Wild Turkeys

[Joe Pelonio]

I was born in San Francisco and lived in the Bay Area for 40 years before moving here to the Seattle area. In the time I never saw a wild turkey.

This weekend we were down there for a wedding. First, at my sister's home in Walnut Creek we saw probably a dozen of them in the front yard. Then, at a friend's home in Castro Valley, near where we used to live, we saw another 6-8 of them on the sloped part of the back yard. On the way to a winery in Sunol, there were a few more at the side of the road. Where did all these come from? We asked our friends and they had no idea, said they had started to show up 5-6 years ago.

[David G Baker]

Joe,
We must still live in parallel universes. I was born in Michigan and left when I was 14, never saw a deer or a wild turkey. Left California without seeing either. Returned to Michigan 42 years later, deer and wild turkeys are all over the place.
I have been back here in Michigan for around 7 years. During Winter we feed as many as 25 deer every night in our front yard but have yet to see a living buck with antlers. Three years ago I returned to California to visit family in the Sacramento area and took a side trip to Folsom Prison to check out the craft shop. On the long winding road to the prison we saw over 50 wild turkeys and when we reached the prison parking lot there were 5 or 6 deer roaming around that had unbelievable racks.
When I was a kid I spent days roaming around the hills surrounding Folsom Lake and never saw any critters other than a few rattlers and a jack rabbit or two.
I have only had one wild turkey show up at my place but they are almost every other place I go.

[Rod Torgeson]

Just yesterday coming home from my weekly shopping in town(The Dalles, Oregon) I came around this corner and there were about a dozen or so in the middle of the road. If I hadn't slowed down I would have hit one or two. They scattered every which way. I see them every now and then when I am going or coming from town(its about 25 miles one way). I see deer all the time.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

[Craig D Peltier]

Back in SE Massachusetts as well ,loaded with turkeys that were never there 5 or less yrs ago. Had to stop twice in 10 days on road for turkeys.

Then something I never saw there in the wild I saw here last week. Two ring necked pheasants , they were there in the morning then when i was back at 5pm just off of a parking lot.

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[Bob Rufener]

The state of Wisconsin did some kind of swap with Missouri in 1976. I don't remember what was sent to Missouri but we received a bunch of wild turkeys. They have reproduced in huge numbers and now cover most of the state. A few winters ago, I saw over 100 birds in a cut corn field about 4 miles from our house. We occasionally have from 1 to 12 birds under our bird feeder. We had one a few years ago that spent half the summer around the house and frequently came on our deck to peck at the intruder turkey image she saw of herself in the patio door glass. I enjoy hunting them and have bagged 2 toms and a jake (young tom). Not as good eating as the domestic but a challenge to hunt. My last bird taken was over 24 lbs and had the misfortune of walking toward my decoys just as I awoke from a nice nap. The beard was about 11 inches long and the spurs were 1 1/4" long. His tail, beard, and spurs now reside on the wall in our sun room.

[Mike Wilkins]

I have seen a few wild turkeys and drank a few wild turkeys here in eastern North Carolina. Its getting that time of year when both will start to be seen all over the place, including the highways.
Keep your eyes open guys.

[Joe Pelonio]

Not as good eating as the domestic but a challenge to hunt.

I wondered about that, because people have been chasing them away rather that catching them for supper.

[David G Baker]

On several occasions I have had free range turkey and found it delicious. I have only had wild turkey once and found it to be very good but haven't had enough to make a judgement call on how the meat compares with commercially raised turkeys.

[mark page]

Got them in my area by the scores. Not uncommon to see flocks of 20-30 of them at a time. In fact there is one hen that is bound and determined to take my windshield out appx 4 times a week. I have to take it slow and easy driving within a few blocks of the house.
As for eating, there is nothing better than wild turkey. Breast it, slice it like tenderloin and either fry or deep fat fry it. Whatever you do, don't bake it like a thanksgiving turkey. As for the spirits, it ranks up there pretty high too.

[Jim Becker]

Wild turkeys have "come back" from the brink of extinction and are pretty numerious these days. They are also bolder (by necessity) due to the shear amount of development since they still need to gather food to live. (a big part of their diet is acorns) Development also affects their travels negatively...the large flock that we used to have visit doesn't come by anymore since a big development of McMansions went up nearby. It's distrupted their feeding trails in a major way. 'Shame as I love watching and feeding them.

[Justin Leiwig]

I have one on my way to work that is determined to make me have a heart attack. In the morning sometimes she will fly right across the road in front of me, and in the afternoon coming home I always seem to get stopped where she runs into the side of my car charging the image of herself.

[Butch Edwards]

..nothing like hearing a Gobbler @ daybreak, on a crisp spring morning... been huntin' 'em for over 25 yrs... it's spiritual I tell ya. if you ever get the chance to go...go..if for nothing else, you'll hear nature at a time that no other season can offer.

[Jim Becker]

Justin, I used to have a big male that loved to admire himself in the chrome bumper of the Tundra I used to drive. (Just like our Cocketiel loves to show off for that "other Cocketiel" in the mirrors in his cage) I actually was able to walk within about 6 feet of him several times (without getting attacked). I suspect he remembered who was putting out the sunflower seeds...LOL

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

We had a whole passel of 'em in our back woods a few years ago.

They were so charming and cute wandering out of the woods all over the driveway. Till they started to crap everywhere.

Same with Geese.
In the north country you'd be out late at night in the fall when the snow was falling and hear the geese flying by moonlight heading south. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of one of nature's cooler wonders as they flew past the moon. In the drear cold days just before winter's heartless grasp caught everything up, the Geese flying overhead was a wonderful sound. You'd look up and see that georgous wonder of the Wedge of Geese winging their way south.

But in wet New Jersey, geese are synonymous with crap all over the place and lakes that stink all summer.


Something about crap all over the place just takes the shine off things.

[Terry Achey]

..nothing like hearing a Gobbler @ daybreak, on a crisp spring morning... been huntin' 'em for over 25 yrs... it's spiritual I tell ya. if you ever get the chance to go...go..if for nothing else, you'll hear nature at a time that no other season can offer.

You're so right, Butch! Nothing.... nothing in the woods compares to the sound of spring gobblers at daybreak. I just finished turning some new slate calls tonight.

Terry