunching. He says a humans foot steps are the closest sounding thing to a Turkey's foot steps.
Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on June 16, 2016, 04:46:22 PM
As far as a loud whisper at 40 yards, I don't know? Turkey Hunting is a One Man Game, you know.
I've got kids, my son and I have killed a few together sometimes having to over communicate with birds in easy range. So far we have killed all but one that have came in range. He missed that one.
I know their ability to locate the source of sound is amazing, but recently have been questioning their ability to hear, at least human voice.
I'll take Guesswho's advise on the subject as gospel and keep doing what we've been doing and hope my birds stay hardheaded and not listen. The older my son gets the less talking we should have, but it sure is fun.
I think that they can hear very well. But their eyesight is what will get you caught! I believe they trust their eyes much more than their ears. You can get away with a lot more noise than most think if you're in a blind or otherwise unseen. But movement will get ya busted 9 times out of 10. When it comes to hunting, how well they hear doesn't matter as much as how wary they are to what they hear. In my experience, they are much more wary to what they see than to what they hear.
I've often said a turkey can see you think at 50 yards, when it comes to movement. As to your example and question about that "whisper" to your son / daughter / partner - and the ability of a bird to hear it... ?? In my experience, hunting with my son, I think we give too much credit to how far our whispers can be heard. Not discounting the turkey's ability to hear - I think it's very, very good. I just think low whispers are not that audible at 20+ yards, especially if there is ambient noise like a breeze, song birds, or the bird is walking in dry leaves, etc.
Same thing for deer & deer hunting.
I don't have proof but I think some turkeys can hear what your thinking.
Quote from: dirt road ninja on June 16, 2016, 08:26:10 PM
The older my son gets the less talking we should have, but it sure is fun.
I agree, whispering back and forth is a blast. You should hear some of the conversations I have with people hunting with me with birds at 30 yards :TooFunny:
Quote from: guesswho on June 16, 2016, 08:55:48 PM
I don't have proof but I think some turkeys can hear what your thinking.
TRU DAT!!!!
I'm pretty sure, looking back on some past failed attempts - I could almost provide that proof! :TooFunny:
:TooFunny:
Quote from: guesswho on June 15, 2016, 08:51:08 PM
They sometimes hear better than they listen, if that makes sense.
...oh, like my kids? :toothy12:
They seem not to have the ability to hear a trie whisper, I think it is outside of their frequency range much as we can't hear a silent dog whistle. I am unconvinced that a turkey can hear the silent dog whistle either, but I have no direct experience with that.
We have all done it. Locate one on another ridge. (Or some place you can't get to easily) Get set up best you can, work him, fall asleep, give up, move to the other ridge then BOOM. He is at the tree you lasted called from on your original set up.
I am amazed how well they can not only hear but know where you are.
"they sometimes hear better than they listen" and "they can hear what we are thinking"
are we still talking about turkeys?, or is this thread some kind of code for wife talk? :TooFunny:
Many years ago when i first started turkey hunting I used to "learn" them pre-season. On several occasions I would see a bird(s) out in an open area some distance away. I'd make the softest call I could , box or slate, and increase volume until I got a reaction. I learned at just what volume they could hear...and it ain't much! I never heard it put that way before but I totally agree with the "they can hear better than they listen". This spring, calling in my grandson's first tom, I had to whisper to him just what to do...rather loudly, I thought. I know I was whispering much louder than if I had been running some soft yelps. It never fazed the bird as he closed in from 60 yards to 15 yards.
So it would appear that the question is not so much their ability to hear as much as their concern with a human "whisper."
I have seen them pay no attention to whispering at times (very close), and I have seen them book out with it as well... I would guess that their response to it would depend largely on age and experience of the bird, as well as hunting pressure.
As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of birds killed over whispering voices... I would guess there are a lot of birds still alive because of them as well.
My feeling on hunting with a partner, unless I am communicating a move due to no activity, there is nothing that I need to communicate verbally... When a bird comes in range, he or she will likely see the bird... And shoot it.
Back in the beeper days, before cell phones, I had my beeper go off and he was about 25 steps. My gun was already up and head down and I was enjoying the show. He made no reaction to it. He died shortly later. He HEARD it, he did not HEED it. It was not a threat to him.
