Meleagris gallopavo

Pop culture has ruined my brain. I see a picture like this and it makes me think of Chef dressed up in Braveheart war paint.

A closer view would have been nicer, but they're cautious animals.

Have 'em here in central California too. My sister and I encountered Ma Turkey and six / seven (hard to count them in the tall grass) chicks on one of our walks a few years ago.

eric said: Pop culture has ruined my brain. I see a picture like this and it makes me think of Chef dressed up in Braveheart war paint.

I don't know how universal this is among Spanish speakers, but a wild turkey is a guajolote, while a tame turkey is a pavo.

I grew up in a small town in central Ohio (the same one from which Mr. Hoppe sends regular dispatches elsewhere on this website), and as I recall, the only turkeys I ever saw were on a big platter on Thanksgiving. Had I been older and a consumer of adult beverages, I might have been aware of a brand of firewater called "Wild Turkey" on sale at the State Store (Ohio had some strange laws regarding the sale of strong drink). But that would have been about it. However, on a recent visit back to the old home town, a wild turkey ran across the road in front of my car (Lower Gambier Road, along the Kokosing River). I'm just wondering if the turkeys were in the woods all the time and I had just never noticed in my younger days, or if they were nearly wiped out at one point and are now making a comeback (or have been reintroduced).

Thank you for the memory, Reed! I saw my very first Wild Turkey near Sonora, many years ago.

Deklane said: However, on a recent visit back to the old home town, a wild turkey ran across the road in front of my car (Lower Gambier Road, along the Kokosing River). I'm just wondering if the turkeys were in the woods all the time and I had just never noticed in my younger days, or if they were nearly wiped out at one point and are now making a comeback (or have been reintroduced).

More Texas turkeys, from Palo Duro Canyon. These were not so shy.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=43690011&l=a90a853081&id=17020225

I have done some turkey hunting near Junction, about 50 miles from Sonora. The poults aren't shy but the adults are pretty wiley.
I just eat about 2 pounds of a slow domestic variety, but I would rather be in the woods chasing an noisy tom.

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

Saw a program on domestic turkey production, processing, etc, the day before Thanksgiving. Comment was made that domestic turkeys are so heavy they cannot fly. Wild turkeys can fly quite well, but, I think, prefer to stay on the ground and run.

I had to crop out a flying turkey in the picture.

Yes, I've seen wild turkeys fly; I thought about mentioning that in my comment. I just had to stick in that clip, it's a Thanksgiving classic.

Comment was made that domestic turkeys are so heavy they cannot fly.

Not only can wild turkeys fly, but their young can fly from a very early age. About 2 weeks after hatching a turkey poult is able to fly, although sometimes the flight pattern and direction can be quite comical...

Meaning that at two weeks, they haven't yet learned to ask for directions?