|
|
Article: Wild turkey. (Know Your Game Series).
- Article from:
- Sports Afield
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Natural History of Wild Turkey
Native to North America, the wild turkey was encountered in great abundance by the first European colonists. This gamebird was so prized by early settlers that it has long been portrayed as the main entree at the first Thanksgiving dinner in 1620, although there is no evidence that turkey was actually on the menu. It is also commonly believed that Benjamin Franklin championed the wild turkey for consideration as the national symbol, rather than the bald eagle, but this also is not true. Even though the wild turkey is 100-percent American, like the buffalo, it was nearly pushed into extinction from market hunting and destruction of ...