I've come to realize... I can't hear drumming. I'm not sure why, but I can't. I have no problem hearing anything else, but maybe it's the low frequency I struggle with. I'm 33, so it shouldn't be from old age????. I can hear the initial spit, but nothing after that. I've watched videos with sound all the way up but still can't hear it. Any one else have this problem?
i cant hardly hear an ohio bird drum but i can hear it n ky and tn
I've never been able to hear it. I've been told it's the frequency. I actually feel cheated as that's the only part of turkey hunting that I've never experienced. I also feel like it has probably cost me some turkeys over the years.
What really make me mad is I can hear our locals around this part of the world with their thumping bass music coming from their car stereos a mile away!
Boy that sucks as bout as excited as you'll see me is when I hear spittin and drumming
Some people just cannot hear a certain frequency well. I have sat right beside guys in hearing tests and it would suprise you what some people can pick up while others cant. And this isn't factoring in hearing damage. I have tinnitus from to much heavy machinery and loud music but I can still usually pick up drumming.
I have pretty severe Hearing loss but it's mostly high frequency. Still I can't hear drumming. I've hunted with people who killed birds and said they heard him drumming. Helped my brother kill his first Tom, when we first saw him he was at least 80 yds. My brother heard him drumming before we saw him. Like you I can't hear recordings either. Hearing aids turned all the way up and volume turned up, I hear the spit and that's all.
I know several people that can't hear it, boy are you missing out, lol. It is the frequency of it from what I hear, some people just can't hear it. Luckily I can it is an awesome feeling when you hear it and its like you can feel the ground vibrating also.
Well im glad its not just me! But... I am sad I cant hear it. I think its Cuz that says that gets him the most excited, and a lot of guys say that. But I do love to hear them gobble, so I guess thats all I'll ever get!
I thought I couldn't hear it, because I'd only heard recordings of it. Then one Opening Day, I was sitting with my back to a tree. I'd heard nothing since the start of legal hunting, except for one lone gobble way back over my left shoulder.
At first, I remarked to my self: "Gee, the Guard is up early this morning." The National Guard will sometimes fly over in their big Sikorskys, and you can feel it long before you actually hear or see the helicopters. Then it happened again, and this time I heard the "Pfffffft!" on the end.
Sure enough the gob that had given me that one gobble had pitched down and run 300 yards over to me and was walking past me at a distance of about 5 yards. He had the briefest hint of knowing he'd been had before I blasted him.
I'm lucky. I can hear it at extremely long distances on a quiet morning.
I heard it for several years before even realizing what it was. I thought it was kid with his subs cranked driving down the road.
Could be worse with the constant ringing in my ears I hear it pretty regularly, he just rarely shows up . :funnyturkey:
I have no problem hearing drumming, thankfully. I've killed a few that didn't gobble but had been drumming on the limb and for a long time after flydown. The hens can hear a lot better than we can and a Gobbler can use drumming and call hens without gobbling. I've also had several come in with out making any noise other than the spit and drum without being able to hear drumming I wouldn't have known they were there
Quote from: guesswho on March 04, 2019, 11:52:20 AM
I'm lucky. I can hear it at extremely long distances on a quiet morning.
I've got a buddy like this, he can hear it past 100yds under the right conditions. As for myself, I can hear it within 15-20 yds. I hear the spitting a good distance out.
I have noise-induced hearing loss, however I can hear the spit-drum when its about 40 or 50 yards out if its a quiet morning. Almost feel it as much as I hear it, and that's when the adrenaline dump happens and shakes start.
But I cannot triangulate that sound, to me its coming from everywhere.
Only when there close and I can see em.. if it's quiet.
Some people cannot hear but out of those , several dont realize they are hearing it. Once you hear it and focus in on it , its a sound you pick up on other hunts. I have killed several birds that never gobbled once by just picking up this sound.
Father in-law and I hunt together a bunch, he can not hear it. Me being able to hear it has killed a lot of gobblers for both of us. Sure would suck not hearing it. What a rush to hear one drumming 30 minutes after he last gobbled.
I have heard it when I was younger. I used to tell people you feel it as much as you hear it. Now that I have hearing loss, it is gone. I also have a hard time hearing birds that are way off and coursing them. No problem with birds that are reasonably close though.
Do y'all hear it on this video? because I sure don't!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQDSrIUaQ2U
I've got a hunting buddy that has hunted turkeys for years and he says the same thing, he can't hear a gobbler drum either. On the other hand, I'm mentoring another hunter and he heard his first one last year when I called up a bird for him. He was tickled to death to hear the gobbling along with the spitting and drumming as the bird worked in.
Have always had good hearing but it's usually very subtle when I hear it and it means he is close, like don't move because he is close.
I heard it for the first time last year, unfortunately I was blocking the path he was coming down and he was behind me.
Reading a lot of these posts reminds me why it's so important to protect your hearing. If you've ever taken a young person or someone that hasn't shot a lot or worked in a loud environment it's amazing how far some people can hear a gobble or drumming.
Honestly I can hear one drumming 200+ yards away in calm conditions. My dad can't hear one 30 yards away. I've actually located several midday bird's by hearing them drum.
