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Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com www.TheCatoctinBanner.com The Catoctin Banner Newspaper December 2015 Page 33
dragging the ground. They will strut The poults have nothing more
by Chris O’Connor around the hens so as to best display than their downy camouflage to
their red, green, copper, and gold
remain indistinguishable from their
iridescent feathers. As a member of a surroundings.
mountain talk polygamous species, toms will court suspects, including skunks, opossums,
Nest predators include the usual
multiple hens.
Wild turkey hens are on their own
snakes, foxes, and other egg-eating
after breeding and left to fashion creatures. Domestic dogs can be a
Wild Turkeys, Our Native American Birds their own nests, albeit minimalistic threat as well.
ones. Turkey hens’ nests aren’t built
Mature turkeys and poults are
The wild Stock Photo a seasonal diet as many birds are, birds that typically hunted by coyotes, raptors, bobcats,
cougars…and, of course, humans.
have mates who help them search for
turkey, a large that follows the materials and painstakingly construct Some protection is provided tom
game bird maturation of them. turkeys with rather substantial spurs
native to North different plants A turkey hen finds a suitable on their feet that can grow one to two
America, suffered and availability: location at the base of a tree, within inches long. It is said that while the
severely depleted whatever they can the cover of shrubby growth or tom is more apt to run up to twenty-
numbers due to forage on—forest tall grasses containing a shallow five miles per hour to escape attack,
habitat loss and floor or farm field, depression, with little more than females are more likely to take to the
unfettered hunting including seeds, existing leaf litter or other dry wing.
in America over a insects, berries, material, and begins to lay her eggs. Both genders share extremely
span of hundreds invertebrates The hen may lay up to around acute hearing and eyesight, arguably
of years. such as snails, worms, and small fifteen or more eggs at the rate of one their most effective survival assets.
Thanks to decades of efforts by amphibians and snakes. They are per day. She doesn’t begin incubation They also roost in trees at night
wildlife conservation groups, natural reported to have over six hundred until the last one is laid. When the which offers some protection from
resources folks, and creative solutions food sources. young hatch after approximately terrestrial threats, though it is hard
to their management, wild turkeys Male turkeys are called toms twenty-eight days, the young—or to imagine a twenty-five pound tom
have rebounded and now number or gobblers, for their famous “poults” as her young are called—are accomplishing such a feat.
over seven million. vocalization that can be heard over “precocial,” meaning they are active Deep winter snowfall is a passive
A significant tool utilized to revive a mile away. They’ll range over and require little care. threat, a time when the birds may
the wild turkey numbers, while they several square miles, sometimes The active chicks enjoy yolk be unable to reach the ground
had all but disappeared, is the net joining a flock with hens, or traveling reserves for a few days and scratch to scavenge fallen nuts such as
cannon. Simply put, the net cannon individually, though the species is for insects with mother hen to fuel acorns and other foodstuffs crucial
is a wide net spread on the ground, considered a social one. their rapid growth, which in part to restoration of fat and protein
chow is scattered, turkeys arrive to Mating season arrives early spring. enables the poults to fly for short necessary to their survival until
chow down. The cannon is triggered, Toms will enter a clearing or fly up to distances within a couple of weeks. spring.
and the net draws up around the a tree branch where they cackle away Hens will continue to brood the If there are no seeds, berries or
birds. The birds are then shipped to with their species-specific siren song: poults at night for some weeks, while other sustenance available, turkeys
locales where the birds are scarce or the famous gobble, which makes they remain especially susceptible to can survive a fast for approximately
non-existent. all their head parts—such as the hypothermia due to spring rains and two weeks.
Turkeys possess excellent hearing wattles under the beak and the fleshy chilly nights. When spring arrives and life begins
and eyesight, are omnivores and long protuberance hanging over the Eggs, hen, and poult predation anew, one may witness tom turkeys
opportunistic feeders, so on the face beak—wiggle as part of the display. are responsible for extreme losses to with their red, white, and blue
of it, they probably enjoy an easier They are often depicted displaying future generations of wild turkeys. caruncle-covered featherless heads,
life than many other wild animals. their magnificent mating plumage The mother hen has limited means to long snood and wiggling red wattles
They will consume whatever they with tails fanned out, feathers protect her live young, especially in in courtship regalia strutting around
can find, having adapted to follow puffed up, and wings dropped and the first two weeks of life. one or more female wild turkeys in a
During the day, the mother clearing.
hen may sound an alarm call that Just as quickly as one sees them,
signals poults to remain still. She blink and they disappear as if they
will feign a broken wing injury and were merely an apparition now
hobble away to lure a predator away camouflaged in the shade and light,
from her very defenseless young. drifting away in plain sight.
dragging the ground. They will strut The poults have nothing more
by Chris O’Connor around the hens so as to best display than their downy camouflage to
their red, green, copper, and gold
remain indistinguishable from their
iridescent feathers. As a member of a surroundings.
mountain talk polygamous species, toms will court suspects, including skunks, opossums,
Nest predators include the usual
multiple hens.
