It’s spring, and wild turkeys are on the loose in eastern Idaho – East Idaho News

As I crossed the bridge across the South Fork of the Teton River on Tuesday morning, I saw 18 wild turkeys on the sand, soaking in the water. I tried to take pictures, but they all flew over the willows before I could take pictures.

My plans quickly changed from swans and sandhill cranes to seeing how many flocks of turkeys I could find.

On my travels over the next three days, I found many crabs along the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, the South Fork of the Snake River, the Snake River below the confluence, the South Fork of the Teton River, the North Fork of the Teton River, and the Moody Creek drainage east of Rexburg.

Most of them were on private land where wild animals are protected by owners or caretakers. In every place I was allowed to go to take pictures of wildlife, I found turkeys starting their spring activities.

Wild turkeys in spring

During the winter months, many females with last year’s babies were in large groups while the males were gathered in “bachelor” pots. Now, the males start mingling, and the mature males show themselves by waving their tails and pushing each other.

The females still haven’t shown any interest in the males, but the large herds are starting to break up into smaller herds, and soon more will follow.

The jakes – the immature males – mingle with the females, but are often ignored by the big toms. Jakes under 2 years of age usually have whiskers less than 5 inches long. Their spurs are small nubs, and their tail feathers are uneven, with the middle feathers longer than the side feathers.

Adult males are called Toms or gobblers. They have large tail feathers, whiskers from 7 to 9 cm in length, pointed spurs up to 1.5 inches, and a featherless head that changes color.

A mature male’s head will change from red to blue or white, depending on its mood or health. They also use the color of their heads to attract chickens.

On top of a Tom’s bill is a long, fleshy part called a “snood” – and the longer it is, the more attractive it is to females. Old Toms have large wattles hanging from their necks. These males will touch each other with these fleshy parts while mating together.

Females are called hens and have no beards or spurs; they grow when they pass the year.

Young turkeys are called “poults” and can fly after they are only 2 weeks old, while most of their body feathers are still soft. They have to learn to fly early so they can roost in trees to protect themselves from ground predators. During the first two weeks of their lives, hens must protect their young by sleeping on the ground with the young under their wings and body.

It’s smart, fast and friendly – just as good or better

All turkeys have excellent hearing, and their eyes are superior to humans – they have a 270-degree field of vision, compared to our 180 degrees.

They can run over 20 miles per hour and can fly short distances up to 55 mph when in danger. I have seen them fly across the Snake River or the forks of the Teton River to escape the chicks that were hunting them.

Wild turkeys are very aggressive birds, live in flocks, and are known to attack humans when approached. If given the opportunity to form a relationship with us, a turkey can recognize a person by their facial features.

They can be very friendly – or annoying – when we feed them. But be careful: When the herd gets used to your home, it will leave behind a lot of “big calling cards” that can be a real mess.

I have been there. I did that.

My advice? Enjoy turkeys from a distance.

Have a great Easter and enjoy the warm weather forecast this week.