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Hunting News Latest Hunting News The dominant tom
Hunting News Latest Hunting News The dominant tom 
| The dominant tom |
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| Written by Bill Miller | |
| Wednesday, 16 April 2008 | |
 Two gobblers took turns beating up a jake decoy. After one gobbler was downed, the other tom came to assert its dominance over the dead bird. Photo by David J. Sams. You just completed a command performance of your best impersonation of a turkey hen that is … well … available. And it worked, because four lovesick toms are charging toward your well-camouflaged position. So which one to shoot? Well if you’re going for a trophy, target the dominant tom — typically the oldest and the biggest of the flock. But if the toms are similarly sized, how can you tell the difference among them? Don’t assume it all has to do with beard length, said Robert Linder of Marble Falls. “When you see them coming in, watch for the one that struts first and who holds the strut the longest,” Linder said. “He’s going to be the older bird.” Linder knows; he’s president of the Texas State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and an avid turkey hunter. While other gobblers in the flock also will strut, most believe they won’t do it as long as the boss bird. “They have battles over dominance before and during the breeding season,” Linder said. “They’re just like bull elk that won’t let the other elk bugle as much or stay around the cows. “They run them off, and an older gobbler will run off those jakes.” Preston Lawson of San Antonio said he identifies the dominant bird as the one that fans the most, and is always chasing off the other toms. Ultimately, he said, the best trophy is simply the bird that offers the best “target of opportunity.” "I've been hunting them for 30 years," he said, "and, in practical hunting, the first one that comes in is the dominant one." But in case you have any doubts about which is the dominant gobbler, Linder offers this post mortem test. “After you shoot him, the other toms might jump on him,” Linder said. “I’ve seen them spur him and stomp him because they’re glad to see him go. “They want to take his place.” |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 April 2008 ) |
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