Less we forget, they can hear you thinking and see you change your mind....sometimes in our encounters with these ole boys they will make us...if only for a second...make us think "did he see me change my mind." Have had that happen few times and most of those particular encounters he will live to walk another day. If you have to try to reverse that mistake you just made can almost be assured that you will not kill him....he is just that good. I know of nothing that we hunt that is going to give you the slip if you make that one mistake IF he is close enough to see and hear you...you can take that to the bank.
Quote from: Uncle Tom on July 08, 2016, 07:12:32 PM
Less we forget, they can hear you thinking and see you change your mind....sometimes in our encounters with these ole boys they will make us...if only for a second...make us think "did he see me change my mind." Have had that happen few times and most of those particular encounters he will live to walk another day. If you have to try to reverse that mistake you just made can almost be assured that you will not kill him....he is just that good. I know of nothing that we hunt that is going to give you the slip if you make that one mistake IF he is close enough to see and hear you...you can take that to the bank.
Man, you're really over thinking things! Lol. They are good at surviving. But they ain't super natural. When we make mistakes we get busted. When we don't we kill them. I'd put an old buck up against an old gobbler in survival skills. Don't believe me? Try to make a move on a buck that's focused on your position at 30 yards on the ground. The very nature of turkey hunting is to let them know where we are. Of course they're gonna be keyed in when they get there!
Farmboy, you been hunting lot of jakes....you need to up your game LOL.
Quote from: Uncle Tom on July 08, 2016, 08:26:20 PM
Farmboy, you been hunting lot of jakes....you need to up your game LOL.
Nope. Just being realistic! It's a lot easier to say that turkeys have super powers than it is to admit that we made a mistake when we don't kill one. I've had longbeards within 5 steps of me while wearing orange in rifle season. They don't have super powers. They are well adapted to surviving, just like any other thriving animal. So I hunt them like an animal, not like a PhDs, psychic, genius.
Few years back, had one jump on me while i was purring....thought i was a hen sitting there all camo up....like to beat me to death with those wings. No..he was racing his buddy to see who could get there first...got 3 shots off at both of them...never touched a feather. Never forget it...felt like a fool. Ole Tom Kelly said in one of his books you can never bring back a mistake when you make it...how true. I took my eyes off what i was doing...messing with a little match box call and that bird was in my lap before I knew it. Sorry for long rant...but this was one of best examples of how they can make a fool out of you and you just sitting there minding your own business.
I wish I could recall the forum member who made this statement:
"Turkeys are not all that smart, but they have keen hearing and vision and one foot on the panic button!"
No doubt they can hear you whisper or talking for distances that would likely surprise most of us... They can likely hear a cell phone ring for extreme distances, and even likely hear it in vibrate mode (although I doubt they would interpret that as danger)...
I would guess how they react to those noises is largely dependent on hunting pressure (both from humans and critters). The more people or critters after them, the more firm that foot is on the "panic button."
As I stated earlier, I have seen birds book out from whispering, and seen them come in with rather loud whispering as well.
Heck, I am still looking for a "purring turkey" ringtone for turkey hunting, as well as a "greenwing teal whistle" for duck hunting... Might not help, but certainly seems like it would cause less damage than a standard annoying ring-tone...
If the turkeys can hear so well what is the point of tree calling and fly down cackles? Wouldn't that seem fake to the Tom since there is a hen sitting on the forest floor making noises they only make while high above in the roost?
Quote from: Life of Riley on July 11, 2016, 10:38:30 AM
If the turkeys can hear so well what is the point of tree calling and fly down cackles? Wouldn't that seem fake to the Tom since there is a hen sitting on the forest floor making noises they only make while high above in the roost?
I'm probably in the minority but I never do the tree calling routine. In fact I usually don't make a call until I feel confident I'm in the right spot to kill him. Sometimes that may be two or three hours after he's on the ground. The states I hunt have all day hunting so I can afford to be a little more patient in the calling game than someone who has a noon cut off.
I'm probably in the minority but I never do the tree calling routine. In fact I usually don't make a call until I feel confident I'm in the right spot to kill him. Sometimes that may be two or three hours after he's on the ground. The states I hunt have all day hunting so I can afford to be a little more patient in the calling game than someone who has a noon cut off.
[/quote]
I've been trying hard to adopt that method and try not to call at all when I know he is still in the tree.
