Outdoors - Turkeys can be stupid

   When a person in sitting in the woods in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for the sun to rise, the turkeys gobbling from nearby trees seem very intelligent. They have extremely keen eyesight and can hear a twig snap from a couple hundred yards away. They are cautious and acutely aware of their surroundings. Too much calling can spook them. Too little calling can cause them to lose interest. Some days I feel hunting the wary old gobblers is more luck than skill. Other times, turkeys can appear to be so dumb, it makes a person wonder why they have not died from stupidity.

   When my wife and I go to town, we usually take Billie, the poodle along for the ride. He enjoys hunting from the back seat. We have been known to drive the back streets of the city, looking for squirrels. He is very proud of himself when he causes a squirrel to scamper up a nearby tree by barking out of the window. When we arrive home, we stop at the end of the driveway and let him run and hunt his way to the house. One day last week, as we pulled into the driveway, we stopped and let Billie out as usual. Having had a successful trip of barking at squirrels in town, he was in full hunting mode. He ran a few feet and went on point toward the corral. We looked where he was pointing and finally spotted a turkey. Our stopping or the dog pointing spooked it and it ran to the other side of the corral, bumping into the fence. The panels that make up the corral have openings big enough for the turkey to get his head through but not his body. He backed up and ran into it again. Being unsuccessful on this side, he ran to the other side and ran into the fence a few more times. We were able to call Billie off point before he decided to go get himself some turkey for lunch.

   If he had gone in the corral and attacked the turkey, it would most likely not ended well for either of them. On one of the mad dashes across the corral, I was able to determine, the bird was a big gobbler. Old gobblers have long spurs on their legs as well as a sharp beak. They can defend themselves well with these formidable weapons. Though the dog weighs more than twice what the turkey does, I am sure Billie would not return unscathed.  We loaded Billie up and took him to the house.

   The thought did briefly cross my mind that since it is turkey season, I could legally tag the bird and put him in the freezer. There is legal and there is right. It may be legal, but I would not feel right taking a turkey that was too stupid to figure out how to get out of the corral. After leaving the dog at the house, I drove back up to make sure the old gobbler got out of his predicament. He was still there, poking his head through where his body would not fit. He bumped into the fence another twenty or thirty times as he worked his way up toward the open gate. When he finally spotted the opening, he ran through it and only then flew off. Turkeys may not be as smart as we give them credit, but I bet that gobbler learned to stay out of the corral or at least remember how to get out if he goes in. Perhaps we will meet again in the timber on more equal grounds.