1
00:00:37,572 --> 00:00:39,774
Joe: Day after day,
for over a year,

2
00:00:39,774 --> 00:00:44,545
I saw no one,
except my family.

3
00:00:44,545 --> 00:00:48,082
It was a family like
none that you know.

4
00:00:49,784 --> 00:00:51,552
But I am a
mother it seems,

5
00:00:51,552 --> 00:00:55,223
and these are
my children.

6
00:00:55,223 --> 00:00:57,125
And soon enough
like all children,

7
00:00:57,125 --> 00:00:59,260
they'll leave home and I
suppose my heart

8
00:00:59,260 --> 00:01:01,829
will be broken.

9
00:01:02,130 --> 00:01:08,336
But, for now, this is
my life, as a turkey.

10
00:01:20,615 --> 00:01:25,686
Very rarely have people
had the opportunity to

11
00:01:25,686 --> 00:01:26,754
obtain young
wild turkeys,

12
00:01:26,754 --> 00:01:33,094
either in the egg
or as young poults.

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00:01:33,094 --> 00:01:35,696
I've been trying to get
my hands on wild turkey

14
00:01:35,696 --> 00:01:39,801
eggs or young wild
turkeys for decades.

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00:01:39,801 --> 00:01:41,769
Then this local farmer
was on his way to my

16
00:01:41,769 --> 00:01:45,373
cabin with a bowl
full of eggs.

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00:01:45,373 --> 00:01:47,708
It was a delivery that
was to change my life

18
00:01:47,708 --> 00:01:53,147
in ways I could
never have imagined.

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00:01:53,147 --> 00:01:59,787
My cabin is deep in
the oak hammocks of Florida.

20
00:01:59,787 --> 00:02:00,922
Ever since I was
in college I have

21
00:02:00,922 --> 00:02:03,157
experimented
with imprinting.

22
00:02:03,157 --> 00:02:08,029
Becoming a mother
to young animals.

23
00:02:08,029 --> 00:02:10,198
With wild turkeys I've
always thought that if

24
00:02:10,198 --> 00:02:12,500
I could get some poults
to imprint on me as

25
00:02:12,500 --> 00:02:15,636
their mother, then I
could open a window

26
00:02:15,636 --> 00:02:20,074
into their
secret world.

27
00:02:21,876 --> 00:02:24,412
Imprinting gives the
observer an opportunity

28
00:02:24,412 --> 00:02:28,149
to see into the lives
of creatures that you

29
00:02:28,149 --> 00:02:34,388
would never have an
opportunity to see otherwise.

30
00:02:35,456 --> 00:02:37,558
Some people might think
this is a very strange

31
00:02:37,558 --> 00:02:41,796
thing to do; to me it
was a legitimate area

32
00:02:41,796 --> 00:02:45,099
of scientific inquiry.

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00:02:45,199 --> 00:02:48,169
But this experiment was
going to leave science

34
00:02:48,169 --> 00:02:50,505
far behind.

35
00:02:50,505 --> 00:02:53,174
For this to succeed,
I had no idea of the

36
00:02:53,174 --> 00:02:59,614
extent which I'd have
to actually become a turkey.

37
00:03:04,652 --> 00:03:06,354
I came home one
afternoon and there was

38
00:03:06,354 --> 00:03:10,191
a stainless steel dog
bowl filled with eggs

39
00:03:10,191 --> 00:03:13,127
on my doorstep.

40
00:03:13,127 --> 00:03:14,662
So I raced out
in the night,

41
00:03:14,662 --> 00:03:17,131
found an incubator
at a friend's house,

42
00:03:17,131 --> 00:03:20,201
brought it back.

43
00:03:20,201 --> 00:03:21,302
I didn't know if the
eggs would be destroyed

44
00:03:21,302 --> 00:03:25,640
by too much heat or if
they would die from not enough.

45
00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:28,476
They had been without
incubation for at least

46
00:03:28,476 --> 00:03:34,982
7 or 8 hours so I was
really concerned.