Quote from: Life of Riley on July 11, 2016, 10:38:30 AM
If the turkeys can hear so well what is the point of tree calling and fly down cackles? Wouldn't that seem fake to the Tom since there is a hen sitting on the forest floor making noises they only make while high above in the roost?
Well, I ain't gettin' up in the tree to call, and I certainly am not going to jump out of said tree while flapping my arms (to sound like wings) while doing a fly-down cackle. :goofball:
As I mentioned, I do not think they are all that smart. I do NOT believe they have the intellectual capacity to logically reason that it seems "fake." I do not think they know what "fake" is. Obviously the more unnatural the situation, the more their "panic" defenses are alerted though.
Personally, I think that the biggest risk with tree-calling, is causing competitive hens to go in and steal that tom, or creating a situation in which the tom expects the hen to come to him.
I don't get hardly an chances to hunt all day. Our Md season allows it the last two weeks but other obligations prevent me to take advantage. I often only have about a two- three hour hunting window so I do my best to kill them quickly. I will call to birds on the roost but it's situational and dictated by gut feel. 90% of the time I am faced with a Tom that is with hens or within sight of them. I have had decent luck getting them fired up on the limb and shutting up, doing a little leaf scratching to add to the cold shoulder approach. If I can get him on the ground before the hens pitch out then it's pretty well over for him. Sometimes it works and sometimes it don't. I prefer to not be in sight when calling to a bird on the limb though. I do think any time a Tom KNOWS that he should see the hen he gets antsy. Having the option of shadowing a Tom until he becomes more vulnerable is a great tactic. I unfortunately don't get that option very often. As long as I don't bust him I am ok pushing things and being more aggressive. Course sometimes that results in busting them sometimes also. What I have observed is a turkey will use his eyes to confirm his what his ears have heard. He will not wait for his ears to confirm what his eyes have seen.
I am surprised that no one has touched on the subject of brain waves. In the early part of my turkey hunting career, I had several instances of gobblers tucking tail and running for no perceptible reason. I changed my predator mindset and began to think of baseball once I decided that he understood my call and all of that tail tucking came to an end. Insofar as hearing is concerned, they can hear a soft call from an almost unbelievable distance.
Quote from: silvestris on July 11, 2016, 11:36:59 PM
I am surprised that no one has touched on the subject of brain waves. In the early part of my turkey hunting career, I had several instances of gobblers tucking tail and running for no perceptible reason. I changed my predator mindset and began to think of baseball once I decided that he understood my call and all of that tail tucking came to an end. Insofar as hearing is concerned, they can hear a soft call from an almost unbelievable distance.
I do believe in the brain wave theory for all animals,
many times before putting shoes on a horse I will stare them in the eye for a minute, sending a brain wave message that I know how to get them to the Alpo dog food factory if they don't stand still.
this works for all but the most stubborn of horses :TooFunny:
Quote from: Spurs on February 23, 2015, 10:07:43 PM
Best way I have heard it put, "Turkey ain't smart, they just live with one foot on the panic button".
Brain waves! lol
I was standing in a long line at Sam's a few years ago, about baseball time. There was a lady in front of me with one of those CD stands with shelves in her shopping cart. I began to think really hard, "you really don't want that CD stand; you don't need that CD stand, etc.". As she got to the cashier, she took the CD stand from her cart and siet it to the side. Coincidence? Maybe.
The other day, I saw Salma Hayek on TV. I started thinking really hard that she should show up at my house, nekkid and in a good mood.
Still waiting.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Brain waves decrease with distance and usually are more detrimental with a lone gobbler. High winds also seem to cause interference.
If you don't want to be bothered with someone say a panhandler, as they approach stare straight ahead and think "Die, Die, Die". Works sometimes.
Quote from: silvestris on July 15, 2016, 04:01:51 PM
Brain waves decrease with distance and usually are more detrimental with a lone gobbler. High winds also seem to cause interference.
Most of us on this forum probably are not emitting enough brain waves to have any detrimental effect... Pretty much a non-issue for me (just ask my wife).
Kenny Morgan talking about older gobblers----"If you look directly at him and make eye to eye contact , he will most likely duck his head and be away from there faster than light itself."
this is basic brainwave communication, same as you "feeling" somebody staring at you in a crowded room
No it's not. It's prey seeing the two frontal eyes of a predator.
