"My Life as a Turkey"

         Today I am watching another PBS documentary. This film tells the story of a man who becomes a mother to turkeys. In 1995, Joe Hutto, who lived in Florida was given a bowl of turkey eggs which he immediately put into an incubator. He planned on doing a science experiment and act as the parent to the young birds to gain insight into the life of a wild turkey. During the incubation process he followed exactly what a hen would do in the days leading up to the hatching. He would call to the young birds and immediately would hear a response from inside the eggs. When the poults finally hatched, Hutto called to them and one by one they came to him. Hutto says that when the birds first responded to him he knew this would not be a science experiment but something much more profound to him. It did not take long for him to realize after being with the birds the first few days that if he committed to this, it could very well be his life for the next several months.
         Hutto went inside to make a sandwich when the birds were about 10 days old and left them alone in a pen. When he came back he discovered a rat snake had swallowed one of the poults. Then and there he knew that he would not leave the birds again until they could fend for themselves. Only a few days later, Hutto took the birds into the woods to let them do whatever these birds do and he began to fall asleep as they walked around. He woke up suddenly to see a hawk land on one of the birds. When the hawk saw Hutto it flew away but left the poult dead on the ground. This shows just how imminent the threats to these birds are. Now Hutto had lost two birds and had 14 left.
         As Hutto wandered through the forest each day he realized that not only is he able to get close to the turkeys but somehow he can get close to the other wildlife as well when he is with the poults. During their first month of life Hutto was able to notice distinct characteristics between each of the individual birds. For example, two of them had a fascination with squirrels while another went nose to nose with a deer. The animals are born with a knowledge of who is friend and foe. He also discovered that the birds had a specific call for when they saw rattlesnakes. Almost everything that Hutto witnessed here was knowledge unknown by humans of these turkeys.
         At one point Hutto points out that even at two months of age, these birds' understanding of the forest was not only so far advanced than his, he could not even comprehend what these birds knew. It might be important to note that Hutto has been walking through these same forests for over 20 years. One day as they were all walking, they came across a stump that had been cut 20 or so years ago. The turkeys approached the stump with extreme caution but were fascinated by it. Even though it was very old, the birds still knew something was not right and they wanted to learn from it. It is extremely obvious these birds are so curious about everything. One way that Hutto shows just how intelligent these birds are is through their highly diverse vocabulary. He has discovered over thirty calls that have completely different meanings.
         At five months of age, two more of the birds died for unknown reasons. Hutto noticed a distinct difference in the turkey's behavior after this happened, which showed their affection for one another. On another day the turkeys were playing an actual game of tag with a fawn deer and squirrels. Hutto said that their was no doubt in his mind that these turkeys experience joy in their lives which I found especially surprising.
          All in all it was quite remarkable to have some insight on what is going on in our world that we really have no idea about.

Outdoor Podcast

         This past year while I was preparing to get out for my first bow hunt, I came across website called bowhunting.com. Throughout the year they film a couple dozen videos all about the entire process of bow hunting, mostly deer. During the spring the videos are about shed hunting along with some turkey hunting. The way that the website makes videos is they take clips from people all over and then discuss what they see going on. The reason I love watching these videos is because it gives me a whole different perspective when I can see what others are doing. There is always something that I can learn from watching these guys go into the woods while they are hunting or preparing for an upcoming season. Also, it is great just to be able to see others enjoying nature and see what their view of the woods is.

Recent Outings

             I was hoping to be able to get into the field a few more times but do to weather and other events I have not had much time. The one time I got out was to go for a morning turkey hunt. As I pulled into the field to park my car I saw a pair of headlights following close behind me on the gravel road. The truck pulled in right behind me and I went over to talk to the man. He was getting ready to go down into the same property as me but a few hundreds yards away. He told me that he had gotten out the day before and had bagged a jake and was looking for a second bird. I immediately noticed one advantage he had over me. An ATV. While I was trying to pick my way through the grass and mud and avoid fences I heard the rumble of his four wheeler. Once again there was an incredible amount of gobbling and other noises coming from the birds who were still on their roosts soon after I had set up in the blind. It did not take long for me to hear the distinct calls coming from where the man had parked his ATV. After the first hour of sunlight the real birds calmed down and the only response I got to my calls were his.
           I stayed in the blind for a couple hours, knowing that I had to get back to school before long. Around nine o'clock I heard the distinct sound of the man riding back towards his truck. Even though I did not see any turkeys or deer I enjoyed seeing and listening to the birds that assured me spring was here. I had a pair of sparrows searching through the grass a couple of feet from my blind for several minutes. A woodpecker landed on a cornstalk and started searching for insects. Cardinals, blue jays, robins, and bluebirds could be seen flying around without a care in the world. Early in the morning the owls gave out their some vicious calls that I only hear every once in a while, not your ordinary hoot. Geese constantly flew back between the river, ponds, fields, and a nearby lake. Even though the day was uneventful, it was nice to sit down and enjoy nature as always. I hope to be able to get into the field several times this week to do a little more hunting, the weather looks great.

