How much can a bird hear, and what will alert them to danger?
Whispering? I know they hear it, and have wondered when hunting with kids and friends how much whispering has made those wary and unseen birds not present? When hunting with my daughter, I avoid vocalizing anything... I might tap her and point, but I feel whispering can be deleterous... Had two birds hang up on her, just after whispering "get ready."
Breathing... Watched birds break off when a buddy hyperventolated... Have heard some really heavy breathing from others (probably included in that myself). Gotta' think they can hear that, and that it could be a make or break situation?
Heartbeat... Bird just out of range for an hour, with another coming in for a fight, I was thinking "they have to hear my heartbeat right now!"
What other sounds that we make could give warning to a bird? Eating chips? Coughing/sneezing? Farting?
They can hear you think.
X2!
I know they are gifted with telepathy. Many times they have read my mind and I departed the woods empty handed.
I'm just glad they can't smell you like a deer can ... They see and hear extremely well...IMO
For sure "The click of your safety". Not only do they have acute hearing, they know within a few feet of where the sound comes from......
I can tell you that if your hunting with a friend or not and you recieve a text with your cell on vibrate. They hear it at 15 yards.
Quote from: guesswho on June 14, 2023, 03:37:35 PM
They can hear you think.
That does not affect me at all... Try to read my thoughts, and all you get is silence....
Quote from: Marc on June 14, 2023, 03:19:45 PM
How much can a bird hear, and what will alert them to danger?
Whispering? I know they hear it, and have wondered when hunting with kids and friends how much whispering has made those wary and unseen birds not present? When hunting with my daughter, I avoid vocalizing anything... I might tap her and point, but I feel whispering can be deleterous... Had two birds hang up on her, just after whispering "get ready."
Breathing... Watched birds break off when a buddy hyperventolated... Have heard some really heavy breathing from others (probably included in that myself). Gotta' think they can hear that, and that it could be a make or break situation?
Heartbeat... Bird just out of range for an hour, with another coming in for a fight, I was thinking "they have to hear my heartbeat right now!"
What other sounds that we make could give warning to a bird? Eating chips? Coughing/sneezing? Farting?
What do they hear ??? EVERYTHING !!!!!!
What do they care about ???
Coughing/sneezing is gonna be a deal killer 9.5 times outta 10. Unless you rip one for the ages....far away.
Breathing ??? No. Never been a factor in any of my hunts in 44 years.
Heartbeat ??? They ain't THAT good. Whitetails ain't either.
Whispering ??? Yep. I'm convinced they can hear it.......as well as low talking. But, I've sat shoulder to shoulder a BUNCH of times and either whispered or talked very low to the other person and I'm however many and 0 on that. Never been busted. EVER.
Although a turkey can hear you think.........his eyes will be what blows you in almost every time you get busted.
This reminds me of something I read years ago that was attributed to Ray Eye. A hunter approached him at a seminar and told Eye that his box call had a slight squeak in the hinge, and he was afraid a gobbler might hear it.
I don't recall all the particulars, but I am thinking the hunter had the call with him and let Eye listen and asked what he thought.
Ray thought for a moment and said, "Well, if he's close enough to hear that, I would probably just shoot him."
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Pretty sure I had a bird hear me blink last season.
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Quote from: Neill_Prater on June 14, 2023, 08:04:40 PM
Ray thought for a moment and said, "Well, if he's close enough to hear that, I would probably just shoot him."
Yuh huh. :icon_thumright:
We can absolutely get so carried away. I remember reading recently about someone who was concerned about the reddish tint on his reflex/red dot. I believe that if he can see that you better be on the trigger because he is way to close!!!
A Friend of mine was talking about me deer hunting with a matte stainless rifle, I told him well he's going to be looking at the END of the barrel which ain't much bigger than .308.
I try not to overthink things!!!
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Quote from: runngun on June 14, 2023, 10:30:40 PM
I remember reading recently about someone who was concerned about the reddish tint on his reflex/red dot. I believe that if he can see that you better be on the trigger because he is way to close!!!
I don't overthink the killing of turkeys. Trust me. I don't.
BUT........... A good many years back, I had MULTIPLE birds coming in HOTT just lock up the brakes at 70-80 yards and just go queer for no apparent reason. Really started working on my mind. Only thing I could come up with was the 35mm red/iridium objective lens on my dot sight. There was a sunshade in the box it came in. Screwed it in and have not had a single bird hit a brick wall like that since.
Just sayin'............
There are no farts while hunting, just modified buck grunts. Opening a bottle of aspirin, Tylenol or the such. I am convinced they hear my hair falling out.
