Young gobbler groups, however, may remain together throughout their first spring. In preparation for nesting and rearing their young, hens typically disperse to areas containing openings or fields. Adult gobblers establish loose, poorly defined ranges near such areas and call or gobble to attract hens for mating. Initiation of gobbling in late February to early March signals the approach of the mating period. Gobbling is used to attract receptive females for mating.
Breeding is promiscuous.
Gobblers may mate with several hens and hens may mate with more than one gobbler. Some young gobblers reach sexual maturity during their first spring, but very few mate until the following year. Although egg laying occurs during March, most hens begin nesting during April. A clutch of about ten eggs is laid in a shallow, leaf-lined depression on the ground. Twenty-eight days of incubation are required for the eggs to hatch.