Richard Proenneke

Recently I was introduced to the story of a man by the name of Richard Proenneke. In his early 50's he decided to head into the the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and build a sustainable life there. He wrote in his journal daily and took video of his lifestyle for 30 years. His tale has since been published as a book and a documentary has been made from his hours and hours of film. The cabin that he built still stands and can be visited. I found it fascinating that he could live such a fulfilling life with very little human contact and without what we would consider the necessities of life. The part that fits into this blog is the interaction he had with the wildlife that surrounded him. From bears and wolverines, to the sheep and moose, to the fish in the lake, he interacted with the animals daily. Unlike here and most other places in the states where people dominate the surrounding wildlife, Proenneke lived in unity with them. Over time the animals became accustomed to his presence and their seemed to be a mutual respect for each other. I would not be able to walk up to animals here without spooking them and having them run away. Here the animals not only understood that he was not a threat they would approach him for food. At times birds would fly up to him. I think a lesson can be learned here about how we live alongside wildlife. There must be someways that we can limit our impact on wildlife even through our daily actions.

Deer and Car Collisions

          As deer populations have continued to explode over the last century and roads have dominated every part of our country it is no surprise that every year thousands of accidents occur involving wildlife. According to the USDA 1-2 million accidents occur each year involving large animals, most of which are mule or whitetail deer. There are roughly 200 hundred humans who lose their lives in these accidents along with 2 billion dollars in property damage. So what can drivers do to help prevent these accidents? Think like a deer. As a driver it is important to note that deer do not see the same way that we do. When a pedestrian is trying to cross a street they are aware they must look both ways and if they see a car they  will automatically take in the cars speed and direction. Deer cannot do that. Deer's eyes are made to detect movement, not track movement like humans. Another thing to remember about deer's eyes is how they see light. The way that they gather light is much different than ours which is why they get the deer in the head lights look. Not only are they blinded by headlights but they are not able to detect they direction of the car. When driving on rural roads it is necessary to constantly be on the lookout for wildlife, often by the reflection of their eyes in the headlights. Also remember that deer usually travel in groups. In watching a video about this subject I realized that we, as drivers, have the responsibility to constantly think like the wildlife. If everyone does that our wildlife and friends and families can avoid damage to property or worse.

http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/12/10/think-like-a-deer-award-winning-video-aims-to-reduce-wildlife-vehicle-collisions/

http://internetbrothers.org/2014/12/27/think-like-a-deer-award-winning-video-aims-to-reduce-wildlife-vehicle-collisions/

4/8/15 Research

         A couple months ago I covered the deer's lifestyle during January and February. In this post I will be compiling the information from March, April, and May, respectively.

         March is the beginning of a new birth for all wildlife. During this month the days once again become longer than the nights and the first greenery appears on the ground. To the north if the days stay cold and snowy the deer can certainly struggle to survive, but here in Iowa the snow does not usually stick around too long  and the deer have no problem making it through the winter. During this time does are nearing the time when their fawns need plenty of nutrition before they are born. This drives the does to find food further and sooner than the bucks.
        April brings the full force of spring. Food begins to become plentiful and the deer can return to their normal feeding patterns and social life. The bucks distance themselves from the does and do not interact with them unless they happen to cross paths. Does usually live in a matriarchal system where the dominant doe, her daughters, and their offspring will stay together. In the early part of April the bucks will begin the long process of growing an entire new set of antlers. At times deer may injure an antler while still in velvet which can result in an odd or non-typical set of antlers.
         May is a time of plenty. The deer continue to gain back the weight lost throughout the winter. During this month the deer also begin to replace their coats with a summer coat. They usually have a much brighter red color in the summer months. This time is also when the does begin to mark out a territory to give birth in. The does will begin to drive away the fawns from the year before. The bucks will spend their time resting, eating, chewing their cud and letting their antlers grow up to a quarter of an inch per day.

