Drumming Frequency

[Neill_Prater]

A couple of my friends, one of them older than I, can hear gobblers drumming at long distances. I couldn't if he was in a blind with me.

I remember hearing one drum early in my turkey hunting career that came up behind me so close I could probably have whacked him with my gun barrel, if it had been pointed the right way. Since then, nothing.

My question. Does anyone know the actual frequency range of drumming? I couldn't find it online. Surely some biologists have scientifically measured it.

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[runngun]

@Kyle_Ott  where are you
Hopefully he will be along soon.  I believe that I read the frequency somewhere but I am drawing a blank.

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[Cut N Run]

Interesting question.  I looked several places in hopes of turning something up.  It appears to be easier to find out how well turkeys hear than at what frequency their drumming is.  Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place?

I'm one that has high frequency hearing loss, but I can hear drumming and diesel engines at longer distances than anyone else I know.  Maybe the loss of high frequency hearing has improved my ability to hear low frequency sounds?

Jim

[Paulmyr]

Wild Turkey Science Podcast just had some Dr. on who studied strange characteristics in birds. He said drumming is caused by the gobbler vibrating his trachea. The vibration is transfered to the fat stores in his neck resulting wavelengths are what we consider drumming. He compared it to cranes vibrating their tracheas to get that loud obnoxious sound. The doc said he didn't know the mechanics behind it he just knew that they did.

He didn't get into it, but by using his example it would be my guess drumming is possibly an indicator of health. I don't think it would be to much of a stretch to correlate the frequency of the drumming wavelengths varying by how much fat a gobbler was able to store over the winter.

[Marc]

Interestingly, I purchased Tetra's this season...

I am able to hear all kinds of sounds I have not heard before, but this is the first year I cannot hear drumming???  I can hear the spitting, but not the drum...  I could actually see the bird drum, and hear the spit, but not the drum.

I am going to call Tetra tomorrow and ask about this...  But as they set their technology to the frequencies needed, I would hazard that they might know...  I will pose the question.

[Greg Massey]

I think as you become more familiar with the sound of drumming, it is just something your instinct / ears will pickup that sound in the woods.

Now i know for some who have hearing loss / without the aid of some kind of hearing enhancement you will more than likely not hear them drumming..

I pay attention to both in the woods - drumming / scratching and walking in the leaves etc..  I guess a lot of it is just instinct knowing what to try and listen for...

But i sure like seeing them the most of all... visual contact ... LOL

[Dtrkyman]

I used to hear it really well, not so much these days.

[Marc]

One thing I will say about drumming, is that I feel when I hear it, that bird expects me to go to him...

If they are gobbling, they are more likely to keep walking towards me...  If they are drumming, I feel like I have to entice them a bit more.

[cwb04]

Interesting question.  I looked several places in hopes of turning something up.  It appears to be easier to find out how well turkeys hear than at what frequency their drumming is.  Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place?

I'm one that has high frequency hearing loss, but I can hear drumming and diesel engines at longer distances than anyone else I know.  Maybe the loss of high frequency hearing has improved my ability to hear low frequency sounds?

Jim

Odd that you say that.  Where I live, the loud (bass) thumping stereos are everywhere.  I can hear one of those SOBs coming from 5 miles away, While sitting in my living room, while watching the TV, but I have never been able to hear a turkey drum.  I have one video on my phone that I can hear it, but out in the Spring woods - NADA.  I feel cheated.

[Dougas]

I have never been able to hear them drum either.

[ruination]

Interestingly, I purchased Tetra's this season...

I am able to hear all kinds of sounds I have not heard before, but this is the first year I cannot hear drumming???  I can hear the spitting, but not the drum...  I could actually see the bird drum, and hear the spit, but not the drum.

I am going to call Tetra tomorrow and ask about this...  But as they set their technology to the frequencies needed, I would hazard that they might know...  I will pose the question.

If you watch a video, microphones almost never pick up drumming.

[NOmad]

Interesting question.  I looked several places in hopes of turning something up.  It appears to be easier to find out how well turkeys hear than at what frequency their drumming is.  Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place?

I'm one that has high frequency hearing loss, but I can hear drumming and diesel engines at longer distances than anyone else I know.  Maybe the loss of high frequency hearing has improved my ability to hear low frequency sounds?

Jim

Jim - I think you actually nailed it with your last sentence. I have very limited knowledge of acoustic dynamics but I do know that it is much easier for our ears to (or our ears are designed to) pick up high frequencies over low frequencies (has to do with the distance in between sound waves coming into your ear / microphone). This causes a lot of low frequency noises to be "drowned out" by the higher frequency noises our ears are built to pick up. That makes me think that you are right, with the loss of high frequency hearing you should theoretically pick up more low frequencies as they are not being "drowned out" any more.

[Treerooster]

Frequency of drumming...I would say they drum quite frequently.   

Ok seriously. I think in Lovett Williams' book "The Voice and Vocabulary of The Wild Turkey" he states the drumming is around 90 HZ.

Pretty sure it's 90, I'm pulling that from memory as I don't have the book in front of me. I'm out turkey hunting.

[blake_08]

https://youtu.be/UI5eEApUXhQ?si=JMTpDVZPZMLCZnxv

Here is the best video I've ever found of a gobbler drumming. For anyone who can't hear drumming in the woods, get some good earbuds or head phones and turn the volume up and you should be able to hear it in the video I posted. I'm one of the lucky ones, I can hear it from a good distance in the woods.

I think 90hz is too high. Seems to me like it's around 50hz based on frequency tones on YouTube, but I'm nobody to disagree with Dr. Williams.

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[runngun]

I had a 12 year old female hunter telling me this year, HEY!!! I CAN HEAR HIM HUMMING!!!
Pretty accurate description for me. He was her very first Gobbler she has been hunting for 3 years but she got him!!!!

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