When we bought our house in 1999 wild turkeys were the furthest thing from my mind. What we were thinking about was how close this house was from where we both work.

A couple years into our residence my wife saw a fall brood in our back yard. A few years back the woods was home to over fifty wild turkeys before the breakup.



Our front yard is urban. Our backyard a forest. We live in a restricted compact meaning no firearms. I wonder if the turkeys know that? Being this close to yearly flocks has allowed us into the life of wild turkeys, up close and in person. Just as Lovett E Williams Jr's book of the wild turkey taught me so many years ago.

By all means these are true wild turkeys. A species well equipped to adapt. Of all our neighbors only two supplemental feed during the winter. Do we have too? Probably not. I believe the turkeys have chosen this area for a few reasons.

1. The abundance of American Locust.
We own this tree. And a few more like it at the edge of our property. I call it American Locust.



It is in full flower right now. It smells sticky sweet.



This tree usually produces yearly if we have enough rain because it flowers so late it avoids the killing frosts. In the winter like bean pods the seed fall the whole season on top of the snow.

2. Mature white pine
Behind the locust is a grove of mature white pines. In the wild turkey release in Brentwood, NH in the late 70's a hen with a radio transmitter was found to roost here. Her winter travels took here a few crow miles.



3. Brood habitat
There is some conservation land to our east. It was a famous and award winning Black Angus farm in my youth.
The Town of Exeter does a good job of keeping different classes of habitat with frequent pruning. Too bad the dog walkers and mountain bikers voices outweighed successful wildlife management. No hunting allowed!

This has allowed the deer and turkey broods to flourish.





Today was my first day of the MDB disease, PTSDD. (Post Turkey Season Distress Disorder).

I was fine until 0730 this morning. It was hot so the windows were open. The Sunday paper was open on the dining room table. The high test coffee alerted my senses.

GGGOOOBBBLLLEEE, Gobble, gobble comes from the woods out back. In a heartbeat the Lynch Foolproof was singing sexy yelps. Followed by cutting on the Quaker Boy box. For the next two hours I played with five gobbling turkeys in 3 groups from our porch window. They absolutely roared. Enough so I sent Henrietta out back.

The action stopped when Bay made her appearance. Does she know the difference?



Donations for a cure for PTSSD can be mailed to Coalman.

Thank you!