Turkey behavior - solo hens

[TeeGee]

Starting a new thread for this.  I'm in NY, and in the past week the gobblers have completely gone silent.  Bummer, but that's not my question.  My question is - I've now a few times seen either solo, or pair, of hens making their way through the woods.  I think they just chanced by me.  My question is: what are they doing?  Have they necessarily either just come from a tom, or are heading to one?  Or, another to way ask - are toms likely to be looking for them, at one end or the other?  Or is it possible they're not having anything to do with toms now, and vice versa?  This has been between 7:30 - 10:30 in the morning. 

This is also a broader question of how turkeys behave at this time of year.  That's clearly a broad topic, so if you have any links or books or anything else to suggest for me, I'd be happy to get a fuller understanding of it all...

[Paulmyr]

Listen to the meateater podcast #214. Do a Google search for it. The good stuff starts around the 14 min mark. It's 2 1/2 hours of interview with Dr Micheal Chamberlain a wildlife biologist who has been studying turkey for about 26 years. It's  filled with all kinds of info.

Those birds could be doing a number of things. The only way to know for sure would be to follow them. Could be heading to a strutt zone, heading to a feeding area, heading to loafing area and so on.
There's another podcast interview of Dr. Chamberlain by a outdoor writer but I can't remember his name. It was discussed in this forum. Do a search and you should be able to come up with it.

[silvestris]

They are likely coming to or coming from a nesting area.

[Sir-diealot]

Sure has been silent, bit of a drag, but better weather coming later in the week, perhaps that will help?

[Marc]

Paulmyr, that podcast was worth the listen!


My observations on turkey hens...  Depends on the breeding cycle and time of day...


As extremes:
   *I see one or two hens late in the morning late in the season, and I will likely assume that they are leaving toms to go to the nest...
   *I see one or two hens early in the season, earlier in the morning, I will likely assume that they are headed toward toms.


So...  Late in the season, late in the morning, if I see one or two hens traveling in a decisive direction together, I will go towards the direction they are coming from...

Early in the season, I see two hens walking decisively early in the morning, I will head in the same direction they are (generally trying to circle around).


Interestingly, I have been able to watch hens leaving toms...  And often, if not generally, those toms will NOT follow.  Often the hens will leave in a group or pairs, and disperse more as they create more distance from the toms...   Sometimes the hens will take flight across a road or creek, sometimes the hens will just up and leave (rather decisively), and those toms will remain and display, and drum, and sometimes spontaneously gobble.  These are the birds we are looking for...

Maybe biology dictates some understanding that the hens that are leaving will not be receptive, but if they can find a hen (after being left), it seems that they (the now lonely toms) are more likely to travel to find that receptive hen?

But late in the season, later in the morning, I see a single hen, I assume she is on a nest...  And, I will assume that she has created some degree of separation from herself and toms...   I really do not know what to do with this information, unless she is headed in a decisive direction, in which case I assume she is headed away from breeding toms, and will likely head the direction she came from...

But watching hens come off of nests later in the season, they will often meander around a nest (somewhat randomly) foraging, giving me zero information about the likely whereabouts of to possible tom....

[guesswho]

They are likely coming to or coming from a nesting area.

My money is on this.

[TeeGee]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  I haven't heard a tom in about ten days, so this may be a bit moot.  But I'm looking forward to checking out that podcast!