Turkey meats are delicious, no doubt, except you are a vegan. However, live turkeys can be beasts, especially the males (usually called toms or gobblers). I have been pursued several times by gobblers. I actually shed a few drops of tears and shouted at the top of my voice for help on one particular occasion when all hope seemed lost and it appeared the animal was going to get the best of me. And yea, that happened a few years back, not like I was a kid.
I took these images using my humble iPhone 6s a few days ago and you all will be wondering how I was able to move that close to the animal despite the horrible experience I have had. Well, I have studied this particular gobbler for a while and discovered that it is not as aggressive those I have known in the past. He once followed my car ( I was driving) as if to strike it but that was just about the most aggressive action I have ever witnessed from him. What changed? I wondered but the answer was right there staring at me in the face.
The gobbler is an improved breed over the local ones. The latter are usually the ones that are terribly aggressive and can attack or pursue anyone unprovoked. I experienced the aggressive from local turkeys reared by my old man. He usually moves around with a long stick to scare them away whenever he is within the compound. If he, the owner, can do this, you can imagine what someone like me who is just an occasional visitor would have to do to contain their aggression.
Another annoying attribute of local turkeys over their hybrid counterparts is the noise they make whenever they perceive any sound that is foreign to them. This particular attribute seemed fun to us when we were kids until adulthood made us to make a u-turn. Back then, whenever we are passing by any gobbler within our neighbourhood, we would whistle or make some strange noise just to witness the animal make those sounds.
The sound is peculiar to the gobbler and is referred to gobble. This attribute seemed to have been lost in the improved breed turkey, meaning that the local turkeys are the closest to their wild ancestors. While the sound might appear as fun/nuisance to us, it has a variety of usefulness to the animal. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation:
The gobble is a loud, rapid gurgling sound made by male turkeys. The gobble is one of the principal vocalizations of the male wild turkey and is used primarily in the spring to let hens know he is in the area. Hunters must be cautious using a gobble, especially on public land where it may attract fellow hunters to your position. It can also be a double-edged sword. A gobble may draw a dominate tom to you looking for a fight or you might drive away less dominant birds who want to avoid a beating. It is often used as a call of last resort. However, it can also be used effectively late in the evening when trying to get a tom to gobble on the roost. source
Of course, there are other sounds produced by turkey but most of these have been lost in the domesticated ones. Each of these sounds has its own purpose in the animal.
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Thanks for sharing all of this interesting info about gobblers. It sounds like what you went through you will never forget. 😬 I’m glad you survived it.
Nice photos!
Thanks. It was one experience I'll never forget. Those creatures are scary. Only those who've encountered them in their aggressive state can tell the true story.
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If I were you I wouldn't go in, I would tell the man ''hey man, I felt like going to the bathroom... in my house'' or something like that..... I have an uncle who has a lot of farm animals, including turkeys. Ever since I was little I have been scared of these beasts because they are so scary when they chase.....
Is like you're on the verge of death, and you say ''sir, this is the end of me'' and it's terrifying. However, I love them, I love animals of this species.
I had no idea about this either, curious, maybe people need to read more about animals near/inside their home.
This work is wonderful, I congratulate you on it. Thank you very much for sharing it. Best regards!
They are actually lovely when they are young and yet to become aggressive. Not sure turkey is one of the animals I would think of keeping. Nah
Thank you for the insightful and detailed comment.
I hope you had a nice experience while capturing these photos and its something we rarely get the opportunity to live and enjoy. Hope I am right?
I did, thought I was a bit afraid. STill suffering ptsd from the last attack
At our place this chicken is called, sifter laugh.Lol.
I have never eaten this chicken, have you ever eaten it?
And how does it taste, is it the same as regular chicken?
It tastes great, perhaps a bit better than chicken. But that depends on whether it is a local or hybrid. Locals usually taste better than hybrids
Yes.
I'll try to taste the meat.
But in our place the chicken is made as a decoration chicken, rarely seen people eat their meat.
cook me up some fine turkey on thankgiving day
Guess the traditional meat for thanksgiving is turkey?
In the US yes.
Not sure about Canada.
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