Whew,...what a relief! Finally, an explanation for so many gobblers not wanting to come to my calling. It is now obvious that my brain is so powerful that they know I am around before I even start calling,...probably before I even get out of bed in the morning! ...I'm headed in for a lobotomy right away (I know,...some of you thought I had already had one)! ....Maybe after that, I will be able to kill me a gobbler! :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
Turkeys are always suspicious and paranoid by nature. Anything that moves may be a predator and something that will try to kill and eat them. They know the area they call home like you know your living room. They can notice anything that looks out of place, anything new that wasn't there yesterday or anything that stands out. They will pick up the slightest movement or slightest sound that doesn't seem natural. They pinpoint the source of sounds especially turkey sounds with an uncanny ability. If they see something they don't like they will tuck tail and run, if they hear something they don't like they may do the same. Many times when a turkey gets close enough to see the hen but doesn't see the hen he gets suspicious and stops his advance. If he decides to investigate further and continue advancing towards the source of the unseen hen, he will normally proceed with caution and take a better (closer) look. This will be brief and often from a position that affords the turkey quick cover and an escape route. He may peek from behind a tree for a brief second and look for the hen he heard one last time. If no hen is seen he is gone quick in a hurry. Turkeys often run off for what they don't see instead of what they do see/hear.
I have never considered brain waves while turkey hunting. I suspect that when a turkey tucks tail and runs off there is a more likely explanation than him receiving brain waves. Now, turkeys absolutely key in on predatory behaviors that we exhibit just like they observe these behaviors in other animals. But I have never believed they can read my mind and know that I plan to kill them.
I remember one beautiful spring morning quite distinctly. A gobbler had been answering me from an adjacent hollow. He became silent and so did I. About fifteen minutes later I began to get the distinct feeling that I was being watched. I scanned my surroundings very carefully and after a couple of minutes I spotted the top portion of his head from above a fallen log. In a few minutes, he stepped out and in due course I was able to pull the trigger on him. The feeling I had was that "someone" was watching me and the feeling was extremely strong and proved to be correct. Brain waves?
Quote from: g8rvet on July 15, 2016, 01:10:19 PM
The other day, I saw Salma Hayek on TV. I started thinking really hard that she should show up at my house, nekkid and in a good mood.
Still waiting.
Coincidence? Maybe.
maybe didn't work because of you being a nonbeliever ::)
Now the tv messed with the brainwaves with it own signal . You should know that :TooFunny:
Anyway with a gal like her it is still worth trying :z-guntootsmiley:
[/quote]nonbeliever ::)
[/quote]
The other day, my wife told me if I listened to one more Monkees song she was gonna whip my arse. I thought she was joking. Then I saw her face...................................................
Quote from: silvestris on July 11, 2016, 11:36:59 PM
I am surprised that no one has touched on the subject of brain waves. In the early part of my turkey hunting career, I had several instances of gobblers tucking tail and running for no perceptible reason. I changed my predator mindset and began to think of baseball once I decided that he understood my call and all of that tail tucking came to an end. Insofar as hearing is concerned, they can hear a soft call from an almost unbelievable distance.
this is what happened with the gobbler I saw at 45 yards on the second day of the season
Quote from: g8rvet on July 15, 2016, 01:10:19 PM
The other day, I saw Salma Hayek on TV. I started thinking really hard that she should show up at my house, nekkid and in a good mood.
Still waiting.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Quote from: owlhoot on July 19, 2016, 06:28:01 PMmaybe didn't work because of you being a nonbeliever ::)
Now the tv messed with the brainwaves with it own signal . You should know that :TooFunny:
Anyway with a gal like her it is still worth trying :z-guntootsmiley:
Maybe he needs a bigger antenna??? :goofball:
I have to admit, Selma Hyayek is on my list... Good choice there.
Quote from: Marc on July 19, 2016, 11:44:32 PM
Quote from: g8rvet on July 15, 2016, 01:10:19 PM
The other day, I saw Salma Hayek on TV. I started thinking really hard that she should show up at my house, nekkid and in a good mood.
Still waiting.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Quote from: owlhoot on July 19, 2016, 06:28:01 PMmaybe didn't work because of you being a nonbeliever ::)
Now the tv messed with the brainwaves with it own signal . You should know that :TooFunny:
Anyway with a gal like her it is still worth trying :z-guntootsmiley:
Maybe he needs a bigger antenna??? :goofball:
I have to admit, Selma Hyayek is on my list... Good choice there.
As a salt water fisherman, I can tell you small baits can still catch nice fish. Thank goodness! :lol:
Still need a big pole to land them tho.
They can hear a gnat think 300 yds away :lol:
Thier hearing often is better than thier judgement of what those sounds are.
I have been in a hunting situation where I swore there was no way the birds on the roost could hear my buddy making the lightest sound he could make on a box call I made for him. I mean so light, sitting 20 yds away it was very hard for me to hear. The birds were 300 yds at least in the roost. They heard him just fine. Was a great lesson for me.
They can hear a gnat think at 300 yds. Enough said on this one
When a bird is in the heat of passion some of it's defense do go away. But the old wish saying for years has been if you can hear him he can hear you. They have a hearing that's more like a radar and can pin point you within a few feet. If they could smell as good as they can hear and see you never would kill one ...
I gotta say, I used to give deer just as much credit about hearing, seeing, and smelling. Of course, after killing plenty of deer that were downwind, or even less than 40 yards away while I was sitting against a small diameter tree on the edge of a field (to include the biggest buck that I have ever seen live), I sometimes wonder just how smart they really are...
As far as turkeys go, I think we can tend to put them up to a higher standard than maybe we should. They are just animals, after all.
I'm sorry if I offend, but the belief that a bird (or any animal) can interpret your "brain wave" or "thoughts" is laughable. The only physical evidence of an active brain is electronic in nature. Now can a bird detect this? I doubt it. But to think that it can take this electronic signal and interpret what is being thought is absurd. Go kill the stupid bird.
I know as long as I wear my HECS suit I don't have to worry about brain waves etc.
Quote from: guesswho on February 12, 2017, 06:18:46 PM
I know as long as I wear my HECS suit I don't have to worry about brain waves etc.
Those are the best
I never have any brain waves so I guess I am good to go.
Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk
Quote from: guesswho on February 12, 2017, 06:18:46 PM
I know as long as I wear my HECS suit I don't have to worry about brain waves etc.
I don't use a hex because if I did I couldn't sleep at night because of the unfair advantage.
Quote from: guesswho on February 12, 2017, 06:18:46 PM
I know as long as I wear my HECS suit I don't have to worry about brain waves etc.
Considering that we are getting up at some ungodly hour, to go hear a bird gobble in the woods and try to shoot it, after spending untold amounts of money on all kinds of equipment (and gas)... And further considering that these birds have a brain far smaller than a peanut and generally outsmart us...
I do not think that hiding our "brain-waves" is an issue for most of us...
Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on July 16, 2016, 01:17:13 PM
Turkeys are always suspicious and paranoid by nature. Anything that moves may be a predator and something that will try to kill and eat them. They know the area they call home like you know your living room. They can notice anything that looks out of place, anything new that wasn't there yesterday or anything that stands out. They will pick up the slightest movement or slightest sound that doesn't seem natural. They pinpoint the source of sounds especially turkey sounds with an uncanny ability. If they see something they don't like they will tuck tail and run, if they hear something they don't like they may do the same. Many times when a turkey gets close enough to see the hen but doesn't see the hen he gets suspicious and stops his advance. If he decides to investigate further and continue advancing towards the source of the unseen hen, he will normally proceed with caution and take a better (closer) look. This will be brief and often from a position that affords the turkey quick cover and an escape route. He may peek from behind a tree for a brief second and look for the hen he heard one last time. If no hen is seen he is gone quick in a hurry. Turkeys often run off for what they don't see instead of what they do see/hear.
I have never considered brain waves while turkey hunting. I suspect that when a turkey tucks tail and runs off there is a more likely explanation than him receiving brain waves. Now, turkeys absolutely key in on predatory behaviors that we exhibit just like they observe these behaviors in other animals. But I have never believed they can read my mind and know that I plan to kill them.
I can agree with most of what you are saying, except for maybe this line. The first turkey that I ever killed, I shot it while I was sitting on one side of a narrow pine tree, and my hunting buddy was sitting on the other side calling. If a bird noticed every little thing different from the last time he/she was there, then I find it hard to believe that the bird would not notice two new clumps of leaves (we were wearing leafy suits) on either side of that tree...
