Wild Turkey, and Not the Drinkin' Kind

The actual bird was a favorite of pioneers.

- SHERRY MONAHAN

These five hunters, somewhere in the Dakotas, pose with their dogs and the game they shot c. 1890. At top is a color lithograph c.1872 depicting a wild turkey.

Library of Congress

A mention of wild turkey often takes one’s thoughts to a bottle of whiskey, but not this time. This is all about the actual bird itself and the pioneers’ experiences with it. Most people had good experiences with the wild bird, but some did not. Jack and Jim were two English gentlemen who lived in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1872. The gents were working on Sheppard’s Island, when Jack saw a large black bird flying overhead. He exclaimed, “’Ello. Wots there ere, Jim?” He asked Jim to get his gun, an English Stubbs Twist. Jack took aim and shot the bird down.