47
00:03:34,982 --> 00:03:36,617
No one's done
this in a while,

48
00:03:36,617 --> 00:03:40,988
this was going to be
different from anything else.

49
00:03:57,905 --> 00:04:01,042
Each one of these eggs
harbors a mystery;

50
00:04:01,042 --> 00:04:05,746
it's something untamed and
virtually unknown to us,

51
00:04:05,746 --> 00:04:09,784
an embodiment
of wilderness.

52
00:04:14,088 --> 00:04:16,257
And yes, this is the
species from which our

53
00:04:16,257 --> 00:04:21,162
domesticated birds
come from originally.

54
00:04:21,162 --> 00:04:23,264
But people shouldn't
make the mistake that

55
00:04:23,264 --> 00:04:26,033
there's a similarity
between these birds and

56
00:04:26,033 --> 00:04:30,271
the ones we have
tamed for food.

57
00:04:30,271 --> 00:04:34,542
Wild turkeys are so
incredibly different.

58
00:04:54,662 --> 00:04:59,000
Each egg must be properly
turned twice a day.

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00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,569
I am told wild turkeys
make utterances to

60
00:05:01,569 --> 00:05:02,570
their clutch.

61
00:05:02,570 --> 00:05:06,974
So secretly in both
wild turkey and English

62
00:05:06,974 --> 00:05:11,479
I began to talk turkey.

63
00:05:11,479 --> 00:05:13,247
[Making noises]

64
00:05:13,247 --> 00:05:16,417
Almost immediately I
started hearing a response

65
00:05:16,417 --> 00:05:17,918
from the eggs.

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00:05:17,918 --> 00:05:20,454
I would make a
turkey-like noise and I

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00:05:20,454 --> 00:05:22,690
would hear distinct
little peeps and

68
00:05:22,690 --> 00:05:26,127
shrills coming
out of these eggs.

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00:05:31,365 --> 00:05:34,835
But I had this
problem: 25 days after

70
00:05:34,835 --> 00:05:37,605
incubation begins
the mother stops

71
00:05:37,605 --> 00:05:39,740
turning the eggs.

72
00:05:39,740 --> 00:05:43,144
But I had no idea when
incubation started with

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00:05:43,144 --> 00:05:44,345
these eggs.

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00:05:44,345 --> 00:05:49,050
So I had to just guess.

75
00:05:49,050 --> 00:05:55,222
But then, sure enough,
cracks began to appear.

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00:05:55,356 --> 00:05:56,991
This was a
crucial time.

77
00:05:56,991 --> 00:05:59,460
This is the moment
that the poults must

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00:05:59,460 --> 00:06:02,063
recognize
me as a parent.

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00:06:02,063 --> 00:06:05,499
Imprinting only occurs
in these first few moments

80
00:06:05,499 --> 00:06:09,203
out of the egg.

81
00:06:09,203 --> 00:06:11,672
And then suddenly the
end of the egg fell

82
00:06:11,672 --> 00:06:18,579
away and this little
poult fell out.

83
00:06:18,579 --> 00:06:20,348
And he's wet and he's
confused and he's

84
00:06:20,348 --> 00:06:24,585
scrambling and it's
obviously a desperate time.

85
00:06:24,585 --> 00:06:28,255
Well, I finally remembered
to make a sound.

86
00:06:28,255 --> 00:06:30,458
And I made my little
turkey sound that I had

87
00:06:30,458 --> 00:06:32,426
been making
to these eggs.

88
00:06:32,426 --> 00:06:36,030
And the little turkey
stopped immediately and

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00:06:36,030 --> 00:06:38,232
his little
shaking wet head,

90
00:06:38,232 --> 00:06:42,503
rotated and he looked
me square in the eyes.

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00:06:42,503 --> 00:06:45,840
And there was something
very unambiguous

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00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:50,578
transpired in
that moment.

93
00:06:51,445 --> 00:06:54,382
And he identified
me as the,

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00:06:54,382 --> 00:06:56,283
the pair of eyes
belonging to the

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00:06:56,283 --> 00:06:59,720
correct voice.

