bird
Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Low riskEdiblecommon
Big woodland fowl. A real emergency meat if you can hunt or trap legally — or must.
Dark iridescent body, naked blue-red head on adults, fan tail on gobblers. Roosts in big timber; feeds in fields at first and last light.
- Habitat
- Oak woods with open feeding fields.
- Season
- Year-round. Gobbling April. Flocks in winter.
- Size
- 10–20 lb
- Field marks
- Fan tail; bald head; huge tracks
Use
Treat like lean poultry. Dark meat dries out — moister cooking. Feathers for fletching and decoys.