Wild Turkeys?

[Jonathan Randall]

The strangest thing happened to me at work today. I returned from lunch and there were two wild turkeys running through the parking lot. I work in Natomas (Sacramento, California) in a somewhat rural area. I have to admit, my first thought was, I would love to eat one of them. Seriously, I thought about going home to retrieve my rifle and seeing if I could bag one (a thought instantly discarded for the obvious reasons - no hunting license and bringing a weapon to work). However; this did get me thinking - do wild turkeys make good (and Safe) food? How do I go about hunting them legally in California?

 

[Jade Tigress]

Hmmmm....I have no idea, but there were TONS of wild turkeys where I lived in NC/Tenn. I think they were hunted.

 

[mrhnau]

Hmmmm....I have no idea, but there were TONS of wild turkeys where I lived in NC/Tenn. I think they were hunted.

hmm.... wild NC turkeys *salivates* I see no reason why local turkeys would not be good eats, unless they have live near a nuclear power plant and have three legs. Barring local environmental issues, I'd think it would be safe. Just make sure you cook/clean it well if you bag one. Let us know if you do!

Check with your local sheriff regarding hunting permits/restrictions. He should have sufficient information for you

 

[MA-Caver]

Seeing turkeys... hunting turkeys... bagging turkeys... three radically different things.
I've known turkey hunters that have gone insane trying to bag these birds. They're incredibly intelligent for their small brains. Very wily and very skittish. Even the big fat ole' Toms aren't as easy to bag as they look. Definitely a challenging bird/game to hunt.
Like to try it someday.

 

[Drac]

We have small flock down here by the park entrance..They don't seem too scared of autos..I blew my horn an the just gave me a dirty look..

 

[Carol]

How do I go about hunting them legally in California?

California Dept. of Fish and Game will likely be where you need to start.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/officelocation.html

 

[LuzRD]

dont forget the wild stuffing!!!!!

"Guide to Hunting Turkey in California"
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/ug/turkeyguide05.pdf

taken from http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/hunting/hunting.html

 

[MA-Caver]

We have small flock down here by the park entrance..They don't seem too scared of autos..I blew my horn an the just gave me a dirty look..

You're lucky they didn't give you the WKRP treatment... :wink1:

 

[Carol]

You're lucky they didn't give you the WKRP treatment... :wink1:

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly...

 

[crushing]

We have small flock down here by the park entrance..They don't seem too scared of autos..I blew my horn an the just gave me a dirty look..

We get rafters of turkeys around my place. Like you said, they pretty much ignore automobiles. I've had them give me dirty looks to when laying on the horn too. If I wanted a turkey I wouldn't need to pull a trigger, pressing the accelerator would probably do.

 

[Drac]

You're lucky they didn't give you the WKRP treatment... :wink1:

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly...

WKRP was my favorite sitcom and not just because of Loni Anderson..That episode with the turkeys was a favorite....

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I always have Wild Turkey around. At least 750ml of it!

Seriously, we have huge flocks of them here. I'll wake up some mornings and see around 20-30 across the street.

 

[tellner]

What Carol said. The Fish and Game people will tell you when and where you can hunt them.

Now, as for are they good eating, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" There's just no comparison between the supermarket styrofoam gobbler and a wild bird that's been eating whatever it can get its beak around and having a lot of healthy exercise in the clean outdoors. You can even tell the difference in free range chickens. Your wild turkey won't have the Partonesque chest of the domestic perversion. And it will have a lot more slow-twitch (dark) meat. Mmmmm.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Hunting wild turkeys

I use to work in a hospital near the Adirondacks and during turkey hunting season I use to keep score. It got as high as turkeys 7 hunters 0 one year.

7 hunters ended up in the ER for various silly reasons and not one got a turkey.

EDIT
I am told wild turkeys are fairly smart compared to domestic turkeys which are…. Well… fairly NOT smart

 

[theletch1]

Hunting wild turkeys

I use to work in a hospital near the Adirondacks and during turkey hunting season I use to keep score. It got as high as turkeys 7 hunters 0 one year.

7 hunters ended up in the ER for various silly reasons and not one got a turkey.

EDIT
I am told wild turkeys are fairly smart compared to domestic turkeys which are…. Well… fairly NOT smart

Not really all that smart (unless, of course compared to farm raised ones) but their vision is AMAZING. They are very good eats when properly prepared but don't expect to dig in a get the same bland taste that you get from a store bought bird.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Hunting wild turkeys

I use to work in a hospital near the Adirondacks and during turkey hunting season I use to keep score. It got as high as turkeys 7 hunters 0 one year.

7 hunters ended up in the ER for various silly reasons and not one got a turkey.

EDIT
I am told wild turkeys are fairly smart compared to domestic turkeys which are…. Well… fairly NOT smart

Apparently the turkeys I saw yesterday (and again today!) don't make as good food as those in the Eastern United States. Therefore, they are rarely hunted and you can easily get within spitting distance of them. I do think it depends upon the area and the concentration of Turkeys as to its ease. Sometimes its, well, a Turkey Shoot, and sometimes it's an exercise in futility...

 

[Ninjamom]

...........I see no reason why local turkeys would not be good eats, unless they have live near a nuclear power plant and have three legs.........

Pfshaw!! More drumsticks!!

.......I am told ..........domestic turkeys ....... are…. Well… fairly NOT smart

My mother lived on a farm in PA during the Depression, and among other things, her family raised turkeys. She said you had to bring them into the barn whenever it rained, because if you didn't, they would look up at the sky at the first raindrop that hit them, and watch the rain until they drowned! 'NOT smart' may be something of an understatement!