I don’t really know. She didn’t tell me. Maybe the same reason the chicken did?
Food? Water? Safety?
Wild turkeys are smart, contrary to what I’ve always heard. And they can fly. I saw one fly up to roost in a tree just yesterday. (Turkeys that are bred to be eaten can’t fly because they are bred to be so unnaturally large that their wings can’t support them.)
These turkeys crossed the road to eat! Someone put cracked corn out for them.
There are the adults, and two sizes of babies. This mom has the smallest chicks, and she has 6. I hope they grow large soon. Winter is coming!
All the other chicks are larger. Shiloh was interested but never barked. Joy was all, ‘Shiloh, they are birds, you could never catch them even if you weren’t wearing that leash. Give it a rest!’
But then…..
When the deer came by, Joy got interested too. This is mom and her twin fawns.
They still have their spots.
This morning while we were walking, we saw this guy.
You can hardly see his antlers in this picture. They are not large. He must be young.
And then…what’s this??
Mama bear and two cubs??
Naa. Just a wooden facsimile thereof! But Joy and Shiloh had to make sure.
Wandering Spirit 
OMG! You had me on that one! I thought the dogs were checking out real bears! Wonderful post Micky!
Hi Mary,
From a distance, you have to look twice, even in person! Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! Some walk! and your dogs ARE SO SMART! (not to go after the critters they meet). Happy Trails, Marie
Hi Marie, they have grown wiser with age…as the rest of us hopefully do!
Bazinga! You really got me at the bears!
Flat bears only Maureen. Apparently they don’t have to deal with bears here because they don’t have bear proof trash cans.
My boys would be going NUTS! Protecting mom is not conducive to being a good camper!
Hi Christine, it’s taken awhile for Joy and Shiloh to get calm. I think age and 3 years on the road has helped!
PANIC MODE now over…… as I am thinking “I can’t believe she would let her dogs go by a mama bear with babies” What is she thinking!!!!!!! Great photo opt for sure….but….!!!!!!!!
Sure looked real at first look!
They do look real Mary! But a mama bear with cubs would be… whew… I hate to even think about it!
Bear photo got us! We were so excited! Then… 🙂
Turkeys are awesome birds but do take care, they can be aggressive. They fly up and try to get you with their sharp pointy talons. The turkeys in the hills above us have been a bit of a problem for hikers…Wave your backpack at them, or get Shiloh and Joy to bark. Don’t run, they’ll come after you!
enjoy
Laura
Oh dear Laura, you’ve got me laughing out loud here! Turkey Terror for sure! Well I’ve never approached them but years ago in California we lived along a turkey path. I would put out cracked corn and they would come… 4 or 5 groups of them with usually 8-12 in a group. The fellas would strut around with their tails spread while the rest ate. They never got aggressive towards us but we never went near them. The mamas are very maternal though, so I imagine if they felt a threat they would be ummm… angry birds!
Thought those deer were sort of interested in you too, but I guess not. The bears? I was UH OH!!! and then was glad they were of the harmless variety.
Hi Dawn. I think the the fawns are curious and the doe is being protective…this is right across the road from our campsite and the deer come there frequently. At first the doe was on protective mode, staring us down, staying between us and her fawns. Now she seems slightly more relaxed about us, realizing that we keep our distance and are not a threat.
The bears, yeah, they are very calm. 😉
Love those wild turkeys! When I lived in Arroyo Grande and had some wild forest,the turkeys would run screeching (we weren’t even close) and try to climb trees unsuccessfully but very loudly. So much beauty around you,wow!
Hi Elinor. I’ve never seen a turkey try to climb a tree !
Did have a lot of nice turkey experiences at Farm Sanctuary. Those turkeys ( not wild ones) were rescued and used to being loved and cared for. They are very affectionate and like to be cuddled.
Who knew, huh?