4-29-12

[ccleroy]

I have been seeing this turkey for the last few day,and I knew something was seriously wrong with him and he was sick, glassing him he would never strut and the only beard that was visible were a few strands also he would not move far at all, earlier in the season he would gobble ,strut and had many hens.....he acted weird and I could see something was wrong head coloring as well. Well yesterday afternoon he was out in the open, My wife and I were supposed to go this AM but when I got up to get ready she elected to stay home. I got in the truck and figured that turkey will be where he was yesterday evening so I went after him.....I will not lie,there was no calling or strategy, it was a simple go sit here and he will be there then shoot him, it was in essence a mercy killing and I was intrigued as to what was wrong with this turkey.I went to the exact spot he was the evening before and say down. As daylight started cracking there were no gobbles, and as it was getting light enough for me to see I noticed off the field edge prolly 20 yards from me a dark object, then it moved and limped into view in the field, it was him........This was actually the moment where my heart races 180 miles an hour, but not this time......he limped a few more steps and I folded him......while inspecting him it was apparent he had been shot in his wing which was locked up tight and broken....I knew then that this turkey lived his last days without flying up to roost and how he evaded yotes and other predators is beyond me......Would he have survived? I Would normally say No.......but for him to live like this through hs final days like he did is a feat in itself.....RIP Crip.

[ccleroy]

After looking some stuff up I believe this bird to be suffering from Avian Pox as well.

[Hoobilly]

glad to hear you put him down and stopped his suffering. I don't know if he would survive very long due to the broke wing.

[TRKYHTR]

I agree it looks like avian pox.

TRKYHTR

[Hognutz]

Glad to see that you were able to stop the bleeding. That bird needed to be put down.. Way to go..

[Gobbler]

It looked bad. It was the right thing to do.

[FuzzSawyer]

[SCtrkyhntr]

Congrats on another great season Ricky! Good job on doing the right thing and putting this old boy out of his misery.

[Stinky J Picklestein]

Next time, shoot an ugly one!