         These three months are a completely different time for the deer than during the winter. The does begin to work towards welcoming a new generation of deer into the green forests and long warm days. Maybe when I head out to watch for deer I won't have to wear three coats anymore. I can at least hope so.

4/4/15 Hunting Trip

      On Saturday my sister and I got up at 4:15 and hit the road by 4:45. On our way to the farm we had a perfect view of an incredible full moon. It was certainly one of the brightest nights I remember seeing. When we were about half way to the farm my sister said that the moon was not full anymore. I told her it was probably a cloud but their was a perfect crescent shadow on the moon. After I realized that it must be a lunar eclipse. When we had made it to the blind the moon was nearly 90% gone and as it dipped beneath the horizon it had totally disappeared. When I got home I found out it was the shortest lunar eclipse of the century.
       Back to the hunting part. We were still getting everything set up in the blind when the first gobble sounded. I did not realize just how much stuff we had brought until we had to fit it all inside the blind. From the backpacks to the shooting stick, from the calls to the stools we were packed in there pretty good. I had never heard more turkeys any day than on that morning. Some times when toms hear something loud they instinctively gobble at it. When a owl would hoot or when someone made a loud noise on their farm five or six toms would gobble simultaneously. We saw a couple deer on the hill where I had seen them the day before. Throughout the morning I would give out a series of calls attempting to get a male to come in. At one point we heard a gobble from behind us, the last place I expected. I kept an eye back there but never saw anything. I was sitting on the ground to give Mindy plenty of room so I really could not see a whole lot. At one point she whispered, "Ben! Ben! There is one right there!" I asked her how far on the other side it was, and she said it was about 20 yards.  I looked and sure enough a bird 50 yards away was there but walking towards where we heard the other flock. I gave a couple calls but it was quickly behind the hill.
       Things settled down after that. I continued calling as the decoys sat in the corn stalks all alone. Just like every other day the birds across the river came out and put on a show. I gave Mindy the binoculars and let her watch them for a while. She loved seeing the the toms in full strut. Every once in a while Mindy would look at me and whisper as quietly as possible, "the gobblers are running at each other!". Thank goodness for that. The most important thing when taking kids hunting is to make sure they can do something they enjoy. Mindy loved watching the birds and as soon as they were gone you could tell the excitement level went down. As long as she is enjoying herself I feel like its well worth the time and effort. Although we were not able to bag a bird it was still great being out on a beautiful day with my sister.

3/30/15 Observation

         I went out into the field a few times over the last week but due to a hectic schedule I was not able to post anything. On Monday, the 30th, I got up at 5:15 and walked the towards the west part of the property. I walked over the first ridge at around 6:15, there was nearly zero light but I could faintly make out a figure on the horizon a little ways off. I quickly realized it was a deer and before long it took off over the hill. As I walked over the next ridge there was a little more light and I counted five more deer along with the other one. They were feeding in the field without a care. As I continued to walk the fence line I finally got their attention and they bolted. I found a nice fence post to sit down next to near some cattle on the adjacent farm. It didn't take long for the turkeys throughout the river valley to start piercing the air with their clucks and gobbles as the rising sun filled the entire sky with a beautiful lavender color. While I sat in the dry grass. I began to see deer after deer after deer. It seemed as if they would come out of nowhere, and disappear just as quickly. In the couple hours of being there at least 40 deer could be seen walking the fields or the river bank. At one point I saw a half of dozen deer I had been watching take off in the opposite direction they had been a moment ago. When they stopped they all turned their heads back as a coyote trotted out into the field. This is the first coyote that I have seen on this property in some time now. As the sun continued to rise I saw a flock of turkeys walk out into a grass field about a half mile away or more. This flock has gone into this field every morning that I have watched for the last few years right after dawn. As I watched a tom strut around the flock I noticed two more bodies come into the field. A doe and her yearling were walking directly towards the birds. They walked within 20 feet of the flock but kept moving, paying no attention to the turkeys. After those birds moved over the hill I decided I had seen enough for the day and decided to head home.

       On the following Friday I went to go set up a blind to sit in the following day because youth turkey season started Saturday. As I set up the small blind in the sun's early hours I heard gobbles to my west. I noticed eight or so deer along a hill to my east near where I sat on Monday. As I was leaving to get back in time for school I saw a single turkey sitting in the field to my west where I had been hearing all of the noise. Like clockwork the birds that roost across the river were right where they were every morning. At least their is something I can count on!

See it??