Bring it on Turkey!

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

So late October we moved from in town to our new place with 20 acres. Being so new to the place we are still in the thick of discovering all of the resident critters. Because of this I'm keeping a close eye on all of the animal tracks after a fresh snowfall.
Well this has turned from a little game into a serious challenge....

You see a while back I found these tracks on the pond and I was so excited! I thought wow that's a big bird! but wasn't sure what bird left them:

So I put my hand print there for some scale and asked some local friends on FB... turns out it is a Turkey..... neat! He is a big bird I'll keep an eye out for him, I'll surely catch him hanging around somewhere.....

Fast forward.... still no turkey sightings... but more tracks on the very east edge of the property... pretty ... but not what I'm REALLY looking for out of these birds ... the quest continues.....

Over the last while I've found quite a few tracks through the trails getting closer and closer to the house (sorry no pics

) ... all very fresh ... but ... no turkey damnit! ...by this point I'm pretty sure he is mocking me.... he seems to be just one step ahead of me!

And finally this ... now I'm positive he is messing with me ... he strolled right around the house and up to the front step...oh yeah turkey? ... bring it on !!

To be continued.....

Dagwood56 · Jan 20, 2012

Put out some birdseed and he'll keep coming back. We have a group of 13 that stroll thru our yard every so often and they always linger around under the bird feeder for a while before they leave.

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

Oh really Dagwood? Perfect!
Last shot is right where the feeders are actually so there is plenty of black oil sunflower on the ground. I'll look them up and see if there is something that would be more enticing to them, never thought that they would be visitors to the feeders!

KenC · Jan 20, 2012

I'm all for feeding small birds at feeders, but I'm not sure why anyone would try to feed something the size of a turkey, unless ...

Infinite_Day · Jan 20, 2012

Turkeys will eat darn near anything. They are small, ground scavenging death squads. If you really want to crap your pants sometime try going on a night hike with no light and spooking a flock which you didn't realize was at roost in a tree right above you. Good luck on your "hunt"!

SCraig · Jan 20, 2012

They are smart though and quite shy. I see some from time to time at one of the places I go to shoot photos and even though it is a protected area they are still quite wary of people.

They are really, really ugly to. Not the best photos I've taken by a long shot but they will give you an idea of what you are chasing.

DiskoJoe · Jan 20, 2012

you could get a security cam and set it to record all night and see when the bird is coming by.

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

KenC said:
I'm all for feeding small birds at feeders, but I'm not sure why anyone would try to feed something the size of a turkey, unless ...

Short answer ... yes lol
Longer answer....
We are working towards living as self sufficiently as possible.
The intention is to try it all, growing, chickens, maybe beef, beekeeping (everything needed was included with the house), getting off the grid (already part way there), and hunting. Now out of all of it hunting is the iffyest, Hubby just bought his first gun and has never shot anything other than a target yet. We aren't even sure either of us CAN shoot an animal. IF either of us can then we will only hunt for what we will consume so a deer to fill the freezer or a turkey for holidays. So having them as regular visitors to the property will fit nicely into what we may end up doing.

So worst case scenario, I get to shoot them, with my camera

I am looking forward to figuring out the habits of all the animals around here... even the turkeys... and watching them do their thing... documenting them with my camera is going to be absolutely amazing imho

Infinite_Day said:
Turkeys will eat darn near anything. They are small, ground scavenging death squads. If you really want to crap your pants sometime try going on a night hike with no light and spooking a flock which you didn't realize was at roost in a tree right above you. Good luck on your "hunt"!

lol Infinite! Good to know they aren't picky, I'll likely just keep doing what I'm doing since they have already visited and keep my eyes peeled.... and keep an eye on the trees at night

RebeccaAPhotography · Jan 20, 2012

We had a turkey named...... Gobbles! He lived at the horse rescue I worked at. He was funny as hell def not afraid of people and would follow you like a puppy dog! Lol. Obviously wild are very different then him wish i was more into photography then I could've gotten some nice pics!

RebeccaAPhotography · Jan 20, 2012

PixelRabbit said:
Short answer ... yes lol
Longer answer....
We are working towards living as self sufficiently as possible.
The intention is to try it all, growing, chickens, maybe beef, beekeeping (everything needed was included with the house), getting off the grid (already part way there), and hunting. Now out of all of it hunting is the iffyest, Hubby just bought his first gun and has never shot anything other than a target yet. We aren't even sure either of us CAN shoot an animal. IF either of us can then we will only hunt for what we will consume so a deer to fill the freezer or a turkey for holidays. So having them as regular visitors to the property will fit nicely into what we may end up doing.

