What Makes A Turkey Gobble?
Biologist Gary Norman is testing a microchip that will record the date and time of a wild turkey’s gobbles in 2004. “We know that wildlife react to changes in barometric pressure, rainfall and wind speed,” said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF’s vice-president of conservation programs. “How they sense these changes and exactly why they react is the question.” “Weather affects wildlife in the same way that it can affect people’s attitudes and behaviors. Hot, cold, dry and wet weather determines our dress, umbrella use and recreational activities. The same weather determines if turkeys sit late on their roosts or fly down to feed. Gary Norman, NWTF technical committee member and biologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, is testing a microchip that will record the date and time of a wild turkey’s gobbles. The microchip is placed in radio collars, and the information will be compared to weather records, which should determine when turkeys are most likely to gobble. I
