Just toward dark Friday, a week ago, in the field behind my house, I saw a drama played out. Two hundred yards away, a turkey hen was moving her brood, 6 poults, 12 to 14 weeks old, that I’ve spotted before, across the field.
A yearling doe that had not been bred the past season got too close and bedlam erupted, I’m sure the doe was just curious. While the brood took off for the thick cover, the turkey charged the yearling, almost flying into it,. The yearling, pictured below, still looking at the turkey, scampered back under the fence, escaping her wrath, while another doe was staring at the ruckus.
Of course I didn’t have the camera, but I ran to the old house and picked it up quickly and started taking pictures. A picture of the turkey shows her neck stretched out looking for a fight.
And finally, another doe is looking at the turkey, being behind a tree gave me pretty good cover, but the older doe saw me move.
Having never seen this happen before, I was amazed by the turkey hen’s aggression. When the yearling doe got too close, she exploded into it, giving no thought that she was outweighed by, at least, 40 pounds, but protection of her brood, instinct, was the most important thing.