Turkey behavior/head color

[Southerngobbler]

Last season during a lull in activity I walked up to an opening in the woods and sat down and blind called for awhile. After about an hour without hearing or seeing anything I stood up to leave but noticed something bright red about 125 yard into the opening. It looked like a flower of some sort but I put the binos up and gave it a look and darned if it wasn't a turkey head, I could make out an eye and a beak. It appeared to be lying in the weeds, certainly it knew I was there but I sat back down anyways and after a few minutes called to it. Nothing, eventually I began calling more aggressively and it finally stood up and walked away. Unusual behavior for these freaked out public land turkeys and I quickly developed the belief that the turkey had seen me originally walk up and just lied down and hid instead of running or flying off. I though I had learned a little something about turkey behavior but recently the thought of that day crossed my mind again and this time I realized that a turkey probably wouldn't have a bright red head if it was hiding from a predator/hunter. What are everyone's thought on this, Isn't the bright red head only for aggress type behavior?

[guesswho]

It's been my experience that a gobblers head will turn red when he is aggravated by something.    And it doesn't take much to aggravate a Gobbler during the spring.   He could get frustrated at an obstacle like a fence or a blow down, crows or other loud birds, could be he got separated from a companion, male or female and was frustrated at not being able to locate the other bird or birds that he normally hangs with.  Happens a lot when one Gobbler of a duo gets killed and his partner is left alone.  Also, that survivor is usually pretty easy to kill for the first few days after that.   The list goes on and on.   Me and a buddy watched a field turkeys head change color based on who was calling to him.   I call and his head would be white to pink.  My buddy would call and his head would go to blood red.   I had always told my buddy he sounds more like a Jake than a hen when he calls (lot of people are in this category) and still manage to kill more than their share of birds.   But on that particular gobbler I think when I called he was hearing a hen, and when my buddy called he was hearing a young Gobbler.     But I tend to get bored sometimes and come up with some pretty way out there theories when it comes to turkey hunting.

[THattaway]

I've seen a pile of toms heads turn solid red when the gig was up. The situation the op described sounds like the Tom was nooning, bedded and saw movement from the hunter, heard calls and got up and left. Worst thing you can do imo is to call after being spotted.

Haven't had Mr. Ronnie's experience but I've spooked a ton of them.

[ShootingABN!]

I like to watch the snood. When it gets long and flops around he is fooled. If it draws up tight ..... Oh no he's fixing to leave???