Techniques

[silvestris]

I have never understood the meaning of the term, "strut zone".  I didn't understand it many years ago when some magazine writer coined the term, and I don't understand what they are talking about today.

A gobbler will strut for a hen, real or imagined.  A gobbler may strut in the middle of a field where he is likely to be seen.  I don't believe a gobbler goes to a certain location and decides that he is in his "strut zone".  Is the gobbler in his "strut zone" when he struts on the limb?

I guess the hunter may mean by the term "strut zone" the location where the hunter has seen a gobbler strut.  Who knows?  I just don't find the term "strut zone" to be a useful term.

[greyghost]

Silvestris and TC, I am sure you know Bill Harper when he was president of Loman's game calls. When he was running around the country with his seminars. I believe it was in 1983 he published this little booklet called Hunting the Strut Zones. That was the kick off for the strut zone thing [:D]. I got a copy of the booklet, will try and get you guys a copy.

[silvestris]

I would like to read it, greyghost.  Heck, I'll read anything.  Perhaps I can even pick up on a useful tip or two.  I'll keep an open mind, but I will be hard to convince on the "strut zone".

[greyghost]

I have read it and re-read it. Heck maybe if you read it you will be able to break it down for me.[;)]

[shaman]

ORIGINAL: TurkeyComander



If he's the guy that started this crap I don't care to read it..[:-]

Gee, that's an open-minded opinion![:D]

I got that little booklet about 15 years ago and though about as much of it-- never saw it in the wild, and didn't believe it. Then I moved to the farm in KY.

I have several "strut zones" on my place. These are places where individual gobblers hang out  and strut. Usually these are utilized in mid-afternoon or late morning or both.   The gobbler shows up and alternately loafs in the shadows and comes out into an open pasture and struts. 

One of these places is near one of my barns. The hens come into the barn when it gets hot and they stay there and dust in the dirt most of the afternoon.  The dominant gobbler usually struts 80 yards away. Off in one corner is usually an entourage of jakes and  one or more sub-dominant gobblers.  When the temperature is warm-- say over 80F for a high-- you'll see this happen maybe 2-3 days out of 7.  It's not a sure thing they may form up this way. It's may happen 2 or three days in a row and then you don't see it for a week.  In years where there is no certain dominant gob, you may see 2 jakes or two gobs strutting at opposite ends of the  field. 

If I had not seen it year after year over several generations of turkeys, I'd think it was a fluke.  However, I do now believe in strut zones.  I'm still a little bitter I blew $8 plus postage to get a lousy 15 page booklet, but I'm a believer.

TC:  You often times make comments that you find turkey's behaviors to be somewhat aleatory and random.  I would disagree in this regard:  If you have enough history with a particular place with turkeys, eventually you will see patterns emerge, and these patterns can be stable across generations.  The barns and pastures on my place have probably not changed in 150 years.  I can't say I can predict that a certain gobbler will be at a certain pasture at 10 AM, but I can say that if I've had a bum morning and it's starting to warm up, it does not look like rain, I can go hide out at the edge of that pasture, and I have about a 30-50% chance that I'll see a nice gob come out and start strutting.



That's as close to a "strut zone" as I need.

[mark hay]

evening fellers ,
i ain't going to argue one way or the other on the subject of ''strut zones''. i've spent a lot of time looking for such zones without any success. as you mentioned , i too have read many times of these strut zones and how important it is to locate them for success on some of those tough ol' birds. this makes me think of those birds that are encountered each season that won't stand still for anything,,,they just walk and gobble their fool head off. is this one of those birds that has been disowned by his peers and chased out of the group ? or maybe he is like me ,,,still looking for the strut zone.
i have however seen places in the timber where a tom would get to it and begin to rattle the woods for sometimes an hour. but you and i can't begin to get near it ,, even in late spring when the green is full,,,he'll honor all your calls and walk all over them ,,but he cannot be approached and won't come a lookin'.
those lone birds in that ''strut zone '',,,are they gobbling for hens or trying to throw their weight around among the toms and jakes?

[silvestris]

Mark, often that gobbler is a sub-dominant gobbler who, although gobbling profusely, ain't gonna do it anywhere else less he gets his butt kicked.

Turkeys are creatures of habit and will show up daily at certain locations, but those locations, in my opinion are not strut zones, whatever that is.

One of my favorite turkeys is the pocketwatch gobbler.  He shows up at a certain location at the same time each day and gobbles once or a few times like clockwork.  He then goes somewhere else, presumably to do the same thing there.  He allows you to have a traditional morning hunt until the watch says it is time to go meet him once again.  He frequently is a dandy.

[greyghost]

ORIGINAL: TurkeyComander

ORIGINAL: greyghost

Silvestris and TC, I am sure you know Bill Harper when he was president of Loman's game calls. When he was running around the country with his seminars. I believe it was in 1983 he published this little booklet called Hunting the Strut Zones. That was the kick off for the strut zone thing [:D]. I got a copy of the booklet, will try and get you guys a copy.

If he's the guy that started this crap I don't care to read it..[:-]

 
[:D][:D] Its short TC I can read it to you over the phone. [:D]

[trkyklr]

[:D][:D][:D]...[:D][:D]

[Fan Club]

 > I guess every field is a strut zone ? <

Not if gobblers don't strut there on a regular basis. It's all relative to where you hunt boys. If you hunt state forest and big timber all the time, you'll seldom have the opportunity to see one.
 
Never saw one in the 8 seasons I hunted the 4,000 acre WMA in Missouri which is nothing but ridge after ridge of timber (well, was...they logged it out two years ago). We've had the 450 acre farm lease for 7 years now and there are a couple main pastures there, on opposite ends of the farm, each at least 700 to 800 yards or longer. Shaman's observations are spot on. The gobblers will follow feeding hens all morning until the hens go to nest, usually just either side of 10:00 a.m.
 
When the toms find themselves alone they head for these "strut zones". The flatter the better so they can be seen strutting for long distances. Not just one turkey that frequents the same area. A lot of different gobblers from all directions. With or without other gobblers. They are excellent places to observe turkey behavior. It should be noted that there is very little, if any, gobbling going on even if you call to them. It is purely a visual presentation. I've seen many dominant toms arrive and run off subordinates. I've seen some dandy fights. I've seen three or four strutters following a lone hen when one does arrive to feed. It doesn't happen every day or at the same appointed time. But they are there more often than not and it's the place to be if you didn't get a gobbler after the fly down.
 
You can only hunt until 1:00 p.m in Missouri. One of the large pastures, "The bottom"  is in full view of our camp. Many an afternoon we have sat in lawn chairs in the sun watching strutters on the bottom. Sometimes as many as ten or twelve. I'm sure it's no coincidence that these "strut zones" also happen to be prime feeding areas where hens are apt to show up at any time as they take a short break from nesting.
 
Southern Michigan is a patchwork quilt of small farms and woodlots. The same pattern emerges here later in the season when the hens start to nest. Hunting the mid day hours are often more productive than dawn when you are competing with hens. If one does not wish to recognize the term "strut zone" or wants to chalk it up as an outdoor writer's folley, that's OK. Those with open minds and attention to detail will take heed, regardless of what it's called.