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00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,490
And in his way he
stumbled and hopped

97
00:07:02,490 --> 00:07:05,259
across the floor
of the incubator.

98
00:07:05,259 --> 00:07:08,763
And joined me at the
edge of the shelf and

99
00:07:08,763 --> 00:07:13,868
huddled up against my
face and went to sleep.

100
00:07:13,868 --> 00:07:17,972
And something also
moved inside of me,

101
00:07:17,972 --> 00:07:23,677
something very
profound.

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00:07:53,274 --> 00:07:55,943
I realized that my
involvement in this

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00:07:55,943 --> 00:07:59,346
experiment was going
to be a very personal,

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00:07:59,346 --> 00:08:03,884
very emotional, ride
for me and not just a

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00:08:03,884 --> 00:08:07,855
science experiment.

106
00:08:18,332 --> 00:08:20,534
It had taken a day
and a night and I was

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00:08:20,534 --> 00:08:26,173
exhausted but I was
finally mother to 16

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00:08:26,173 --> 00:08:30,678
wild turkeys.

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00:08:58,239 --> 00:09:00,074
This all happened
very suddenly.

110
00:09:00,074 --> 00:09:02,676
I hadn't really
anticipated it.

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00:09:02,676 --> 00:09:08,883
I more or less just
disappeared into the forest.

112
00:09:13,554 --> 00:09:17,191
After a very few days I
realized that this was

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a complete 100 percent
relentless commitment

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00:09:21,028 --> 00:09:23,397
that I had made to
these birds and that if

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00:09:23,397 --> 00:09:25,866
I was going do this, I
was going to have to be

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00:09:25,866 --> 00:09:29,236
a wild turkey parent
for some unknown

117
00:09:29,236 --> 00:09:32,573
period of time.

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00:09:32,573 --> 00:09:34,441
I had no idea this
commitment was going to last

119
00:09:34,441 --> 00:09:41,649
weeks or months or as
it turned out years.

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00:10:01,302 --> 00:10:04,939
I am ignorant about
being a turkey mother.

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00:10:04,939 --> 00:10:08,042
What do they already
know and what do they

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00:10:08,042 --> 00:10:13,147
need to learn from me.

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00:10:25,626 --> 00:10:27,394
They are born
entomologists,

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it's already there they
don't have to be taught

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which insect
is dangerous,

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00:10:31,999 --> 00:10:34,368
which one is palatable.

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00:10:34,368 --> 00:10:37,471
They don't have to be
taught which snake is

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harmless and which
one is venomous.

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00:10:40,874 --> 00:10:45,045
They know exactly.

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I can already
tell them apart,

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one bird I've started
to call Turkey Boy,

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he's into everything.

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He's inquisitive
and brave,

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and he's going
to be a handful.

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00:11:00,995 --> 00:11:03,163
He's already beginning
to display to the other

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00:11:03,163 --> 00:11:07,468
birds and he's
only 5 days old.

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00:11:16,043 --> 00:11:17,878
Today I actually tried
to show them how to

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roost, although I
suspect this is

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something they
know already.

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00:11:24,485 --> 00:11:25,919
It's important to
understand these wild

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00:11:25,919 --> 00:11:27,888
birds bear no
resemblance to their

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00:11:27,888 --> 00:11:31,959
domestic cousins it's
the difference between

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a pet dog and a wolf.

144
00:11:34,695 --> 00:11:36,196
These birds are so wild,

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if I leave them alone
for any length of time

146
00:11:38,565 --> 00:11:45,572
they will just run and
run till they drop dead.

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00:11:46,940 --> 00:11:49,910
There's this one I've
called Sweet Pea.

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00:11:49,910 --> 00:11:57,418
She's very little and
likes to be held in the hand.

149
00:12:11,432 --> 00:12:14,535
I did have that feeling
that this rat snake had

150
00:12:14,535 --> 00:12:19,907
literally been waiting
on that moment.

151
00:12:39,059 --> 00:12:41,562
I was gone for a very
short time grabbed a

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00:12:41,562 --> 00:12:45,899
sandwich,
came back out.

