Rose is Rose by Don Wimmer and Pat Brady for November 29, 2023

The only wild turkey in which I’m interested is found in a liquor store.

First turkey I ever saw who could roost in a tree.

Here in town, turkeys can be found roosting on the roof peaks. I do wish the city would allow bow hunting in city limits. We have way too many wild-turkeys running around.

Roasting elsewhere.

Wild Turkeys are also very noisy compared with other wildlife.

And when they take off and fly they look sort of like flying bowling balls…not very aerodynamic looking but they do what they need to do.

Around here, turkey numbers are declining due to the rise in the number of coyotes.

If they would only turn around…

Tsk, two-dimensional thinking. Jimbo has obviously never watched Star Trak: The Wrath of Khan. Or just about any horror movie with a monster that could crawl or climb.

Several years ago I was an umpire at a re-enactor war game doing the French and Indian war. I was with a group of colonials moving through the woods of a NY state park and we heard a lot of movement on the other side of a slight rise. Muskets were held ready and everyone popped over the top expecting to blast a Huron war party. instead there was a flock of wild turkeys that at once took wing.

as they flapped off one man said “If just one of us had buck shot in his gun, we’d have thanksgiving dinner right there.”

Turkeys used to roost in our yard in the trees along the river with our neighbor’s peacocks.

They can also be found in groups of 20 or more, holding up traffic on the road by crossing single file. Some of them panic & turn around or can’t make up their mind what to do. Some are quite clumsy while flying up into the trees.

Out here they are all over but hightail it, literally, at any hint of human. Too much hunting for them to feel safe.

Roosting in trees allow them to avoid being preyed on while they sleep.

About 30 years ago I was stationed at the old Fort Ord. Much of the post had been abandoned and the wildlife was taking over. A lot of the animals were pushing their way into the miltary housing areas where we lived.

A neighbor of mine had wild turkeys living in a tree near his quarters. They were vicious. Would chase the guys dog and cat. The kids couldn’t play in the backyard.

Wild animals in nature make difficult neighbors.

We have them in town & in the countryside.

They were reintroduced in southern Wisconsin 25-30 ago & have thrived.

Just had a parade of 10 turkeys march down our driveway and into the woods.

Wild turkeys love to hang around here. Even the barn cat leaves them alone.

I used to see a small flock of turkeys around Omaha. Haven’t seen them for a while. I was driving the school driver training car on a gravel road back in the early 60s and as I approached a left turn in the road, there was a tree ahead of us with several roosting pheasants. It was late Fall, so there were no leaves to hide them. Of course, we all knew pheasants could fly. Your dog flushes them, and you shoot them as they take off.

I have worked with a lot of turkeys. Glad I’m retired now.

This is the time of year wild turkeys are good at hiding.

Wild turkeys roost in trees all the time in Tennessee.