Which do you think is better, a turkeys vision or his hearing?
Vision
Interesting question. I've been calling from a palmetto blind, had a hen step out 350 yards away across a field, march across the field and stick her head through the palmetto fronds and look around inside my blind. TRUE STORY!!!!
I'm thinking both senses are the same in detection ability, but the turkeys rely more on vision to warn them of danger than they do sound.
I would say vision with hearing a close second. Thank God they don't rely on smell or we would never have a chance.
Vision, one thing for sure they do not need glasses or contacts :emoticon-cartoon-012:
Vision for sure!
vision
I don't know if their vision is all that exceptional but they are VERY tuned to notice movement. No movement, they ignore it even at close range. Their hearing IS extraordinary. I have on many occurances had birds gobble to soft calls from distances that no human could have possibly heard from even half the distance. I know they were responding because they came to the calling. And their ability to not only locate the direction that a call came from but also range it from great distance is amazing.
I think their hearing. While they do have exceptional vision, if it's sitting still I don't think it bothers them. Kind of like putting up a deer blind. Until the deer get used to it being there, they know it's out of place for their area. If it's not moving the turkeys keep doing their thing.
Vision. Just listen to some of the calling on these videos and that will tell you it's got to be vision.
TRKYHTR
I try to defend against their hearing more than their vision. I think their eye's are easier fooled than their hearing.
Most deffinatley vision.
eyes :begging:
The eyes have it easy.
Quote from: TRKYHTR on February 17, 2011, 07:33:58 PM
Vision. Just listen to some of the calling on these videos and that will tell you it's got to be vision.
TRKYHTR
Valid point. But the same could be said for some of those awful looking decoy's that they will walk right up to :-\
Neither there sense of smell is the best. :newmascot: ;D
eyes
Quote from: OLE RASPY on February 17, 2011, 08:02:31 PM
Neither there sense of smell is the best. :newmascot: ;D
Just how are you and Roy related? :TooFunny:
HC
I would say their eyes. Ya gotta hide. But their ability to hone in on your exact location from a good distance is amazing.
Quote from: OLE RASPY on February 17, 2011, 08:02:31 PM
Neither there sense of smell is the best. :newmascot: ;D
I bet you have a bunch on this stuff! :TooFunny:
(http://www.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D445083%26stc%3D1%26d%3D1262837218&sa=X&ei=o81dTbuLPML58Aab35DfCw&ved=0CAQQ8wc4pwE&usg=AFQjCNFkQJ3eGXaVx60KB0Ne9FYA1fJwlA)
Both are perfect.They have to be for a gobbler to survive !
I'm going with eyes but, I usually assult there ears first and almost never give them anything to see as a warning, so for me, their ears probably win more battles for them than their eyes do but if I was a great caller, then the eyes have it.
I didn't realize their ability to pinpoint sound until last year and had a hen feed down thru a food plot I put out and walk up to the tree I was hiding behind. No calls had been made for ten minutes or more or after she got within 80 yards. She stoped, peaked into the brush then threw a fit with clucks, yelps and all kinds of racket. I sat there motionless and she eventually moved around to get a better 3 demensional view like a deer does when she saw another hen. She went and joined her sister. I understood then why you can get busted so easily if they are not focusing on a decoy. Because they are looking at where that sound came from even though you might not see them.
Diffently vision, I've sat and made noise with hens close enough to spit on and they didn't even pay me any attention but i've nodded my head just slightly and they would take off like a covey of quail, cackleing their little beaks off. I watched them walk up to a tree line and eye ball the heck out a hole for 10min before going in. Eye site is very crucail for them.
I'd go with eyes. I've barely moved, and been busted with all camo. I can't say I've ever had that happen with their hearing.
The eyes have it..
It is my opinion that a turkeys hearing is the most amazing ability it has. The ability to course and range the distance for hundreds of yards to just a cluck. The first 10 years I hunted turkeys with no camo and killed them, I just sat in front of a tree. Just don't move.
Their eye sight is also amazing.
I've been busted way more by my movement than noise. I've sat withing range of them and talked to fellow hunters about wich one to shoot. Now, had I pointed one out with my finger......they would be long gone!
Tough one. I would have to say I worry more about their eyes however.
I would have to say their eyes. I am not the best caller in the world by any means. Just anyone that has heard me call but I kill my share of birds.
Quote from: Skeeterbait on February 17, 2011, 07:25:30 PM
I don't know if their vision is all that exceptional but they are VERY tuned to notice movement. No movement, they ignore it even at close range. Their hearing IS extraordinary. I have on many occurances had birds gobble to soft calls from distances that no human could have possibly heard from even half the distance. I know they were responding because they came to the calling. And their ability to not only locate the direction that a call came from but also range it from great distance is amazing.