Wild turkey hens are on their own
snakes, foxes, and other egg-eating
after breeding and left to fashion creatures. Domestic dogs can be a
Wild Turkeys, Our Native American Birds their own nests, albeit minimalistic threat as well.
ones. Turkey hens’ nests aren’t built
Mature turkeys and poults are
The wild Stock Photo a seasonal diet as many birds are, birds that typically hunted by coyotes, raptors, bobcats,
cougars…and, of course, humans.
have mates who help them search for
turkey, a large that follows the materials and painstakingly construct Some protection is provided tom
game bird maturation of them. turkeys with rather substantial spurs
native to North different plants A turkey hen finds a suitable on their feet that can grow one to two
America, suffered and availability: location at the base of a tree, within inches long. It is said that while the
severely depleted whatever they can the cover of shrubby growth or tom is more apt to run up to twenty-
numbers due to forage on—forest tall grasses containing a shallow five miles per hour to escape attack,
habitat loss and floor or farm field, depression, with little more than females are more likely to take to the
unfettered hunting including seeds, existing leaf litter or other dry wing.
in America over a insects, berries, material, and begins to lay her eggs. Both genders share extremely
span of hundreds invertebrates The hen may lay up to around acute hearing and eyesight, arguably
of years. such as snails, worms, and small fifteen or more eggs at the rate of one their most effective survival assets.
Thanks to decades of efforts by amphibians and snakes. They are per day. She doesn’t begin incubation They also roost in trees at night
wildlife conservation groups, natural reported to have over six hundred until the last one is laid. When the which offers some protection from
resources folks, and creative solutions food sources. young hatch after approximately terrestrial threats, though it is hard
to their management, wild turkeys Male turkeys are called toms twenty-eight days, the young—or to imagine a twenty-five pound tom
have rebounded and now number or gobblers, for their famous “poults” as her young are called—are accomplishing such a feat.
over seven million. vocalization that can be heard over “precocial,” meaning they are active Deep winter snowfall is a passive
A significant tool utilized to revive a mile away. They’ll range over and require little care. threat, a time when the birds may
the wild turkey numbers, while they several square miles, sometimes The active chicks enjoy yolk be unable to reach the ground
had all but disappeared, is the net joining a flock with hens, or traveling reserves for a few days and scratch to scavenge fallen nuts such as
cannon. Simply put, the net cannon individually, though the species is for insects with mother hen to fuel acorns and other foodstuffs crucial
is a wide net spread on the ground, considered a social one. their rapid growth, which in part to restoration of fat and protein
chow is scattered, turkeys arrive to Mating season arrives early spring. enables the poults to fly for short necessary to their survival until
chow down. The cannon is triggered, Toms will enter a clearing or fly up to distances within a couple of weeks. spring.
and the net draws up around the a tree branch where they cackle away Hens will continue to brood the If there are no seeds, berries or
birds. The birds are then shipped to with their species-specific siren song: poults at night for some weeks, while other sustenance available, turkeys
locales where the birds are scarce or the famous gobble, which makes they remain especially susceptible to can survive a fast for approximately
non-existent. all their head parts—such as the hypothermia due to spring rains and two weeks.
Turkeys possess excellent hearing wattles under the beak and the fleshy chilly nights. When spring arrives and life begins
and eyesight, are omnivores and long protuberance hanging over the Eggs, hen, and poult predation anew, one may witness tom turkeys
opportunistic feeders, so on the face beak—wiggle as part of the display. are responsible for extreme losses to with their red, white, and blue
of it, they probably enjoy an easier They are often depicted displaying future generations of wild turkeys. caruncle-covered featherless heads,
life than many other wild animals. their magnificent mating plumage The mother hen has limited means to long snood and wiggling red wattles
They will consume whatever they with tails fanned out, feathers protect her live young, especially in in courtship regalia strutting around
can find, having adapted to follow puffed up, and wings dropped and the first two weeks of life. one or more female wild turkeys in a
During the day, the mother clearing.
hen may sound an alarm call that Just as quickly as one sees them,
signals poults to remain still. She blink and they disappear as if they
will feign a broken wing injury and were merely an apparition now
hobble away to lure a predator away camouflaged in the shade and light,
from her very defenseless young. drifting away in plain sight.
