Differences in turkey gobbles

• Mar 7, 2011

• #1

J

Jody Hawk

Senior Member

I watch quite a few turkey videos and have often noticed the gobbles of the Merriams versus the other subspecies. Ever notice how Merriams don't have the thunderous, roaring gobbles that the Eastern bird has. It almost sounds "puny" in comparison.

.......... Not trying to suggest that they are any less of a turkey.

btw, good video, listen to him spit and drum !!!!!!

 

Last edited: Mar 7, 2011

• Mar 7, 2011

• #2

Booner Killa

Senior Member

I agree. I have a buddy that has a tamed Merriams right on the property line. I started easing toward him to set up on him but realized it sounded different about the time I got quiet enough to really hear him good!

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #3

boparks

Senior Member

I've been told all birds gobble the same and it's the terrain that makes the difference.........I suppose that's possible but in 8 years I have not heard a Merriam or Rio Grand that thunders like an Eastern....most of the western birds...as beautiful as they are have a sissy gobble compared to our bird here

What they lack in quality they make up in quantity....they gobble way more on average than an Eastern


I always thought that if you put all four sub species on the 4 corners of a field and they all gobbled...the Merriam and Rio would go "oh crap!" and leave the field

The Osceola and Eastern might have to work it out

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #4

J

Jody Hawk

Senior Member

I agree with you Bobby, they are beautiful birds though.

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #5

G Duck

Senior Member

I have never had the opportunity to hunt Rios or Merriams. So I can't say for sure. But I bet if an eastern gobbled that close to the cameraman, he would have jumped. I hope to one day get a chance to find out.

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #6

H

hawglips

Banned

There is no question that the gobble of the different subspecies sound different. None at all. Can't imagine attributing the differences to terrain.

The eastern is on one of the spectrum and the merriams on the other. You'd have to be half deaf not to notice the tremendous difference. (I've never heard a goulds in person, but the recordings I've heard are very much like a merriams, perhaps even further past that end of the scale.) And then you've got the rios which are in between the eastern and the merriams.

Lovett Williams says the osceola and the eastern sound the same, but there have been osceolas I've heard that sound almost in between an eastern and a rio, though much closer to an eastern. I've only heard one other guy say that, but I was glad to have some company on that point.

 

Last edited: Mar 7, 2011

• Mar 7, 2011

• #7

jonboy

Senior Member

They do sound a little different I'm sure but the terrain does play a roll in sound also...... Have you ever owl hooted out west? It carries no where with no range or echoe... Same thing with a gobble! I have heard a tamed Merriam gobble hear in Ga and although a little different from a eastern it sounds a lot less like a Merriam in the Ga woods.......

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #8

MKW

Senior Member

...

On a side note...I think you found a couple of the biggest goobers that ever turkey hunted!

Mike

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #9

boparks

Senior Member

I believe terrain affects sound in general...gun doesn't sound loud, calls don't sound the same etc.....

but I don't personally believe its the difference in gobbling..

an Eastern might not sound quite as loud

I've been down in draws with Merriams gobbling and it ain't the same as an Eastern...not even close

Hal

my one hunt with Osceolas was that they sounded similar although the bird I killed had a throatier rasp and seemed slightly different although I can believe these birds are close or the same...others on here know better than me on those birds

 

• Mar 7, 2011

• #10

N

Nitro

Banned

MKW said:

On a side note...I think you found a couple of the biggest goobers that ever turkey hunted!

Mike

Click to expand...

True dat. Video quality was poor, calling abysmal, sounded like the shooting was not too accurate either.....

I love Merriams. They are pure fun!

 

• Mar 8, 2011

• #11

greybeard

Senior Member

I have had,RIOs and MERRIAMS gobble pretty close to me where terrain should not have made a difference and they do have a wimpy gobble. But i do agree with MR. PARKS that they make up for it with the amount that they GOBBLE.

 

• Mar 9, 2011

• #12

rutandstrut

Senior Member

Each Subspecies of Wild Turkey have a distinct Gobble. I think the birds out west sound quieter because the terrain is wide open and there is nothing for sound to bounce off of! Most of what you hear on videos is somewhat muted because of the limitations of the mikes amd having to cover them with foam to help eliminate wind noise!

 

• Mar 9, 2011

• #13

H

hawglips

Banned

All this talk about merriams' gobbles has got me pining to hear that ghostly sound echoing back up in a high canyon in the Rockies. I think I'm going to have to think seriously about lining up a chance to experience it one more time this spring. There's just something about a merriams gobble way up the high mountains.

 

• Mar 9, 2011

• #14

Bucky T

GONetwork Member

I've never hunted anything but easterns, but I've noticed in the past a few gobblers have a different sound gobble than other birds.

A good friend of mine and myself hunted a bird on his place we called "Softy" for 3yrs... That bird had the softest sounding gobble I've ever heard. It wasn't thundering like other birds out there. It was a very distinct and unique gobble. Very soft and looooong.

He ended up being rolled by a guy on the bordering property.....