Adrian J Hare

Just wondered your view on A Strut Zones / Strutting Areas . Are these two areas different Zones or are they the same meaning, just different names that a hunter tends to use?

I will give you my opinion near the end....BT

Mailman29680

I can' t tell you the exact difference,if any, but know if I see a bird strutting somewhere especially for a lone hen I' d like to be in that zone the next day.

Multiple sightings before the season gets me in the zone to tag one.

Bobgobble2

BT,i' ve always felt the main difference between the two is a territorial thing in that a boss/dominant gobbler may have a huge field that he may roost over and flydown in and display,but there' s always one piece of that field he seems to end up in and spends hours there in strut!That to me is his own personal strutzone and in most cases with dominant gobblers the hens no thats where they can find him!Problem is in alot of cases it can be right smack dab in the middle of the field!In early spring we have many different areas we see birds strutting in but as territory is established dominant gobblers pick there own spots to strut in and in alot of cases it seems to narrow down to a much smaller area and there they patiently wait on the ladies and stand on guard for those other toms invading there space!I prefer to hunt these zones instead of those broader areas for 2 reasons,1.I' ve always felt a gobblers zone is much more concentrated than an entire area giving me less land to try and cover and in many cases puts me right in his backdoor,2. usually a gobbler that has his own established strutzone is a dandy of a bird being the boss of that particular area!I' ve harvested some real bearddraggers by locating and patterning a gobblers particular zone!Dont know if thats the right way to look at it or not Adrian, but it seems to work out!!

huntnma

all i know is i like em

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snowdog2

" Strut zone" is the area where a tom turkey regularly struts.

A " strutting area" is the area where both single male and single females go to meet and mate, usually, a singles bar.

Adrian J Hare

snowdog2 good one ! ...BT

MOTurkeyTamer

I kind of agree with Poult in that I' ve always assumed they were one in the same. But like Huntnma said, they are places I really like also. Once you find them, you' re one step closer to putting a tag around the leg of an old longbeard! Even if you don' t, it' s sure fun watchin' them big boys strut!

Washington Hunter

I' ve always looked at them being closely related... A strutting area is the general area that the Tom will strut, and the Strutting Zone is the exact spot the Tom struts. He may have one Strutting area, but more than one Strutting Zone.

Adrian J Hare

OK, this is just " My" opinion,,,

The Wild Turkey has two strutting areas,,,
1/ A Strut Area
2/ A Strut Zone

A place where one sees gobblers normally An area where the gobbler leaves the roost and travels for mating . There will be a great amount of time spent with showing/display themselves for the other sex as to a hen. At this area the Gobbler will show up day after day throughout the mating season and wait the arrival of the local hens to accompany them. This is a place where the Gobbler can feel very safe and at most times can see approaching Danger in any direction. This place is known to the turkey hunter as the Strutting Area.

Against all odds in the mating season a Gobbler will leave his guard and approach the call of a hen in hearing range. This happens to the older experienced pressured gobblers more than the younger ones as nature tells him that this is not the right way. These wiser gobblers break down and stop at a distance with in a respectable range and create a Stut Zone where they will wait out the calling hen and try to lure her to approach this zone. This Zone can be anywhere from 50 yards to 200 yards and is normally created in the same travel route as the gobbler came from. This is also a Comfort Zone, an area that he will strut back and forth, which he would not normally use, and also not used by the local toms. This area is chosen only from the tom because of an unnatural calling of the hen.

Do not confuse this with hungup birds, Hungup birds tend to strut only in an area that they do not feel comfortable in passing. They tend not to travel too far from the hangup. I also believe that it could be a bird at the last few yards who decides to stop and wait out the calling hen, knowing that it is against nature to travel to the calling hen.

This may not be right and after all this is only ones opinion. What do you think ?...BT