Temperature of this water is above freezing, so the seeps remain open all winter, providing food for turkeys and other wildlife. A turkey often scratches for its food, kicking forest duff and leaves behind. If the bird finds an acorn, it picks up the nut in its beak, straightens its neck, and swallows. The nut is stored in the bird's crop, a flexible bag in which juices and body heat work to soften it. Then the nut passes into the gizzard, an enlarged, thick-walled section of the food canal which contains small stones and gravel called grit.
Strong muscles use the grit to grind down the acorn.
Turkeys may range up to several miles a day in search of food and water, sometimes establishing regular feeding areas if left undisturbed. The strides of chased gobblers have been measured at four feet and their top speed estimated at 18 mph. Each evening, turkeys fly into trees to spend the night. A flock of 6 to 40 birds may roost in the same tree or in adjacent trees. They prefer the shelter of conifers during inclement weather.