Odd Turkey Behavior

[yoderjac]

I've been specifically hunting turkey for over 30 years and hunting in general for many more. This season I observed some odd behavior from a blind that I had never seen before. I had a group of hens in the field in front of me. One of the hens started spinning in a circle. Not running in a circle, but standing in one spot and spinning. She made about a half dozen revolutions in one direction and then repeated it in the opposite direction.

Has anyone seen this behavior before? Anyone know the reason?

 

[Catscratch]

She a liberal?

Lol, just joking. I have no clue, never seen it before but I do view turkeys as pretty dumb critters. Maybe she just took it a step further.

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[yoderjac]

Come to think of it, perhaps she did spin more to the left.

 

[Peplin Creek]

I’d guess maybe she’s blind in one eye. Which would cause her to spin when trying to look around.

 

[Bill]

Her entire brain isn’t much bigger than a pea.

problem solved

 

[Buckly]

I've been specifically hunting turkey for over 30 years and hunting in general for many more. This season I observed some odd behavior from a blind that I had never seen before. I had a group of hens in the field in front of me. One of the hens started spinning in a circle. Not running in a circle, but standing in one spot and spinning. She made about a half dozen revolutions in one direction and then repeated it in the opposite direction.

Has anyone seen this behavior before? Anyone know the reason?

yes I have. If you hunt turkey long enough and observe them you will see the dance. I’ve seen gobblers do it mostly. They spin on one leg.

 

[yoderjac]

yes I have. If you hunt turkey long enough and observe them you will see the dance. I’ve seen gobblers do it mostly. They spin on one leg.

I've seen gobblers do it in strut commonly, but that has obvious purpose. I've never seen one do it out of strut. Still scratching my head over a hen doing it. Someone suggested disease, but when she was done, she went back to very normal behavior and eventually I could not pick her out from the other hens in the flock. The hen was not on one leg, she used both but just stayed in one place and spun around. Crazy.

 

[Buckly]

the few times I’ve seen them turn in circles they were on one leg. Turn so far and then kind of hop they just keep going around. They don’t do it often I guess it’s just something they do Turn it around, if you were are turkey trying to figure out why humans do the things they do. Talk about crazy. Lol

 

[blueKYstream]

I've seen a doe, presumably coming into estrus, do that. I haven't seen a turkey do it but it seems more of a turkey thing.

 

[buckdeer1]

I got one alittle stranger,I had a tom a few years back that came out in the field and he had a buzz bait hooked through his beak and the other turkeys wouldn't leave him alone,my neighbor killed him the day after I saw him.Still don't know how that happened