Fun W/turkeys

[+RJFerret]

Last night I did a multicache from 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM with an interesting stage in the middle--turkey's were roosting over one of the search areas.

 

Now wild turkey's have recently been returning to this area, only back a few years and I've mostly seen them in large flocks near parking lots, at roadsides, and a random yard.

 

They've all happily been on the ground and although I've heard rumors they have wings and know how to use them, I've never seen such myself. (One friends description of a turkey launching itself across a highway was rather scary...)

 

Well we were searching for a micro and infrequently got close enough to flush one then another. You'd hear a sound of some squawking and wing flaps as branches broke when these ungainly birds crashed through the canopy.

 

We spotted one that didn't fly away and got the flashlight on one in flight as we were leaving...

 

Imagine, if you will, the concept of a bowling ball perched on a twig 50' over your head in the dark.

 

'Twas quite special actually,

 

Randy

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Did you go for the white meat or dark?

 

I would have been kicking myself for not having a permit to hunt turkeys if I found myself in that situation. Make sure you save the coords for future hunting (if you're into that sort of thing)

[+Semi-Hex]

We just had a "heritage" turkey for thanksgiving, it was the best one since I hunting my own in Montana. Semi-Hex.

[+Sparrowhawk]

Turkeys can fly??!

 

WKRP LIVES!!!!

Edited December 2, 2003 by Sparrowhawk

[+Bjorn74]

At a recent event, our Geo group was on the tour of a local CSA/Organic Co-Op. One of the stories told involved Turkeys attacking volunteers in the garden. Several turkeys were skewerd with pitchforks over the summer and no more turkeys will be raised on their farm because of this. After our meeting we were going to do a deer count with a hundred more volunteers, so I asked the inevitable question.

 

"I know we're in Deer Bow Season and gun season starts after Thanksgiving, but when does pitchfork season start?"

 

The answer: "As soon as you can stab one."

[+Ttepee]

Now wild turkey's have recently been returning to this area, only back a few years and I've mostly seen them in large flocks near parking lots, at roadsides, and a random yard.

 

Yes they certainlyare back, and I'll vouch for them flying... noisy as all heck. I can only imagine in trees above your head. This past spring I had a mom and 8 babies nesting in my backyard. For a month or so we'd see them foraging in the yard.... was pretty neat to watch them, you could go out in the yard and get pretty close to them. One morning I went outside to go down in the cellar and I was startled by a racket behind me. It appeared that the youngsters were getting a flying lesson. The whole family was up on the roof. I guess I startled them and Mom kicked all the kids off... they did pretty good and made it most of the way across the yard. Mom watched them go then looked at me and turned around and ran further in on the roof away from me. I guess the little guys passed the test because that was the last I've seen of them.

[Mr. Big]

Fly? You betcha! Seen them on the wing many times. A friend is an exec with a concrete firm. One of their mixer drivers came back from a job minus a windshield. As he was motoring along, a turkey came right through it. He was lucky to be alive.

[+jenphil]

they're HILAIOUS to watch take off from the ground. I imagine from a tree they use the extra elevation to gain some speed, on the ground they need a running start, they also sound like a helicopter.

[Captain Chaoss]

A running start, or a lab chasing them. Lucy the Geo-mutt considers it a personal responsibilty to test the flight ability of turkeys.

[+Lone Duck]

Last year my motorhome got hit by a turkey that took off from the roadside. It simply couldn't gain altitude quick enough and crashed into the upper corner of the side window. Bounced off of the roof air conditioner, hit the ground and ran.

 

The largest gathering of flying turkeys that I saw was one Feburary afternoon while out in a National Forest area. More than a hundred came out of the pine trees they were roosting in as we were hiking through them.