Then the feathers resume their normal position as the air is expelled. At the termination of the gobbling season, the primaries of the wings are badly worn by the continued dragging on the ground. When the female is in the mood, she squats before the gobbler with feathers loosely fluffed and head down, an object of complete supplication. It takes considerable coaxing on her part to bring the male out of his strut into sex recognition. As she lies prone on the ground, the male mounts her and copulation occurs.
Wild turkeys are polygynous, which means the males mate with different females every year.
It occurs throughout the eastern half of the U.S., and in Idaho and Washington. The eastern wild turkey was historically abundant in central and southern Wisconsin. Following completion of a restoration program, turkeys are now commonly found throughout the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin. Wisconsin s wild turkey population currently numbers about 200,000. These birds are primarily transplanted birds and are concentrated in the southwest area of the state.