There seems to have appeared several small groups of wild turkeys around Lincoln County. We had heard that there was a group of the wild birds in Eagle Valley so we picked a beautiful Sunday afternoon and rode out to see what we could find. Well, it didn?t take long. We were slowly driving down the beautiful tree lined lane when there appeared five or six gobblers running down a driveway headed straight toward us with the grave purpose of attack. Wow! We didn?t need to find them. They had found us.
We stopped the jeep and they surrounded us. What a kick! They stretched their necks and fanned their tail as they checked us out. In between these gestures they pecked ferociously at our tires. It was the funniest thing I had seen in a long time. I carefully opened the window hoping they wouldn?t be able to fly right in and start pecking at us. I then started ?gobbling? at them in my best gobble, and it did sound pretty good. The more I gobbled the more they gobbled and the louder I got the louder they got! It was quite a contest,
Never would I have dared to get out of the protection the jeep offered. That could be life or limb dangerous.
We slowly drove off, careful not to harm any of those beautiful creature and watched them in the rear view mirrors as they chased us down the road. We were all safe and sound.
I thought of the enormous job those birds have with the approach of the Thanksgiving holiday. Just how successful will they be at dodging the Thanksgiving table? It is my belief that they have almost become pets to many of the residents in the Valley. However, there may be some that find them annoying. I prefer the thought that they have become friends and will survive well. I would like to think that I can enjoy them for many years to come.
It was a fun and memorable afternoon exploring another avenue of our beautiful county. We are always looking for something new and these beautiful creatures provided us well. So practice your ?gobble? and go hunting in a ?fun? way.
Written by Peggy Draper Hone