It was perfect until it wasn't. Suddenly, the puffed-up tom dropped strut, stretched his neck, did an about-face, and scurried away. I could've killed this gobbler multiple times but I wanted him to commit to the decoys. At the time, I didn't know he was showing clues that he was about to walk out of my life. I'd only been hunting turkeys for four years and didn't give any thought to a bird's body language.
Now after hunting turkeys for 30 years, I know when to let a bird commit to the decoys and when to roll him with a load of 5 shot the second he gives me the opportunity. I've learned what it looks like when a gobbler is content, fired up, nervous, etc. Use the clues below to better understand a gobbler's mood. These signs will also help you make quick in-the-field decisions. Here's how to read a turkey's body language.
How to Read a Turkey's Head
I watch a turkey's head more than any other feature of the bird. That big, beautiful, primarily featherless dome will tell much about the tom's mood. Spacing between the collagen fibers change when blood vessels swell or contract, offering subtle clues that you should be ready to pick up on.
Let's start with color. A turkey can change its head color quickly. Pay close attention to the caruncles at the base of the neck. These large, bumpy, fleshy growths, along with the top of the head and around the eye, are where the color primarily changes. When a turkey's head is mostly red, it feels nervous or threatened. I hear many turkey hunters talk about how fired up a bird is because its head is so red, but then they go on to tell how the bird didn't commit and hung up outside of shotgun range. A bright red head typically means a turkey is stressed, nervous, and feeling threatened.
Last fall, while hunting in New York, I had a two-year-old Eastern hammering. When I spied the bird through the binos in the timber, his caruncles were white, as was the top of his head. A bluish hue was around his eyes. White and blue are signs of a highly aroused bird. The second the gobbler spied my jake decoy, he dropped strut, his head went red, and he started walking quickly to the right of the decoy. His head color and body language told me the game was over, and I took my shot before it was too late. White and blue are good colors, and lots of red is bad, especially if it's a quick color change from whitish blue to red.
I also pay close attention to a bird's snood. The snood is the long, prehistoric-looking fleshy growth that comes off the head and dangles over the beak. A relaxed gobbler lets his snood hang. It swings left and right when he turns his head. Mature gobblers use their snoods to attract females.
When a head is white and blue, and the snood hangs, you have all the time in the world. If the head is slightly red and the snood hangs, the bird still isn't overly cautious, and you don't need to test the range of your favorite turkey load just yet. However, the gig is about up if the snood instantly contracts, becomes stubby, and goes erect. This is a tell-tale sign the bird saw or sensed something alarming and is about to flee.
How to Read the Strut
I've killed many toms that fully committed to the decoys but never strutted. One bird last year never even went into a quarter strut. It was another two-year-old bird who I don't believe had his butt whipped by a dominant bird yet. The Merriam's tom gobbled his face off. His head was whiteish-blue, his caruncles, snood, and wattle whitish pink. The bird never stopped his march and never strutted. He walked within five yards of the decoy, and I sent an arrow through his vitals.
Still, strutting is essential to the wild turkey rut and provides substantial visual clues about a turkey's mood. When a turkey struts, he contracts muscles to make his feathers stand, lowers his wingtips to the ground, fans his tail, puffs his chest, and tucks his head into the feathers on his back. Turkeys strut to show off for the girls. In nature, females often go to the males, not the other way around, which is why calling in toms can be difficult. Male turkeys also strut to show their dominance and intimidate other toms.
If a turkey is coming toward you and constantly going in and out of strut, his head is whitish-blue, and his snood hanging low—there's no reason to rush. Similarly, if a turkey is coming to you going into quarter- and half-strut, its head is whitish-blue, and the snood hangs, chances are excellent that you'll have him over your shoulder in a few minutes. You also don't need to rush if a turkey drops strut and Jackie Chans your jake decoy, runs a few steps, and goes back into a strut. That bird is fired up, fooled, and is about to have a head full of lead.
You should be concerned when a turkey suddenly drops out of strut, changes its head color from whitish blue to red, periscopes its head, and turns quickly before walking away. The bird's pace will quicken, and you'll likely hear several putts. These sharp, single notes indicate the turkey has sensed danger. He is warning other birds in the area. This is the number one sign that the bird caught movement or spied something it didn't like. No amount of sexy hen talk will calm him. If he's in range, shoot!
Learn to Make Quick Decisions
If you want to kill more longbeards this spring and for springs to come, become a student of the game. Spend time looking at pictures or videos online of fired-up turkeys. What color is the head? What color are the caruncles and wattle?
Also, pay attention to wild birds when you're scouting. Watch a dominant four-year-old gobbler run a two-year-old around a field. Watch the color of that two-year-old head change. Watch how cautiously and submissively he walks after the boss gobbler leaves. The youngster's red head will be up, he won't go into strut, and he will move slowly away from where the encounter occurred. Remember what you witnessed if you decide to move in and hunt that lone two-year-old, even a day or two later. Chances are this bird will ignore a decoy, come in quiet with a red head raised, looking for any reason to walk the other way.
The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the easier it is to make in-the-field adjustments to your setups. Most important, you'll learn when to stay off the trigger and let 'em come or be ready to send it the second the bird steps in range.
