Rufus Mourned

Sadly, newspaper reports have recently reported the sudden and brutal demise of Rufus, the pet turkey in Jacques, Idaho. Incidentally, I live in Idaho, and haven't a clue where or why Jacques is. Wild Turkeys tend to be very opportunistic when it comes to eating, and will gladly line up for donations.

But enough of that. We are here to investigate fowl play! Yes. In this great land of ours, we have at least one harvester, (I won't call him a hunter) who was too lazy to actually go hunting. With the vast surplus of wild turkeys in this part of the nation, he went to a fast food outlet for his bird. Boy, is that ever symbolic.

I recall, many years ago, in an area near St. Maries, Idaho, a man had a pet deer that had been castrated. As a result it didn't grow antlers. This deer resided for many years in this man's front yard. Someone finally shot him too.

Sheesh! If you are to freakin' lazy to hunt properly, go to the store...Buy beef...Buy domestic turkeys...They are better tasting anyway...Sell your guns...Well maybe not sell your guns. You may need them for protection from real hunters.

This morning, in the Spokesman-Review, Steve Banks, a professor of psychology & communications for the University of Idaho, was quoted as saying, "Were talking about cross-species interaction."

Let me explain something to you, Prof. Most wild animals will come to the sound of the dinner bell. Here in Bayview, we have vast flocks of ducks, geese and such. You know, wild birds. Guess what! If I feed them regularly, and that includes wild turkeys, they will open the front door, sit on my couch and attempt to read the paper.

Interaction? There is no interaction here. Do they feed us? Nope! This poor creature thought he had found a free chow line. Well, it was, right up until the last, where he did indeed feed a human. I sincerely hope that when this harvester tries to eat this bird, that he chokes on it.

Incidentally, while most wild animals and birds will adapt to human aids to eating, it is not recommended that you try to hand feed any of our recently re-introduced predators, such as wolves, grizzlies or the occasional cougar.