Quote from: Yoder409 on June 14, 2023, 10:38:44 PM
Quote from: runngun on June 14, 2023, 10:30:40 PM
I remember reading recently about someone who was concerned about the reddish tint on his reflex/red dot. I believe that if he can see that you better be on the trigger because he is way to close!!!
I don't overthink the killing of turkeys. Trust me. I don't.
BUT........... A good many years back, I had MULTIPLE birds coming in HOTT just lock up the brakes at 70-80 yards and just go queer for no apparent reason. Really started working on my mind. Only thing I could come up with was the 35mm red/iridium objective lens on my dot sight. There was a sunshade in the box it came in. Screwed it in and have not had a single bird hit a brick wall like that since.
Just sayin'............
Makes me think it saw a reflection, not the red/iridium objective lens which would explain why the sunshade cured the problem.
I have heard many unseen Hunters/ mostly walking by. The Guys with really Deep/Gravelly Voices seem to carry much further. And it sounds like nothing Natural. Big Red Flag for Coursing Gobblers you have no idea are close by. Fast Walk to the next County.
I'm convinced they can hear a whisper farther than low talking. My theory is whispering is a bit higher pitched whereas a low talk is just that; lower in the pitch register. Again I'm only talking about barely making a sound; not booming conversation. The low pitch just "blends" better in the background.... In nature all alarm sounds are higher pitched- so, it might be more a case of not what he hears but what lights that little alarm fire in his brain when he hears it. Just my $.02 worth.
Goodness... Seems like you have to levitate in to your spot, sit still, be silent/not exist. And pray all other ducks (turkeys)line up in a perfect row. With whitetail deer you can fart, burp, cough, complain, smoke and laugh next thing you know they're staring at you ten feet away.
They seem to hear it all, but have not reacted to much where I have hunted in several states on public and private. I have whispered, talked, dropped a striker on a pot, crinkled a water bottle, and just about any other mistake that could happen, even a phone ringing because I forgot to turn it off. Zero negative reaction to any of them. They may pause and check it out for a second or two, but always keep coming or moving the direction they are going. Only getting caught moving or being on the sunny side of a tree has ruined a hunt for me so far. Deer seem just a little more reactive to sounds, but even that is very limited and only if close enough that they should already be on the ground.
Seems to me that what you can get away with in terms of sound/volume is pretty much directly proportional to how far away the turkey is from you. Simply put, the closer one is, the quieter (and stiller) you need to be.
Then again, I have also found that sometimes a gobbler can be very, very close and there comes a time when you have to tell the guy that's supposed to be shooting him that he needs to get his gun up and shoot right now! At that particular moment, loudness of the communication doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. ;D :D
...It also appears that they have no understanding of the meaning of four-letter words in those situations... ;D
They can hear AC/DC playing on your phone when you forget to go silent. lol!!! I still laugh at my buddy over that one.
I would imagine in most cases the amount of noise a person can get away with is proportional to how close to civilization the turkey lives and/or how much and the type of unnatural activity they are used to hearing.
A lot of gobblers on properties I hunt have severe hearing loss due to previous close encounters with multiple warning shots being fired. None of which were fired by me of course.
I think they can hear pretty well and especially higher pitch tones. Don't think they alert to sound in the same ways as deer or coyotes since their eyesight is their primary defense. In my experience I've whispered to folks with birds pretty close and bumped stuff in blinds with birds very close but as long as they didn't see anything out of the ordinary they didn't spook.
I have to agree that I don't think they can hear whispering when they're out of shooting range.
Movement is so important.
I had a mentor of mine show me a little trick he started a few years ago. He carries pruners with him and always nips off about a 2 foot branch and sticks it in the ground in front of him to get extra cover.
And sitting in the sunlight will get you busted immediately. If they see anything out of the ordinary they're gone. If they hear something out of the ordinary they will possibly be gone but they might just stop and try to identify it like a deer does. And if they see nothing to be alarmed about I think they will resume their activity.
I once hollered at a bird that was strutting all around our decoys once to get him to stick his head up — he didn't even react until the second time.
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Turkeys are amazing, they truly are. A turkey can hear so much it's not even funny but what he heard and recognizes as danger is totally different.
Any metallic clicks are not a good thing for sure. But the slamming of a car door and he may sound off? Just saying. It's usually the how, when and where that reallys.drives home whether he spooks or not.
Pretty cool to hear a Tom answer from long range and you know he is 1/2 mile away, or more.
Quote from: CntrlPAlongbeard on June 15, 2023, 09:30:54 PM
I once hollered at a bird that was strutting all around our decoys once to get him to stick his head up — he didn't even react until the second time.
Why I hate decoys. They deprive the gobbler of his natural defenses.
