In my earlier days, we did not seek the answer to the question, “What do turkeys eat?” by consulting Google. Instead, we would venture into the woods—where the internet was nonexistent—and observe the ground for signs of turkeys by examining their scratchings. We would also inspect fields and pastures for cow manure. This manure, rich with undigested kernels of corn and seeds, serves as an excellent food source for turkeys. Consider this insight a complimentary tip.
For those seeking a concise response to “what do turkeys eat?” I will provide it immediately. Turkeys, as omnivores, consume a wide variety of foods, with their preferences including insects, tender greens, acorns, berries, corn, soybeans, sorghum, milo, sunflowers, chufa, and various seeds and grains.
However, if you are a hunter, I encourage you to continue reading for a more detailed explanation below. I will share an old-fashioned perspective on the dietary habits of wild turkeys, drawn from my 29 years of hunting experience across nine states, along with insights gained from biologists and wildlife habitat management. Understanding what turkeys eat can significantly enhance your chances of successfully tagging more gobblers.
What Do Turkeys Eat? Four Preferred Foods
Wild turkeys are remarkably adaptable and can thrive in diverse environments (they inhabit every state except Alaska, as well as regions in Mexico, Central America, and southern Canada). Their diet is quite varied and shifts with the seasons and climate.
Read Also: What Does a Wild Turkey Eat?
Nevertheless, there are several preferred foods that wild turkeys consistently seek, regardless of their location. Furthermore, turkey hunters who are aware of these favored foods—whether through online searches or other means—will have an advantage in locating birds to hunt. Here are four essential foods that turkeys consume and that hunters should actively seek out.
1. Turkeys Eat Bugs
Turkeys actively consume insects whenever they are accessible, with a particular emphasis on these food sources from late spring through summer. Hens depend on the protein derived from grasshoppers, beetles, grubs, and similar insects to facilitate egg production.
After hatching, poults primarily sustain themselves on insects for the initial weeks of their lives. Consequently, optimal brood habitats are relatively open, such as hayfields, food plots, and early successional areas, while also ensuring that adequate escape cover is available nearby.
However, turkeys do not limit their foraging for insects to the spring season. They can often be observed pursuing invertebrates whenever weather conditions permit. During the early spring hunting season, it is advisable to scout for turkeys in locations where early vegetation is emerging. Sunny creek bottoms and south-facing slopes tend to warm and green up sooner, attracting the earliest insect activity, which in turn draws turkeys to these areas.
2. Tender Greens
In addition to insects found on south-facing slopes in early spring, turkeys also enjoy consuming the greens themselves. They are particularly fond of legumes such as clover and alfalfa, which enhance the appeal of many food plots and hayfields.
Related Article: What Do Birds Eat In The Woodlands?
Furthermore, newly sprouted cereal grains, such as wheat and oats, are highly attractive to turkeys. In their natural habitat, turkeys forage on various forbs that are also favored by whitetails. Therefore, in early spring, identifying areas that are beginning to sprout tender shoots—whether in agricultural fields, food plots, or naturally occurring forbs—can be an effective strategy for locating these birds.
3. Turkeys Eat Hard and Soft Mast
Numerous fall turkey hunters experience frustration when flocks that appeared easy to track in September seemingly vanish by October. Similarly, deer hunters find it challenging to monitor whitetails during a productive mast year when acorns are abundant, yet the unpredictable movements of turkey flocks in the Eastern hardwoods can be even more perplexing due to their varying food preferences. When both hard and soft mast becomes readily available, turkeys will actively seek it out.
Like whitetails, turkeys exhibit a strong preference for white oak acorns above other food sources. However, they also enjoy beech nuts, which typically fall in early to mid-October in the eastern hill country.
The availability of mast in the fall is not restricted to tree nuts; turkeys also consume blackberries, mulberries, and other soft mast during the spring and summer months. In the Nebraska Sandhills, it is common to observe turkeys feasting on cedar berries in the spring, while hunters in South Texas have noted that tiny chiltepin peppers attract Rio Grande gobblers with remarkable effectiveness.
4. Seeds and Grain
Turkeys congregate into large winter flocks in agricultural regions throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. In these areas, they forage in the leftover grain from harvested corn and sorghum fields, as well as searching for seeds among haybales intended for livestock and the grain found in cow manure.
For those managing land outside of agricultural zones, it is also possible to establish food plots designed to support winter turkey populations. Standing corn, along with soybeans, sorghum, milo, sunflowers, and chufa, can provide sustenance for turkeys and other game birds, ensuring they remain well-fed and content during the colder months.
How Knowing What Turkey Eat Helps Your Hunting?
When determining the optimal location for setting up on a tom, it is essential to consider areas where hens are known to feed, as these are consistently advantageous spots. It is widely acknowledged in turkey hunting circles that attracting turkeys to locations they are naturally inclined to visit is a more effective strategy. One of the primary areas turkeys are drawn to is where food is readily available.
Read Also: What Is The Best Bird Food To Attract Colorful Birds?
This remains true even when gobblers are primarily focused on mating, as the hens they seek are still in pursuit of nourishment and can be located where food sources are abundant. In the context of spring turkey hunting, it is advisable to search for the earliest signs of tender greens and the insects that inhabit this fresh foliage.
Additionally, look for scratch marks on sunny slopes, which indicate recent feeding activity by turkeys. By identifying these elements, you can be assured that turkeys are nearby. When you hear a gobbler call out and are contemplating your setup location, keep in mind those areas rich in tender greens, insects, and scratchings, as they are places where a tom anticipates encountering a hen.
Read Also : Which best describes how the us government affects the economy?
Ola Hansen 
In my earlier days, we did not seek the answer to the question, “What do turkeys eat?” by consulting Google. Instead, we would venture into the woods—where the internet was nonexistent—and observe the ground for signs of turkeys by examining their scratchings. We would also inspect fields and pastures for cow manure. This manure, rich with undigested kernels of corn and seeds, serves as an excellent food source for turkeys. Consider this insight a complimentary tip.
For those seeking a concise response to “what do turkeys eat?” I will provide it immediately. Turkeys, as omnivores, consume a wide variety of foods, with their preferences including insects, tender greens, acorns, berries, corn, soybeans, sorghum, milo, sunflowers, chufa, and various seeds and grains.
However, if you are a hunter, I encourage you to continue reading for a more detailed explanation below. I will share an old-fashioned perspective on the dietary habits of wild turkeys, drawn from my 29 years of hunting experience across nine states, along with insights gained from biologists and wildlife habitat management. Understanding what turkeys eat can significantly enhance your chances of successfully tagging more gobblers.
What Do Turkeys Eat? Four Preferred Foods
Wild turkeys are remarkably adaptable and can thrive in diverse environments (they inhabit every state except Alaska, as well as regions in Mexico, Central America, and southern Canada). Their diet is quite varied and shifts with the seasons and climate.
Read Also: What Does a Wild Turkey Eat?
Nevertheless, there are several preferred foods that wild turkeys consistently seek, regardless of their location. Furthermore, turkey hunters who are aware of these favored foods—whether through online searches or other means—will have an advantage in locating birds to hunt. Here are four essential foods that turkeys consume and that hunters should actively seek out.
1. Turkeys Eat Bugs
Turkeys actively consume insects whenever they are accessible, with a particular emphasis on these food sources from late spring through summer. Hens depend on the protein derived from grasshoppers, beetles, grubs, and similar insects to facilitate egg production.
After hatching, poults primarily sustain themselves on insects for the initial weeks of their lives. Consequently, optimal brood habitats are relatively open, such as hayfields, food plots, and early successional areas, while also ensuring that adequate escape cover is available nearby.
However, turkeys do not limit their foraging for insects to the spring season. They can often be observed pursuing invertebrates whenever weather conditions permit. During the early spring hunting season, it is advisable to scout for turkeys in locations where early vegetation is emerging. Sunny creek bottoms and south-facing slopes tend to warm and green up sooner, attracting the earliest insect activity, which in turn draws turkeys to these areas.
2. Tender Greens
In addition to insects found on south-facing slopes in early spring, turkeys also enjoy consuming the greens themselves. They are particularly fond of legumes such as clover and alfalfa, which enhance the appeal of many food plots and hayfields.
Related Article: What Do Birds Eat In The Woodlands?
Furthermore, newly sprouted cereal grains, such as wheat and oats, are highly attractive to turkeys. In their natural habitat, turkeys forage on various forbs that are also favored by whitetails. Therefore, in early spring, identifying areas that are beginning to sprout tender shoots—whether in agricultural fields, food plots, or naturally occurring forbs—can be an effective strategy for locating these birds.
3. Turkeys Eat Hard and Soft Mast
Numerous fall turkey hunters experience frustration when flocks that appeared easy to track in September seemingly vanish by October. Similarly, deer hunters find it challenging to monitor whitetails during a productive mast year when acorns are abundant, yet the unpredictable movements of turkey flocks in the Eastern hardwoods can be even more perplexing due to their varying food preferences. When both hard and soft mast becomes readily available, turkeys will actively seek it out.
Like whitetails, turkeys exhibit a strong preference for white oak acorns above other food sources. However, they also enjoy beech nuts, which typically fall in early to mid-October in the eastern hill country.
The availability of mast in the fall is not restricted to tree nuts; turkeys also consume blackberries, mulberries, and other soft mast during the spring and summer months. In the Nebraska Sandhills, it is common to observe turkeys feasting on cedar berries in the spring, while hunters in South Texas have noted that tiny chiltepin peppers attract Rio Grande gobblers with remarkable effectiveness.
4. Seeds and Grain
Turkeys congregate into large winter flocks in agricultural regions throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. In these areas, they forage in the leftover grain from harvested corn and sorghum fields, as well as searching for seeds among haybales intended for livestock and the grain found in cow manure.
For those managing land outside of agricultural zones, it is also possible to establish food plots designed to support winter turkey populations. Standing corn, along with soybeans, sorghum, milo, sunflowers, and chufa, can provide sustenance for turkeys and other game birds, ensuring they remain well-fed and content during the colder months.
How Knowing What Turkey Eat Helps Your Hunting?
When determining the optimal location for setting up on a tom, it is essential to consider areas where hens are known to feed, as these are consistently advantageous spots. It is widely acknowledged in turkey hunting circles that attracting turkeys to locations they are naturally inclined to visit is a more effective strategy. One of the primary areas turkeys are drawn to is where food is readily available.
Read Also: What Is The Best Bird Food To Attract Colorful Birds?
This remains true even when gobblers are primarily focused on mating, as the hens they seek are still in pursuit of nourishment and can be located where food sources are abundant. In the context of spring turkey hunting, it is advisable to search for the earliest signs of tender greens and the insects that inhabit this fresh foliage.
Additionally, look for scratch marks on sunny slopes, which indicate recent feeding activity by turkeys. By identifying these elements, you can be assured that turkeys are nearby. When you hear a gobbler call out and are contemplating your setup location, keep in mind those areas rich in tender greens, insects, and scratchings, as they are places where a tom anticipates encountering a hen.
Read Also : Which best describes how the us government affects the economy?