The Snood Affect (EE2)

As long as it’s hanging down, you have time. If only you knew what a turkey was thinking. Then you could better guess when it’s time to shoot, or hold off and let it keep coming. If only there was a way to get a reading on a gobbler’s degree of excitement or anxiety over the current situation. There is a way, study the snood. It reveals the mood. Watching what’s going on with that fleshy appendage hanging from just above the beak will help you know when a turkey is excited about your calling and relaxed about the situation, or when it is tense and may be ready to leave. The position of the snood is the first thing that I look for when a gobbler is coming in. if the snood is extended, just hanging there, flopping around, with that blue and red appearance, chances are the turkey is going to stay around and keep getting closer. But if the snood is short, and especially if it changes from hanging loose to shriveled up on top of the head, that turkey is more likely to leave the area. Studies with tame turkeys appear to show hens prefer to mate with toms that have longer snoods. Studies also seem to indicate tom turkeys with longer snoods are more intimidating to other toms. One study used fake turkeys that differed only in snood length, and showed real toms were more likely to try to steal corn from a tom with a shorter snood.  Knowing how the turkey is acting when he is coming in closer to you will determine if you are going to have a chance to shoot him or not. So the next time you have a gobbler coming in close look and see how he is acting.