Turkeys nowhere to be seen

[haleyh-LHP]

I have 4 turkeys. 2 gobblers, one of which I would estimate goes about 40 lbs, therefore when the barn doors are closed, his big butt can't fly up onto the stall doors to get outside. Yesterday while I was at work, I guess my royal palm gobbler decided to take his two gals down into the woods, and Mr. Big Butt got lost and couldn't find his way back home. Luckily my dad saw him and put him in the ranger and drove him back up to the barn, the others navigated their ways home.
Today, Mr. Big Butt is in the barn, and the other three are nowhere to be seen. I drove down to our back fields in the ranger, turned it off so I could hear, and I heard gobbling down over in another field. My dad saw a wild gobbler with hens yesterday when he was brushhogging the field. So I assume that was a wild bird, and mine I don't think would wander down through the woods to access that field.
I drove around and couldn't spot them. Needless to say, when, and if I find them, they will be penned from now on, because turkey season is right around the corner, and I don't need some unknowing out of the area folk thinking he found himself some type of rare eastern turkey gobbler and shooting him.

I'm pretty sure it's the sound of the wild turkeys drawing them down into the fields and woods, but if they can't stay put, then they will be enclosed ASAP.

Any ideas?

 

[turkaholic]

Guess again!
I would bet they did go through the woods and are looking for some company. This is why I won't free range any of the heritage breeds. They can fly, run and associate with wild birds. Especially now during the breeding season. The urge to find other birds is very strong and can make the most home bound turkey want to take a walk-a-bout. I hope they find their wayback to you, otherwise some hunter is going to be mighty surprized when a Royal palm walks up to him! Good Luck and keep looking.

 

[Praxxus]

Wow that's a pickle of a problem. My only plan if mine did that would be to buy a handfull of jingle bells from an arts and crafts store and make necklaces out of soft string with the bell on them and put it around their neck so it fit just barely loose enough to not cause discomfort. The jingle of bells would let even the densest of hunters know there's a pet around and would probably keep wild turkeys at a distance because they'd think your birds were strange. ? I dunno, that's the best I got. Wish I could be more help.

 

[Struttn1]

Royal Palms are notorious roamers.If you pen the hens the gobblers will hang around the pens but let the hens out and they will lead the entire flock on a long hike.

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
Very true!
And the hens may have been laying eggs somewhere out there, and decided to finally set on them which means they wouldn't come back until hatch time. Often my tom will give the hens away if they do that, because he'll just hang out next to her out in the brush so I can go get her eggs and bring her and the eggs back to a nest in the barn. The hens and poults will have a much harder chance at survival if they are setting out in the open range due to foxes and predators.

 

[poultryfan73]

Quote:
Mayby they have a clutch of eggs and are sitting on them?

 

[turkey guru]

my royal palms have left 4 times, not once have they returned on there own! as soon as I found out the birds are missing, we form a search party, my wife in the car, me,and two fat beagles hit the trail all but once we found them! that one time cost me eight birds (400 dollars) all royal palms good blood, coyotes,dogs,foxes who knows what , feathers every where! beagles tracked them back in the brush! tom!!