There's no doubt that I can hear drumming but I've had a friend sitting right next to me who only heard the spitting and no drumming. Meanwhile it sounded like a little drummer boy was banging away to my ears, pretty interesting how the frequency keeps some folks from hearing it.
It's weird and probably not true. But not only can I hear it, I swear sometimes I can feel it. I get this vibrating feeling deep in my chest. I'm either feeling the drumming, or need to go to the Doctor.
The first I ever heard I thought someone was going down the road with the bass wide open.
I was asleep in a log blind one afternoon and woke up to the sound of drumming....eased my head over the lip and there were two strutters at about 30 yards....eased back down, knocked the safety off, eased back up, and Boom! Down goes Fraizer! :TooFunny: If they made an alarm clock that sounded like drumming I don't think I could stand it!
For me it's weird. Certain birds I can, others I can not. Horrible tinnitus from years of shooting w/o hearing protection. Thankful for suppressors these days as it sure takes the sound level down to a safe level. Wife and girls love it too. However, couple years ago called 2 toms in for my niece. She missed but it was the last I've heard it. First I'd actually heard it in a while. Called one in for a buddy last year. Said he heard it way before we even saw the bird. I could hear the "base" in his voice as he closed the distance and could hear him spit but that was it. To be fair though, I don't really give them much time to put on a show. Once they're in range and there's a clear shot, I let it fly. Things can go wrong in a hurry and with limited time, I'm not wasting an opportunity.
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I've only heard it once in 26 years of hunting and all I heard was the spit. Didn't realize what it was at first but he kept doing it and the light bulb went off. Needless to say I put him out of his misery. I just don't think I hear at that frequency to hear the drum. Recent visit to an audiologist after an ear infection confirmed my hearing deficiency.
Like a few others have said, I'm fairly certain i can hear it from a long ways away. At least around 100 yards. I can usually hear him drumming long before i can see him. I can't usually hear the spit unless he's in gun range though. Several times every season i'll be easing down an old road or trail looking and listening and i'll hear a bird drumming that never made a sound otherwise. Also like others have said though, the drum is very hard for me to course. It feels like the noise is coming from inside my head (doesn't make a lot of sense but i don't know how else to describe it) rather than from some location around me. I'll turn my head this way or that way and it has no effect on the sound or locating the source.
I think it's one of those things people hear for years without noticing what they're hearing. Last year i took my wife hunting trying to get her her first bird. She 28 years young and has no hearing problems or hearing loss. The bird we was working was close but he hung up and wouldn't come over a little rise between us and stayed there probably 30 minutes or so. He was drumming and gobbling like crazy and i asked her if she could hear him drumming and she told me she couldn't. I told her there is no way you can't hear that, so to help her realize what she should be hearing, i held her wrist and every time the bird began to a drum note, i gently squeezed her wrist. After about 5-6 drums and wrist squeezes she was able to realize what she was hearing and she could hear it every time he drummed after that.
I feel sorry for anyone who can't hear it. It's a heck of a way to get the blood pumping and it's one of my favorite things about turkey hunting.
I can hear the spit but not the drum.
I can hear it over 100 yards and even further on a calm morning, especially if in the woods. It seems to echo off everything and carry very far. I screwed up some birds because people would always say they have to be almost in range to hear the drumming so I kept setting up and they'd be over 100 yards away. Coolest thing is to hear/feel the drumming that goes along with the gobble.
Those that have tinnitus, I have it as well from an ear infection a few years ago and it hasn't affected my ability to hear the drumming. I lost high frequency in one ear from that as well as many years of shooting without hearing protection. Dummy!
I can hear it very well. I hunt with a friend that can hear it well too. I hunt with another friend that can't hear it at all unless the gobbler is 40 yards away. I have killed several that never gobbled but I heard drummimg and sat down. I have a fear as I get older (48 now) I won't be able to hear it. To me it's better than a gobble.
Typically it has to be within 75 yards for me to hear it.
I can hear it for a good ways. It's awesome.
30 years in the turkey woods and never heard one till last spring. I called one up for my son and heard him drumming before I ever saw him. I've heard 'em spit plenty but never drum till then. I wear hearing aids too.
I can hear it and the spit, I have felt the drum before. There have been times I heard it before I saw him.
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Quote from: guesswho on March 04, 2019, 03:47:14 PM
It's weird and probably not true. But not only can I hear it, I swear sometimes I can feel it. I get this vibrating feeling deep in my chest. I'm either feeling the drumming, or need to go to the Doctor.
Agree, I have felt it in my chest
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I have hearing issues nowadays and can't hear it almost ever
Depending on terrain and conditions, I'm able to hear one spit and drum from around 100 yards away.
It is a shame for those that can't hear or have never heard it, as it is an exciting part of the turkey hunting experience.
As others have said...there have been times when I've been working a bird and it's been maybe 20-30 minutes without a gobble, so I'm beginning to think that maybe he moved off in a different direction. Suddenly I hear that distinct sound of a spit and drum...and a couple of minutes later I see a full fan come into view.