So worst case scenario, I get to shoot them, with my camera

I am looking forward to figuring out the habits of all the animals around here... even the turkeys... and watching them do their thing... documenting them with my camera is going to be absolutely amazing imho

lol Infinite! Good to know they aren't picky, I'll likely just keep doing what I'm doing since they have already visited and keep my eyes peeled.... and keep an eye on the trees at night

Just an FYI beef aren't cheap to raise

worked at a few farms that had cattle on them and boy do they go thru hay and grain. Good luck on going off the grid!

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

SCraig said:
They are smart though and quite shy. I see some from time to time at one of the places I go to shoot photos and even though it is a protected area they are still quite wary of people.

They are really, really ugly to. Not the best photos I've taken by a long shot but they will give you an idea of what you are chasing.

Good to know they are shy. Yeah they aren't the prettiest things for sure lol We see them eating carion a lot around here and boy can they be dramatic about it!

DiskoJoe said:
you could get a security cam and set it to record all night and see when the bird is coming by.

We are actually going to pick a couple deer cams up since they are on sale. We have seen so many tracks.. a PLETHORA of bunnies, beaver, raccoon, deer, turkey, multiple canine... the list goes on and on...
It is totally hit and miss trying to see any of them right now but once we get the cams in I can get an idea of when they are coming through since many will be creatures of habit.

Dagwood56 · Jan 20, 2012

When I made my suggesion I didn't realize he could be intended for dinner

, but I understand its a way of life. I know the flock that comes thru here often decreases in size around the holidays. FYI, if you've never eaten a wild turkey before, it will have a stronger taste than one you buy in the store. My husband is a chef, thats how I know, not because I've ever eaten a wild turkey. Good luck in your shoot, or should I say shoots.

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

RebeccaAPhotography said:
We had a turkey named...... Gobbles! He lived at the horse rescue I worked at. He was funny as hell def not afraid of people and would follow you like a puppy dog! Lol. Obviously wild are very different then him wish i was more into photography then I could've gotten some nice pics!

RebeccaAPhotography said:
Just an FYI beef aren't cheap to raise worked at a few farms that had cattle on them and boy do they go thru hay and grain. Good luck on going off the grid!

See there is where the wheels start falling off my apple cart when I think about raising a few animals... if they are named they will never be eaten... even if it is a turkey... if it has no name but a unique personality... mmmm goona be really tough too. I think chickens might be ok but who knows lol.
If we did the beef we would only have a couple, just enough to keep our own freezers full as well as a couple family members. I'm actually pretty darn leary about even trying with the cows to be perfectly honest... I think that ending up with a couple resident cows who lead looooong happy healthy lives is a definite possible outcome lol

Thanks for the luck

this is going to be an interesting ride !

Dagwood56 said:
When I made my suggesion I didn't realize he could be intended for dinner , but I understand its a way of life. I know the flock that comes thru here often decreases in size around the holidays. FYI, if you've never eaten a wild turkey before, it will have a stronger taste than one you buy in the store. My husband is a chef, thats how I know, not because I've ever eaten a wild turkey. Good luck in your shoot, or should I say shoots.

Aw lol believe me ... the turkeys are safe for a good while yet

And we won't be playing shooting gallery off the front deck when/if we go out to hunt one, that's too much like cheating

Yep I have had wild, while I've never hunted I was around hunters growing up so sometimes at the holidays they went out and brought back dinner. It's def more gamey then store bought, many don't like it and I remember developing more of a liking for it as I grew older, didn't like it at all as a child.

PixelRabbit · Jan 20, 2012

Woot! first sighting and it was right out front of the house

.... unfortunately it was when I was letting the dog out .. and she saw it before I did... and lets just say she was less than stealthy about it lol

davesnothere11 · Jan 20, 2012

I've raised turkeys for a few years now for freezer stock and eggs. Their eggs are great (better than chickens IMO) nice and large hard shells and great for baking. Raising you're own let's you pick your finished size too ( I've had some dressed out for the smoker at 45lbs!)

Probably best to do your looking in the morning when it's light out where they feed. Try gobbling they might answer. My turkeys were very talkative. Also at evening time look up where they'll roost. Turkeys have GREAT eyesight do if you see them they see you most likely.