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00:12:45,899 --> 00:12:49,770
It was a 6 foot rat
snake in the pen that

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00:12:49,770 --> 00:12:52,439
had completely
swallowed one of the

155
00:12:52,439 --> 00:12:55,743
young poults.

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00:12:56,343 --> 00:12:57,878
And now could not
get out of the pen,

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00:12:57,878 --> 00:13:03,117
of course, because of
the large lump in its body.

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00:13:03,250 --> 00:13:05,252
I was horrified and the
rest of the turkeys

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00:13:05,252 --> 00:13:08,655
were horrified and it
was a terrible moment

160
00:13:08,655 --> 00:13:11,425
for all of us.

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00:13:11,425 --> 00:13:14,261
I realized that these
birds absolutely can

162
00:13:14,261 --> 00:13:15,462
not be left alone.

163
00:13:15,462 --> 00:13:18,465
There are so many
predators ready to

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00:13:18,465 --> 00:13:20,367
strike these young birds.

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And I just had to make the
commitment right

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00:13:22,136 --> 00:13:25,405
there that I'm not
going to leave them alone,

167
00:13:25,405 --> 00:13:26,907
ever.

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00:13:26,907 --> 00:13:29,777
Up until now, it's been
a full time job just

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00:13:29,777 --> 00:13:32,880
keeping them alive.

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00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,349
But now my little
experiment is really

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00:13:35,349 --> 00:13:38,318
beginning to pay off.

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00:14:00,574 --> 00:14:07,214
It seems as if a whole
world is opening up to me.

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00:14:09,283 --> 00:14:12,219
It's not just the birds
I am getting close to

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00:14:12,219 --> 00:14:15,522
somehow they allow me
passage into a secret

175
00:14:15,522 --> 00:14:20,727
side of these
oak hammocks.

176
00:14:26,333 --> 00:14:28,268
The different birds'
personalities are

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00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:34,541
expressed in the way
they explore the forest.

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00:14:35,309 --> 00:14:37,344
They even seem to
have their own

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00:14:37,344 --> 00:14:40,814
individual interests.

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00:14:40,814 --> 00:14:42,416
Sweet Pea and
Rosita, for example,

181
00:14:42,416 --> 00:14:49,122
have a particular
fascination with squirrels.

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00:14:56,797 --> 00:14:59,967
Turkey Boy met
a deer today.

183
00:14:59,967 --> 00:15:02,970
I'm amazed at how bold
he is he even walked

184
00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:06,340
and was nose to
nose with it.

185
00:15:06,340 --> 00:15:08,008
They were absolutely
unafraid,

186
00:15:08,008 --> 00:15:10,010
they absolutely knew
this creature was a

187
00:15:10,010 --> 00:15:15,816
benevolent neighbor and not
a potential predator.

188
00:15:16,283 --> 00:15:17,951
And I thought this
was a remarkable

189
00:15:17,951 --> 00:15:20,520
discrimination,
considering that a

190
00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,223
coyote is a tawny
brown animal,

191
00:15:23,223 --> 00:15:28,996
with big ears and
an intense stare.

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00:15:28,996 --> 00:15:30,230
When I'm with
these turkeys,

193
00:15:30,230 --> 00:15:33,600
snakes no longer
run from me.

194
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:37,437
Corralled by the birds
A rat snake now turns

195
00:15:37,437 --> 00:15:40,741
to face us.

196
00:15:40,741 --> 00:15:43,310
The turkeys know just
how to deal with each

197
00:15:43,310 --> 00:15:46,013
species of snake.

198
00:15:46,013 --> 00:15:47,814
In spite of their
innate knowledge about

199
00:15:47,814 --> 00:15:50,284
dangerous things
they are inherently

200
00:15:50,284 --> 00:15:55,355
disturbed by tortoises
and turtles.

201
00:15:55,355 --> 00:16:00,861
They just won't
leave them alone.

202
00:16:00,861 --> 00:16:08,568
I think maybe they view
them as a snake in a box.