If the day ever comes when that doesn't cause me shortness of breath and make my heart race....I'll find a new hobby!
I can hear it from a good distance, I hear them up in the tree doing this and when they quit gobbling and are coming in silent I've heard their presence by them drumming.
MK M GOBL
Can't hear it. Am mid 30s and hear pretty well.
Have been hunting with people who hear it. "Can't you hear that?" No. Not even at 30 yards.
Once or twice I've really tried to focus and hear it with a bird in close and I think I've kind of made it out, but am not sure.
I hear the spit, and thats about it!
It's, perhaps, somewhat unusual for a person who hears higher frequencies well not to pick up drumming which is in that 50-60 HZ range. Normally, at least due to age and working around loud noises (e.g. machine shops in my case) you lose your high frequency hearing first. Fortunately, although using hearing aids for the higher frequencies, I don't really need them to pick up drumming. I've been at this game for awhile and I know that, years ago, I heard drumming without realizing what it was. Probably spooking X number of birds as I would get up and scare them off. Anymore I specifically concentrate upon hearing it. Regarding how far away I can hear it my only positive confirmation was once in MO years ago. Two toms were with a hen in an opening and I could easily hear them drumming. My range finder said 75 yards.
I've got high frequency hearing loss (too much unprotected shooting and loud Rock & Roll :happyshake:)
though I hear drumming clearly, even at distance if the wind is calm. Like guesswho said, I can feel it in my lungs if he's close enough. Drumming is up there as one of my favorite sounds in the world. I'm also pretty partial to the sound of a bra being unhooked, but that's kinda off topic.
Jim
I've never heard drumming before but I haven't stopped listening for it though. I guess it's possible that I'm in that percentile that can't hear it. What would you say is the average distance that you could reliably hear it from on a calm day? Although I haven't heard drumming, for me to date nothing beats having a bird gobble inside of 10 yards in big woods and it's so loud you can feel it.
I hear birds spit but don't know that I've ever heard the drum. Had a Jake last year at about 7 yards for 15 minutes spitting and drumming. Heard the spit every time. Don't think I ever heard the drum. If I was able to hear it I would think that would've been my best opportunity ever. I always thought it was just me and never knew that other people couldn't hear it.
I could hear it better years ago. Now I can hear it,but have trouble coursing it and second guess whether I'm hearing it or not. My son hears Gobbles that I dont hear so I know my ears aren't near as good as they once were. I'm taking care of what I have left.
I killed several turkeys before i heard an actual drumming one day. Ive heard them spit and hear the boooomm after but not the drumming like i heard from this bird. Its was amazing. Later that evening i called one in for my buddy and that bird was doing it as well. And could here it clear as a bell 50 yards away. Ive shot birds at 15 steps and not hear it. I think some birds just dont drum when they come in and some do. I have shot more birds that didnt do it than i have that did. But it truly is amazing to experience. It sounded exactly like indian drums.
Addendum: Listen to a power transformer. It's just about the same frequency (60HZ). If you can hear the transformer, you can hear drumming...concentrate. If not you're out of luck. As I said though, it's far more common to not hear high frequencies rather than low frequencies.
I can hear it but I notice my kids hear it before I do. I trust their ears now.
if you can understand the cadence of the drum it might help you understand what to listen for....just throwing that ut their good luck guys
Always reminds me of an old 4 speed truck leaving somebody's house, but it never gets out of first gear.
I remember hearing grouse drumming. It sounded like it was inside my head and I couldn't tell which direction it was coming from. I could feel it. I know the turkeys don't sound like that but some describe it the same.
I have hunted with people that Have very good hearing that say they couldn't hear it, I think sometimes people are so focused on the hunt and staying still that they don't pay attention to that low pitch sound. I think it would be a easy sound to miss if you where very excited I think once a person gets in tune with what they are listening for they will hear it. But I also think that some turkeys drum much louder than others, or maybe they can make it louder if they want. Because I have heard some birds drumming way off probably 60 or more yards off. If a person just can't hear a low pitch it would be worth a hearing aid of some sort , because it's just as exciting as the gobble .
Quote from: Cut N Run on March 05, 2019, 07:15:58 PM
I've got high frequency hearing loss (too much unprotected shooting and loud Rock & Roll :happyshake:)
though I hear drumming clearly, even at distance if the wind is calm. Like guesswho said, I can feel it in my lungs if he's close enough. Drumming is up there as one of my favorite sounds in the world. I'm also pretty partial to the sound of a bra being unhooked, but that's kinda off topic.
Jim
Hahaha. That's hilarious.
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Quote from: guesswho on March 06, 2019, 04:53:45 PM
Always reminds me of an old 4 speed truck leaving somebody's house, but it never gets out of first gear.
:icon_thumright: I tell hunters that are not familiar with the sound,... "if you hear what sounds like a vehicle engine a long ways off that is fading in and out of hearing, you are probably hearing a gobbler drumming that is pretty close to you. Be ready!".
I have never been able to hear it either. I always try and listen for it but...nothing. put me on the unlucky list.
I heard it very well last season.