I think I have had birds notice me, and just not be scared. I have seen them do crazy things: the 4 jakes I got on my hands and knees and dog walked into easy shooting range - they just fed off - it was private land and the last day of the season and I had to go-so I did it for fun, not to shoot; the hen that walked within 5 steps of me and just sat there clucking at me - she knew I had not been there before, but had no clue I was anything to be scared of, she just fed away from me; the bird that was coming in across a field like at least 10 other birds had done that suddenly spooked - I had not moved, called or anything-she just decided something was wrong, I have no idea what; etc. We all have a million of these stories. I had one at just out of shooting range when my beeper went off (yes, beeper, it was years ago) and he could not have cared less and it was a very unnatural tone. He was about 55 yards away. Fazed him not in the least. He definitely heard it, he just did not recognize it as danger. The public land gobbler that was at about 30 yards when I said SHOOT HIM in a normal voice to my son (after saying shoot him in a whisper about 5 times) - he walked off, still gobbling, but would not come back (go figure). I don't want to talk about why my son did not shoot (my fault - he was young and was waiting for the bird to stop like I had told him to do when deer hunting - when I said "You can kill a teal at 40 mph, I think you can kill a turkey at 3 mph" he understood).
We ascribe way too much intelligence and skill to a bird that is random and wary. Makes me feel better when I can't close the deal, but not based in fact.
Quote from: Gooserbat on February 12, 2017, 11:22:28 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 12, 2017, 06:18:46 PM
I know as long as I wear my HECS suit I don't have to worry about brain waves etc.
I don't use a hex because if I did I couldn't sleep at night because of the unfair advantage.
:TooFunny: :TooFunny:
I've watched through binoculars as a tom 600+ yards away on a windy day stretched his neck to gobble each time at my normal volume calls. I couldn't hear squat from him.
Me? That proved to me they can hear way further and better than we can.
If you make turkey sounds, and he gobbles back at you, HE THINKS YOUR A TURKEY. Plain and simple. Try not to over think it, they don't have reasoning capabilities
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Turkeys hear extremely well, but I think a lot of hunters give game too much of a human way of thinking.
Turkey can hear a whisper or talking from a long ways but they have zero reasoning ability to think "hey that's a hunter trying to kill me".
Same with a cough, I had a severe cough one year in deer season and it came back in turkey season, during both seasons, I would spontaneously cough, usually just a single cough and neither game animal ever went into alarm.
As long as a certain noise is not associated with danger, neither a turkey nor a deer will go in alarm. Have you ever sneezed while hunting? I've sneezed with deer and turkey close and again, don't recall them being spooked unless the sneeze came with a quick jerk of the head.
If they spook from hearing a voice, then it's probably due to them pinpointing your exact location and spooking from something they have seen.
They can hear plenty well, my hunted ended yesterday after a bird busted me from snapping on good branch while trying to make a quick move. I had him come in from 200-250 yards after soft yelping. Had him at 80 but then started to work off, so maybe I got too aggressive but knew we wouldn't wanna work out some real thick stuff and one good branch pop he closed his mouth. I don't know if cleared the next county or just just said I've got other hens that aren't poping branches.
Boogers break branches and boogers (predators) like to eat turkeys. Turkeys don't snap branches when they walk. They know that is danger.
Each eye orbit (the hole in the skull the eye is in) is larger than the skull capacity in a turkey. Each eyeball is nearly the size of his brain. This shows you what his main defense is, his sight. He can hear, but not to the level of knowing what tree you're under. They hunt you lookin for a hen, they know the general area you are but not exactly where you are. He'ii see you move before he knows exactly where you are by hearing. Check out Doug Camp's book, he has a good section on this.
Quote from: deerbasshunter3 on February 12, 2017, 11:31:08 AM
I gotta say, I used to give deer just as much credit about hearing, seeing, and smelling. Of course, after killing plenty of deer that were downwind, or even less than 40 yards away while I was sitting against a small diameter tree on the edge of a field (to include the biggest buck that I have ever seen live), I sometimes wonder just how smart they really are...
As far as turkeys go, I think we can tend to put them up to a higher standard than maybe we should. They are just animals, after all.
I have had dogs start barking when I call and they are a half mile away almost. Deer can hear further. Had like Ravens or Sand Hill cranes at extreme distances make vocal comments when I call(now you know I am good at calling ravens and dogs). I think Turkeys probably can hear certain frequencies at great distances.
