April 2025 • Nebraskaland 43
appearance. This colorful head, with
its odd snood, caruncles and wattle, is
integral to the tom's iconic courtship
display of Thanksgiving decor: a bird
in full strut, tail feathers erect and
wings dragging on the ground.
Fighting toms and jakes don't abide
by any rules of engagement. Kicking,
scratching and biting are allowed.
There's neck wrestling, wing flapping,
pecking at heads, clawing and a lot of
squawking.
One especially interesting sight is
two birds with locked beaks, appearing
as if they are trying to swallow each
other. The conflicts can last a few
minutes up to days.
For hunting purposes, it's hard to
know when to play upon the birds'
tendency for conflict. A gobble or
fighting purr call paired with a full
strut decoy might attract a battle-
ready big tom, but others are likely to
keep their distance for fear of getting
their butts kicked.
Especially comical is when a
confused tom beats up on a decoy or
attacks some other thing that isn't a
turkey. Make no mistake, though, it's
serious business.
N
The characteristic red, white and blue
coloring.
Jake wild turkeys in Banner County lock beaks while sparring for dominance in the fall.
Such skirmishes help establish the fl ock's pecking order.
