I'd like to discuss individual gobbler personalities. In the past, I've seen quite a bit of disagreement on exactly how unique gobblers can get. I've heard some say it's all the same bird. I've also seen folks say every gobbler has a unique character. I'm somewhat in the middle.
First off, let me explain my circumstances. I have been hunting the same 200 acre farm for the past 20 years, and I have spent a good part of it hunting alone. I've seen many generations of turkey come and go. I've seen a lot of traits pass from one generation to the next. The turkeys I am seeing now, are pretty much the same as 20 years ago, and not much has changed on the land in 100 years.
What I've noticed is that there are some common personalities that seem tied to individual landforms. When the right gobbler steps onto a given bit of land, he seems to take on the personality of a forebearer. Let me give you a few examples:
1) Mister Natural: I chased the original Mister Natural for several years starting in 2003. I nearly had the booger, but I had made myself ill doing it, and I was too cold and weak to hold the shotgun steady. Since then, we've taken 3 almost identical birds that all used the same pasture for a strut zone.
2) Virginia Creeper: We have a finger ridge in the center of the property. It is heavily wooded. Every few years, we get a gobbler that roosts on the point and then struts up and down the center spine. If you get his interest, he'll use the existing road network to come to you rather than traversing the ravines
3) The Garbage Pit Bandit: We have a sinkhole on the property in the center of a penninsula of oaks. Just beyond it is a small island of trees with a blackberry patch. The Bandit likes to hide in the oaks and then come out to strut between the penninsula and the island.
4) The Unnamed Gobbler (TUG). TUG has a roost in a tree about 150 yards behind the tobacco barn. He sees everything coming and going. Sneaking in early doesn't seem to work. He spends all spring within easy reach of the tree. He does not care about female companionship. We've learned to leave TUG alone; you could waste all season and come up with nothing.
5) Galloping Gobbler: We had a new bird reach mythical status this past weekend. In 2016, I had a gobbler hop down from a roost in Hootin Holler and make a beeline for my Honey Hole. Mind you, this is still pre-season, and I'm not doing any calling. I was able to record this bird running through, practically in my lap. He did it again after season started. BANG! He walked right into my gun. He's back now, reincarnated. I had a gob from the same roost tree run over my location this past Sunday. He took the same route in and the same route out, exiting into the pasture to chase his vision quest down in Left Leg Creek.
I could provide links to all these stories on my weblog (genesis9.angzva.com), but you can just use the search bar at the top and enter the name, and probably come up with a few stories-- all except TUG; we never talk about him deliberately. TUG taunts us all season while we're up on the front porch. We do our best to ignore him.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Bottom line: No, I don't think it's all the same bird, but I do think the environment has a heavy influence on gobbler personality. Some of these birds take on archetypal proportions. I see nothing spooky in this. I know it's not the same bird come back to haunt me. However, it lends a certain charm to the place.
Have y'all noticed this too? I know most of you travel a lot. I'm a relative shut-in. However, do you see these kinds of similarities? My guess is there are some general rules that exist, much like there is in bass fishing. Look for drop-offs next to weed beds, etc. Turkeys are bit more sophisticated than fish. It makes me wonder though.