The thing like deer,turkey's have other things on their mines much of the time were hunting them. Both would be harder to hunt if romance wasn't on there mine. Also like humans they may be daydreaming half the time and do dumb things.
I always laugh when people say "they can tell what tree you're under". If that is the case then why aren't they all looking right at me when they come in? And why can you still call when they are in sight and not get busted? They hear well. So do most other animals. But if they can pinpoint the exact tree I'm at, how is it that they still walk into a camo clad bump at that tree. Most people would be amazed at what you can get away with.
I don't doubt their hearing one little bit. I've experienced some pretty amazing hunts that always left me wondering "how did he hear that?"
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THEY HAVE SOME AWESOME PERCEPTION ON EVERYTHING BUT SMELLING.........
I shot a Tom with in the last half hour of NY's season a few years ago. The amazing part about the hunt was that were watching him from just under a half mile or so. Whenever my cousin would make a few clucks or yelps with his box call, I could see the bird stretch his neck out and gobble everytime. We were able to use binos to work the bird, there was no way we could hear him at that distance but he could hear the smallest cluck.
Oh yeah, by the end of the whole ordeal, he was gobbling in my ear at about 5 feet with a bush between us and he was loud!! I had to wait until he got a little farther out, then I stood when his fan was to me and shot him when he spun around. Amazing hunt!
I was always told a turkey can hear you thinking and see you change your mind. I have also been told a deer walks through the woods and sees a hunter and thinks its a stump, a turkey sees a stump and thinks its a hunter. With those things being said I think they associate some sounds with danger,others are just sounds in the woods. You walking through the woods quietly crunching leaves,not such a big deal.........you stomping through the woods breaking sticks not so good.
After a hard rain this past Saturday, I walked up on three gobblers feeding on a gallberry bush. I stepped under a blow down and as I stood up, there they were, about 15 yards away, facing away from me and pecking. My gun was slung on my shoulder (i was at the end of a 3 mile hike, calling every once in a while, had just called 50 yards back with no answer). I froze and 2 of them fed across the road and behind a thick bush. #3 walked right at me. When he got to 8 steps (with me frozen and standing there like a teenage boy waiting to talk to his prom date's father), he said "that ain't right" and eased off, not in a blind panic, but walking quickly around the bend. No time to unshoulder the gun.
And I was not wearing a HECS suit :drool:.
I also was moving on a Tom years ago that was hung up on a creek. I backed out and was trying to circle him. I stepped on a branch, probably 150 yards from his position and he never said another word.
amazing how that sucker knows the tree you are sitting in front of and decides to walk behind it and scare you to death....I say that their hearing is good but eyesight...top notch
I sometimes vary my volume intensity with my mouth calling, by cupping my hand partially over my mouth, in different directions, in order to simulate a hen turning it's head while calling. A tom can pick-up on that type of varying sound.
I've heard that smart whitetail bucks can sense a hunter's presence, just by the hunter's brainwaves concentrating on him --- So much, that I called a radio talk show, that had a couple of ESP guests on live air. I ask them...as me being a deer hunter, how do I stop from broadcasting my brainwaves to a wise old whitetail buck? They told me to think of colors swirling in your mind, which should camouflage your brain waves. Probably...this type of mental attitude works on any type of humanoid from detecting your hidden presence as well --- Be they space aliens or homo sapiens.
His hearing and ability to pinpoint your location to the exact tree is remarkable and if you underestimate this ability you are making a serious mistake. There is a reason we try to "throw" our calls in different directions. There is a reason we call softer as the gobbler gets closer. There is a reason I want him to think I am 40 yards farther away than I really am. If you fail to believe or recognize his outstanding ability to pinpoint turkey sounds then you have seriously missed the boat and will not likely catch the next one either. He is not stupid, he knows real hens move and are not chained to a tree for an hour. Why does he come to a tree where there is a camo clad hunter? Simple he is looking for the hen he heard but has not seen, he knows exactly where he last heard her but has enough sense to know she is not chained to that tree he last heard her at. Just use common sense before you doubt his hearing ability. Call when he is close enough to see the hen and looking right at you and see what happens. If you use fake turkeys that does not apply, but I am talking about real turkey hunting done fair and square.
Warrant 423 has it right.