I agree 100%.
As long as you sit still you're usually in pretty good shape, even at close range BUT, click that safety off just a little too loud and... :emoticon-cartoon-012:
Quote from: runngun on February 17, 2011, 06:58:42 PM
Vision, one thing for sure they do not need glasses or contacts :emoticon-cartoon-012:
The reason they have such eyes is they don't live long enough for contacts, but like a woman they hear everything.
:TooFunny:
I read somewhere that " A Turkey can hear you think and see you change your mind".
Vision
I think their hearing is at least as impressive as their eyesight. As far as telling them direction and distance, it is almost unbelievable.... Their eyesight is amazing at detecting movement though... That is a really good question...
Ears
From my experience- vision.
Quote from: guesswho on February 17, 2011, 06:43:12 PM
Which do you think is better, a turkeys vision or his hearing?
If by "better" you mean which protects him the best, I would say vision. Turkeys will tolerate all kinds of sounds and often just stand there and listen, but usually, as soon as they visually make out danger (close enough to do them harm), they react to it pretty quick.
While gobblers will respond to decoys, all kinds of decoys...some days..., that is about all that we can do to attract them visually. Their hearing, on the other hand, lets them down all the time. We could all list 100 things that make a turkey gobble, giving away his location. On top of that, some of the calling that gets them killed is much less than "realistic", even to a human ear. If a gobbler believes there is a hot hen just up the ridge, he will most likely believe a rusty lag bolt drug across a mason jar lid sounds like that "hen" yelping. Once he's a believer, it's pretty hard to change his mind.
A turkey's vision is so unlike ours, in that they can see in the ultra-violet realm, in addition to having rods and cones like human eyes have, that we really can't even comprehend exactly what they see. Having said all of that, I will say that a turkey's eyesight can be beaten in ways most hunters are lead to believe isn't possible. Great eyes, quick movement recognition, but tiny little brain!
I believe BOTH their hearing and sight are far superior to ours, they just trust their eyes more.
Gotta be the eyes, even on a mildly windy day it creates enough background noise that the turkey cant trust it, secondly when you consider the woods the turkeys home, and they usually hole up in the same general area its like asking a parent which kid is crying and in which room of the house, we know right where the sound came from even at a distance that would be hard to understand for someone who doesnt live there 24/7.
Quote from: guesswho on February 17, 2011, 06:43:12 PM
Which do you think is better, a turkeys vision or his hearing?
Hahaha this was just on another forum.. How in the sam heck are we supposed to know..
All I can say for survival purposes, they trust their eyesight
I think they rely on vision the most, especially with movement. When you put eyes and ears together that is when they have the amazing ability to pinpoint and locate where sound is coming from. I'm just glad they cant smell cuz I don't think I would ever kill one.
Quote from: PANYHunter on February 19, 2011, 09:12:00 AM
I think they rely on vision the most, especially with movement. When you put eyes and ears together that is when they have the amazing ability to pinpoint and locate where sound is coming from. I'm just glad they cant smell cuz I don't think I would ever kill one.
It would be like hunting coyotes
Eyes...
Quote from: old frank on February 18, 2011, 02:47:43 PM
I read somewhere that " A Turkey can hear you think and see you change your mind".
Thats good one ,,,,,, I think sound is a little move forgiving ,,,but any slight movement turkeys gone
If you are worried about their eyes then be still!
If you are worried about their hearing then shut up!
I think turkeys depend the most on whichever sense is working best for them that particular day.
Ex. A still but foggy morning they depend the most on hearing.
A randomly gusty wind they depend more on vision.
vision
That's a tough one. Over the years I've been busted both ways and both senses are uncanny. Called to a bird roosted deep in a swamp and had him land within feet of me. There was no way he used his eyes to locate where the yelps came from. Also spooked a nice bird just by movin' my finger to the safety, never even got a chance to click it off.
initially I thought vision now im leaning towards hearing
Quote from: Flydown on February 17, 2011, 08:43:31 PM
Quote from: OLE RASPY on February 17, 2011, 08:02:31 PM
Neither there sense of smell is the best. :newmascot: ;D
I bet you have a bunch on this stuff! :TooFunny:
(http://www.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D445083%26stc%3D1%26d%3D1262837218&sa=X&ei=o81dTbuLPML58Aab35DfCw&ved=0CAQQ8wc4pwE&usg=AFQjCNFkQJ3eGXaVx60KB0Ne9FYA1fJwlA)
:TooFunny:
A turkey hears different sounds everyday like twig breaking, leaves rustling and so on, he will tolerate sounds but once his eyes is on it and he dont like it he is :newmascot: