Nice to see you again. Since this is the time of the year when most wild animals rear their young, there are little wars being waged around your property. Many individuals or pairs of birds or mammals, even fish, need to establish their own territories for the reproduction process.

Years ago, if you lived in the country, the pheasant cockbird crowing around your home would dominate all the hens that passed through his territory. Nearby, another cock pheasant would dominate all the hens that passed through his territory. Nearby another cock pheasant would be protecting his turf. On occasion you would see two male pheasants fighting like old barnyard roosters. Since all wild areas are not equal, the male that controlled the hens favorite haunts did most of the mating. I have watched two cockbirds walking in opposite sides of a fence row. As long as each one stayed on his side, only crowing and stares resulted, but if one strayed to the other side, the feathers would fly!

Wild turkeys have a moving territory. The largest, loudest, and usually the most aggressive gobbler will roam the area with his harem of hens. The hen turkeys know he is the boss of the hill and come to him to mate. Since only a few of these special older gobblers mate with the hens, there is an excess of male turkeys. This is why you can have Spring gobbler hunting during the mating season and not interfere with the mating process. If the dominant gobbler is killed, there is always an anxious second best gobbler to take over. He may have to fight several other would-be suitors in order to take his spot.