Old Mother Hen – Turkeys!

So is this where the term Old Mother Hen came from? If you ever get a chance to watch a flock of Hens in the Fall you will see how protective and alert the Mother Hens are.

The Flocks

In the Fall the Turkeys will group together in flocks of over 50 birds. The Toms will flock together in one group and the Hens to their own. However in those flocks of Hens you will also find the chicks that survived the summer with them.

Old Mother Hen

Take a few minutes to just watch a flock of Hens in the Fall and you will see what I mean. As the young birds are playing and fighting you will see the Old Hens at attention and looking out for any signs of danger. The Hens may even seem nervous and wanting to push their chicks on, not staying in any area to long. It does not take long before your thinking the same thing, this is where they get the phrase “Old Mother Hen”.

When watching this video note the Mature Hen in the food plot waiting for the turkeys at the water hole.

Hunting Fall Turkeys

When hunting the Fall Turkey don’t forget the Hen Calls and Decoy. Yes, the hens will answer and come to the decoys, Toms that a little tougher, but you can still get them to answer back, just not as aggressively as in the Spring.

Another thing to do is to locate the flocks and then circle around them and set up. In most cases you don’t even need to call or work them as they are in large groups and moving quickly throughout the woods & fields feeding.