Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 4:15pm

As God is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

 

Well actually some Turkeys can.  Wild Turkeys can fly, albeit clumsily and not more than about 100 yards at a time.  Domestic Turkeys, bred for the table, cannot fly, largely due to their overdeveloped chests, home to all that prized white breast meat.  I don’t know if the publicity stunt would have fared much better with terrified flying wild Turkeys landing near onlookers.  Some things man simply was not meant to meddle with, and that includes dropping Turkeys from great heights.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
3 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Suz
Suz
Tuesday, November 22, AD 2016 10:47am

Unforgettable moment in WKRP history!

A couple of (wild) toms were scrapping behind the barn yesterday right in the heart of a blizzard, taking advantage of a scoop in the snowdrifts beneath a still-leafy oak. Looked like two kickboxers in a ring. They took off and flew just fine in 30mph gusts. Generally turkeys run for cover, but when the snow is deep, or they are startled abruptly, they fly to the treetops. A flock of 50 or 60 big wild turkeys erupting from thick brush right under your nose is… dramatic.

Anna Bucciarelli
Anna Bucciarelli
Wednesday, November 23, AD 2016 5:02am

I have a flock of wild turkeys visiting my yard come spring through fall, never have seen them in winter. They are not the prettiest birds, rather ugly and not at all like the pretty depictions we see on cards for greetings on Thanksgiving, and they can be very mean. There is usually a leader of the group who will come charging at me if I step out of my slider into the yard, beak wide open ready to peck at me for no reason I can figure. They also hang out in a local cemetery and peck away at many of the decs on some of the grave sights. When I visit I usually just sit in my car by my loved one’s grave, fearing an attack. I wish they WOULD fly away, from my yard and the cemetery, they are frightening.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Wednesday, November 23, AD 2016 6:58am

Nearly 40 years ago, early mornings we would see Wild Turkey on lawns in a NYC suburb on Long Island. They roosted in the wooded margins along the parkway running to Jones Beach.
.
Ben Franklin wanted the Wild Turkey, as opposed to the bold-looking Bald Eagle, as national symbol. He thought the BE is a scavenger and thief. The WT is highly intelligent and courageous. They can fly but not soar. They roost overnight in treetops. Many hunters value them. They’re hard to get.
.
Some farmers raise WT or WT hybrids. I’ve read that they need to clip one wing’s pin feathers so the WT can’t fly around.
.
Our son rented a small house on 11 acres outside Fort Polk, LA. I helped him move in. Each day about 25 wild turkey would “work” the fallow field to the left of the house; except when we were exercising our Second Amendment rights to sight in.
.
Less populous are Ruffed Grouse which we sometimes “kick up” while still-hunting for deer. It’s startling and you can’t swing a .30 cal. deer rifle on a freaked out grouse. Believe me I tried.
.

Discover more from The American Catholic

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Scroll to Top