There are several wrong assumptions about turkeys. For starters, turkeys aren't nearly as stupid as some people may think. The story that they would stare up at a rainy sky with their mouth open until they drown only applies to domesticated turkeys at best and most likely those with bad breeding. They're also a lot more capable of flight compared to domesticated chickens. While they may not be the strongest flying birds, they can move through forests and the trees in them with considerable ease.
A little known fact is that wild turkeys were almost hunted to extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. But thanks to conservation and establishing areas where no hunting was allowed, the turkey population has made an explosive comeback. In fact, they are so numerous that they border on 'pests in some areas. And during the pandemic when humans were forced to quarantine themselves, turkeys have had more room to roam than before. And now that the quarantine is lifting, some of the turkeys weren't willing to give up their new territory. Turkeys can be surprisingly aggressive and show a lack of fear towards humans and pets. Which is why some Animalians and Dinotopians were asked to help deal with these turkeys. Most turkeys were willing to flee when looking at an obvious predator. But those who don't faced quite advanced hunters.
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As a park ranger, Harper had spent quite a bit of time dealing with hunters. Part of it was making sure they were hunting the right animals with the right hunting licenses. Now shi was doing some hunting of hir own and it wasn't with a gun or crossbow. Shi and Dakota had been dealing with some aggressive toms in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Larger Dinotopians like Tyra could have helped out with the hunting like they do with the feral pigs, but turkeys are smaller, faster, and can fly. Therefore, they required a stealthier predator to deal with them.
Harper and Dakota were stalking two single toms. These two had been quite stubborn about staying in their claimed territories, which included a few backyards. But now their time was up. Harper and Dakota kept to the bushes, making sure the wind wasn't blowing their scent to the birds. And when the time was right, the raptors sprang. The turkeys didn't even know what was happening until it was too late. A slash of claws, a quick chomp, and a twisted neck made sure it was all over.
While Harper and Dakota loaded their latest kills into the truck, Harper asked, "Does it feel different for you, hunting this way?"
"I couldn't hunt before with my crippled wings," said Dakota, "And I would have mainly eaten fish before. But hunting like this...it feels natural somehow."
"We do get all the instincts of the dinosaur we become. The Dakotaraptor probably did hunt smaller dinosaurs like this. Not sure how many of those earlier dinosaurs were capable of flying, probably not too many. But they were probably quite fast," said Harper.
"Well, the turkey's a little bit of a dinosaur in its own right," said Dakota, "You know, I heard one of this country's founding fathers wanted the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle."
"Actually, that's a myth," said Harper, "I've read an article about that. Benjamin Franklin actually wrote a letter criticizing the Society of the Cincinnati."
"What did he have against Cincinnati? Was it even a city then?" asked Dakota.
"Actually, it was named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman leader who was also the name source for Cincinnati. Anyways, Franklin thought the Society was a little too much like aristocracy that they forbade in the Constitution and considered their bald eagle emblem too much like heraldry. In his letter, he said their eagle looked more like a turkey, which had a better character than the eagle. He said the eagle was known as a bully. Uh, no offense."
"None taken," said Harper, "Bald eagles are pretty pushy birds. The national bird should have been an osprey, that would be an impressive bird."
"Not sure if it would have the same gravitas, but I'm sure someone has an osprey for their symbol," said Harper, "I think you look better as a raptor though."
"You flatterer," said Dakota before lowering hir voice to a lusty purr, "How about we head home and baste each other?"
"Tempting, but there are more turkeys to collect. Dinotopians have big appetites," said Harper.