Take It From A Female Hunter- Prois Staffer, Maggie Boineau

The biggest communication problem is that we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply. – Stephen R. Covey

Have you ever noticed that turkey hunters always talk about the gobblers and rarely mention the hens? It’s interesting because we are all actually trying to be like hens, working our calls to attract a big gobbler. Still, little has been written or discussed about the most essential aspect of turkey hunting: understanding the hens, affectionately referred to as jennys!

For those unfamiliar with turkey hunting, it is important to understand that the toms typically gobble when the breeding season begins, and hens get excited and are drawn to the gobblers’ beckoning calls and impressive strutting.  Notably, the hens tend to be very indifferent during the breeding season, and it is a relatively short window when they are “in the mood.” Acting completely in contrast to what happens in nature, we, as turkey hunters, take the role of the hen and try to get the attention of the toms by using hen sounds to get them to come to us. Reversing the roles of normal animal behavior is the best description of turkey hunting. Understanding the hens is more important than you might imagine.

So, let’s talk about the hens… Hens are not so different from us women. Yes, I said it, so hold on and allow me to explain: Women and hen turkeys have some similar personalities and commonalities. There are always boss hens (you know the type), subordinate hens (their posse), and rogue hens (loners who work better alone). The boss hen and several of her “followers” select the most imposing gobbler,  attracted to his powerful gobbles and irresistible strutting. Once he is selected, they keep him very “happy,” especially at the beginning of the breeding season.  We also refer to that in human life as being “henned up”—when women keep their men busy and away from other distractions. It is challenging, but tearing a tom away from his hen harem is possible. Your heart breaks when you see your gobbler led away by a group of bossy hens, and it is thrilling when you can use your call to pull them away from those very willing hens.  Then there are the rogue hens ( I can relate to these hens), roaming around by themselves during the day and returning to their group later to roost. They work the toms with their seemingly aloof attitude. You might say they are moody because they can get aggressive and kick up a storm when you try to call in their tom...

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