A bad note when you are calling! Two year olds and jakes may not pay attention but I am thinking the old rat in the barn is out of there lol
silvestres, come on man. I don't use decoys either. Because I think that they can and will spook turkeys. BUT you say it takes away from his natural defenses. BUT I will bet that you call to him to fool his ears AND I will also bet that you use camouflage, right?? Once again effectively hindering his vision. I know that I use both! And I enjoy the wild turkey and lessons that I have been taught by him. What a teacher!!!
COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW!
Have a good one, Bocephus
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Quote from: Yoder409 on June 14, 2023, 10:38:44 PM
Quote from: runngun on June 14, 2023, 10:30:40 PM
I remember reading recently about someone who was concerned about the reddish tint on his reflex/red dot. I believe that if he can see that you better be on the trigger because he is way to close!!!
I don't overthink the killing of turkeys. Trust me. I don't.
BUT........... A good many years back, I had MULTIPLE birds coming in HOTT just lock up the brakes at 70-80 yards and just go queer for no apparent reason. Really started working on my mind. Only thing I could come up with was the 35mm red/iridium objective lens on my dot sight. There was a sunshade in the box it came in. Screwed it in and have not had a single bird hit a brick wall like that since.
Just sayin'............
I'll triple down on the coating of the objective side of red dot sight shining red having potential to scare birds. I witnessed it once last year, and three times this year. Albeit all four birds died, but all four birds were on the run when they died too.
Quote from: Greg Massey on June 14, 2023, 04:23:02 PM
I'm just glad they can't smell you like a deer can ... They see and hear extremely well...IMO
My grandpa always said if a turkey could smell like a deer we would never kill one!!!
For the Tom at the decoy comment previously:
I call up a good number of Toms that I never take my safety off on. When they hit the 30 yard line I will purposely spook them. I will put my arm up and say "Heay".
I do not use a decoy, I do not own a decoy.
You would be surprised at the amount of turkeys that linger around after this, I have been. These are turkeys that are hunted and have some pressure. Maybe not Public Land Al, Miss, pressure but pressure. "Everyone in the world knows Alabama and Mississippi turkeys are pressured 10 times the amount of anywhere else they exist."
There is something in the turkeys skull "Ego" that tells him he is right, there is a hen there. Maybe, he is embarrassed? IDK
I have seen it a bunch of times, how many times yearly just depends on how much time I have to hunt each spring.
WV Flopper, that is great, actually made me smile!! Hope you have had a great season!!
Have a good one, Bocephus
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Quote from: Yoder409 on June 14, 2023, 06:29:03 PM
Whispering ??? Yep. I'm convinced they can hear it.......as well as low talking. But, I've sat shoulder to shoulder a BUNCH of times and either whispered or talked very low to the other person and I'm however many and 0 on that. Never been busted. EVER.
Although a turkey can hear you think.........his eyes will be what blows you in almost every time you get busted.
While I agree with you on the heartbeat... I do think that there are birds we never see due to whispering.... Enough times hunting with another person, whispering, and having birds near that never showed....
Birds that show up, probably does not bother... But generally speaking when hunting with another person there is some whispering (a sound they can hear), and it is my feeling that pressured birds might avoid those sounds...
As far as breathing... I saw one of my buddies hyperventolate on a hunt.... Birds coming right to us in full strutt, dropped their tail fans and made haste.
My daughters first bird, she was breathing awfully hard... Birds were definitely getting out of Dodge when the breathing started before she shot (clucked and got them to raiser their heads for a shot). Maybe the heavy breathing alerted them to our location or the situation? Maybe they saw us for another reason? (Hen decoy was out, and they saw it and were coming to it previous to the excitement)
Too many times I have seen birds coming in fast, that get to a point and stop. While I generally attribute that to them not seeing a hen that should be there, there are a number of other possible reasons... Any unnatural sound made could alert them to your position.
But, while I do know that many times birds will come in to hunters whispering... I have no idea how many never show due to it???
And... It is my impression, that for my hunting situations, no matter how still you are sitting, it is far easier to call a bird into one person, than into two people. More noise, more extraneous movement, more opportunities for a bird to pick out something unnatural.
Quote from: Wvgobbler on June 18, 2023, 10:06:07 AM
Quote from: Greg Massey on June 14, 2023, 04:23:02 PM
I'm just glad they can't smell you like a deer can ... They see and hear extremely well...IMO
My grandpa always said if a turkey could smell like a deer we would never kill one!!!
So did my grandpa. My grandpa also said...turkeys are like people. There's some very smart ones. And there are some very dumb ones. This is also true in my experience. Thankful for the dumb ones too. Lol