Honkin' at turkeys...

[yadada]

So here comes this wild turkey walkin' across the road 300 feet or so in front of me. Now in my defense I was just trying to be nice, I don't like to startle wildlife. I think to my self "Self, you should honk at the turkey so he knows you're there and he will get out of the way."

I thought wrong!

He stops walking, and looks at me, and stands in the middle of the road. I honk a few more times. He cocks his head at me like, "You talkin to me punk?". I proceed to slow down some more and decide that honking may not be the best thing for me to do at this point in time. As I got closer I kept slowing down, and he wasn't moving. So I said to myself "Self, I think you're gonna lose this game of chicken with the turkey! Self, you better just go around!"

So I did, and as I passed him standing in the middle of the road, me in the right track and him near the double yellow, HE FLIES UP AND TRIES TO SPUR ME! Luckily he missed!

So I say to myself "Self, you shoulda kicked that turkey!"

I guess the moral of the story is that you shouldn't honk at turkeys because your horn might sound like a turkey call.

No animals were harmed during the production of this thread.

[mason79]

the only turkey's i see here in los angeles are in cages

[bikerphil]

My loud exhaust usually scares them off before I get even close.

[Wildkat]

Almost spit my tea all over the screen...

I know this story was a lot funnier on our end than it was on yours (at least for now) but Man oh Man! was that good for a laugh...

Glad that you (and the turkey) came out unscathed...

Maybe he was just seeking revenge for all of the Thanksgiving dinners you've eaten over the years?

[mstic2000]

That was funny! Makes me hungry for a turkey sandwich.......

[jeffe]

Not a story about turkeys, nut a maybe a turkey of a story. Last fall I was riding down US 62 from the Canton area to Columbus. I saw a deer along the edge of the road so I slowed down to about 15 to 20mph. He looked at me bit did not move. Slowed down a little more. 5 to 10 mph. Still just looked a me. Just as I got beside him he decided to run across the road. If I had not not downshifted into first and hit full throttle he would of T boned me. As it was he clipped my Vetter trunk and left a few hairs caught in the grab rail in the trunk. Just hit me enough to make me wobble a little. Was wide awake though.

[Ivan]

There is a reason they call them turkeys

We have scads of the damn things here around my place. One time I had over 50 of them in my back yard. Tried to chase them away, but they looked at me like "WTF?" Then the neighbor's black lab came out and they fled. I guess they knew it could run faster than a fat guy.

When they are on the road, I have found the best thing to do is NOT give them something to get confused over. Loud noises and quick motions interrupt the connection between their two brain cells. They forget what they were doing and then run into each other, forget where they were going, get dizzy and all sorts of things. Hope they don't start making cell phones for them.

[ClarkGriswald]

I second that Ivan, in the last week Ive walked out the door probably 3 or 4 times and heres about a dozen turkeys in the yard. (granted most of my yard/property is planted in turkey federation wildlife mix just so I dont have to mow it, and for winter for the birds and mainly the tiny amount of natural pheasants that still live right here).

Anyway if youve ever hunted turkey, one of the funnest things is how difficult it can be as they have incredible vision.. if you move your eyeballs they see it and run/fly..

Yet of course when its not turkey season ahha.. they are like lice hahahha

Bunch of really nice big Tom's in that group.. wonder if its too late to sign up for fall turkey season.

[Jerry]

When I lived in central Wisconsin (Daleyville) there was quite a good-size flock of turkeys that would always cross the road at a curve about a mile up from my place. I learned that real quick, after breaking a windshield on the Vetter (now you know why the portholes are yellowed with age and the shield isn't) and even a couple dents in the cage. A few miles past that spot and a pair of phesants had a nest, and the male would often fly up when you got close. Not as bad a deal, he always seemed to fly across instead of at you and was smaller than the turkeys. Anyway, large flying birds got to be part of my commute. Last few miles home were always interesting.

[mstic2000]

Yeah, when I was younger and used to go turkey hunting those darn birds are the hardest thing to hunt! But of course now.......I drive down the street and here is a whole herd of them just standing out in the cornfield waving at me!!!!

[Yamaniac]

my aunt got hit in the head by one when riding. She stayed on the bike, but got something close to an Insta-migraine.

Randy,
Wife and I are riding to Ottawa on Saturday to the car show. You interested in riding over with?

[chrisso]

Glad we dont got Turkeys here... Kangaroos, Wallabies,Wombats,Emus,Camels, snakes, Volvos and Goannas are enough to watch out for.........I hit a cow once in NZ at about 30 mph on an RD400.That was interesting. Bike1-Cow nil

[FANNING507]

I've had some similar close calls. I put deer whistles on the fork ears, under the handlebars, and this seems to help tremendously. Buzzards, turtle doves, and deer seems to be deterred. My only trouble is fawns, and deer in rut. Fellow XS'er in south central Kansas. Kim

[yadada]

Theron - I'm interested, and I would go, but I can't. I'm going to have to work some OT on Saturday. We went last year though, and there were some pretty nice cars. I had a good time even though it was pouring down rain the whole time. Randy

chrisso - Do Kangaroos do the "I'm almost all the way across, now I'm gonna turn around and run back in front of you!" thing? Or do they just keep bouncing along?

[mstic2000]

Originally posted by chrisso
I hit a cow once in NZ at about 30 mph on an RD400.That was interesting. Bike1-Cow nil

Hit a cow on a RD400???

I wonder if that would be considered "cow tipping"...? LOL