A Mystery Worth Solving
So, what kind of turkey was the bird that nearly became an accidental footstep?
Without the photograph and location, there is no way to say with certainty.
If this happened in much of the southeastern United States, an Eastern wild turkey would be a strong possibility. If the encounter occurred in the Florida peninsula, an Osceola turkey becomes a possibility. In central or western Texas and parts of the Great Plains, Rio Grande becomes increasingly plausible.
The photograph could reveal much more.
A clear view of the tail fan, wing feathers and overall body coloration would make the identification considerably easier.
And perhaps that is what makes the original encounter so entertaining.
A hunter went out to start the week chasing turkeys and nearly walked directly into one.
The bird apparently had its own plans.
For anyone who spends enough time outdoors, those unexpected moments are often the stories that last the longest.
You may forget how many miles you walked or how long you sat beneath a tree waiting for a gobble.
But you are unlikely to forget the morning when you suddenly realized there was a wild turkey almost directly beneath your feet.
That is the unpredictable beauty of hunting down South.
You can plan the hunt.
You can study the terrain.
You can learn the calls.
You can examine tracks and feathers.
But you cannot always predict what will happen when you step into the woods.
Sometimes the turkey finds you first.
