A complete molt occurs during late summer and early autumn. In good habitat, turkeys may cover 400 to 1,000 acres daily, but home ranges of 8,000 acres or more can be found on poorer habitats. The size of the range depends on food supplies, cover, and weather. Family groups often meet and feed in large flocks. They clip or rip off vegetation with their beaks or scratch through the leaves and snow that may be hiding food on the forest floor.
Turkeys are very alert and continually move about while feeding.
A flock may, however, spend several hours on a few acres when acorns or some other preferred foods are plentiful. After feeding in the morning, turkeys often rest or engage in dusting. While dusting, a turkey wallows in loose soil fluffing up its feathers to allow the soil to penetrate to the skin. Favorite dusting places include ant beds, sand spots, and decayed logs. During the evening, turkeys fly up to roost in the trees of heavily forested areas.