Drama in the Hen Flock

 

DSC_0199 Turkey hens can fan their tails and puff out their feathers as well as toms. Like toms, they do it to express their dominance in the flock and sort out their place in the pecking order. Social rank in the flock is a year round issue.  Boss hens continually exert their dominance against upstarts and new joiners to the flock to keep their rank in tact.   DSC_0205 This hen, in half strut, focussed her eyes like laser beams on another young hen that encroached on her space or is perhaps a weak member of the flock.   DSC_0206 Then she launched her whole body into a viscous peck at her flock mate. Life in the hen flock isn’t always sunshine and lollipops.

Boss hens express their dominance through their calls as well.  Loud yelping mixed in with agitated cutting is often a bossy hen expressing her displeasure at another hen.  You can imitate a boss hen with your calls to incite a dominant hen to come to you to see who the new challenger to her authority is.  It’s a useful call in the the spring hunt for toms because a tom with the boss hen will  follow her to you or a lone tom will come by himself.  Being a loud call it has good range. In the fall its a good call as well to bring in the dominant hen and her flock or any hen looking for the company of a flock.

Learn how to make this essential turkey vocalisation on mouth calls, box calls and pot calls in the e-book,  “How to Hunt the Wild Turkey”

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