203
00:16:08,568 --> 00:16:10,771
I now know each of
the birds by their

204
00:16:10,771 --> 00:16:13,774
character and
personality as much as

205
00:16:13,774 --> 00:16:15,509
by their appearance.

206
00:16:15,509 --> 00:16:18,345
Turkey Boy is still up
to his old tricks he is

207
00:16:18,345 --> 00:16:20,280
always pushing his
brothers and sisters

208
00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:26,086
around, but no one
seems to mind too much.

209
00:16:26,086 --> 00:16:29,623
Sweet Pea still has this
need for closeness.

210
00:16:29,623 --> 00:16:32,559
She stares motionless at
me for what seems like

211
00:16:32,559 --> 00:16:35,662
a very long time and it's
obviously a conscious

212
00:16:35,662 --> 00:16:39,599
behavior, it's as
though she is trying to

213
00:16:39,599 --> 00:16:41,401
absorb something.

214
00:16:41,401 --> 00:16:43,337
Being the object
of such intense

215
00:16:43,337 --> 00:16:46,206
scrutiny by
such a little thing,

216
00:16:46,206 --> 00:16:51,611
is a very strange
sensation.

217
00:16:51,611 --> 00:16:54,381
I would have to stay with
the birds all day,

218
00:16:54,381 --> 00:16:59,419
every day until sunset.

219
00:16:59,419 --> 00:17:02,155
Then, in the cage the
birds would all fly up to

220
00:17:02,155 --> 00:17:07,961
roost with
me, and on me.

221
00:17:07,961 --> 00:17:09,329
And if I tried to leave
the roost they would

222
00:17:09,329 --> 00:17:12,232
try to follow me so I
had to stay in the pen

223
00:17:12,232 --> 00:17:15,168
until it was
completely dark.

224
00:17:15,168 --> 00:17:19,406
Then they would
fall sound asleep.

225
00:17:24,778 --> 00:17:27,047
But I had to be there
from dawn till after

226
00:17:27,047 --> 00:17:29,583
dark every day,
and there were no

227
00:17:29,583 --> 00:17:33,387
exceptions to that.

228
00:17:37,090 --> 00:17:43,797
[Women Singing]

229
00:17:56,309 --> 00:17:57,711
They have the
basic blueprint,

230
00:17:57,711 --> 00:18:00,414
about all the plants
and all the animals.

231
00:18:00,414 --> 00:18:02,549
It's incredibly
complete.

232
00:18:02,549 --> 00:18:04,751
But what they don't
understand is the lay

233
00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:09,790
of the land and that
was what I knew.

234
00:18:11,491 --> 00:18:13,226
I knew where
the water was.

235
00:18:13,226 --> 00:18:18,799
I knew where the dangers
were to some extent.

236
00:18:20,901 --> 00:18:22,869
We didn't go in the
direction of the road

237
00:18:22,869 --> 00:18:25,772
or to farmer
Rodenberry's house.

238
00:18:25,772 --> 00:18:28,141
I tried to teach them
that automobiles were

239
00:18:28,141 --> 00:18:29,176
a dangerous thing.

240
00:18:29,176 --> 00:18:31,178
That was very
hard to do.

241
00:18:31,178 --> 00:18:33,547
Wild Turkeys are a 20
million year old bird

242
00:18:33,547 --> 00:18:34,981
and they don't have
a blueprint for an

243
00:18:34,981 --> 00:18:38,518
automobile or a pick-up.

244
00:18:41,354 --> 00:18:42,022
Each day as I leave the

245
00:18:42,022 --> 00:18:45,592
confines of my language
and culture and these

246
00:18:45,592 --> 00:18:52,599
creatures seem to become
in every way my superiors.

247
00:18:52,599 --> 00:18:56,403
They are more alert,
sensitive and aware.

248
00:18:56,403 --> 00:18:58,438
They're in many
ways, in fact,

249
00:18:58,438 --> 00:18:59,840
more intelligent.

250
00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,610
Their understanding of
the forest is beyond my

251
00:19:03,610 --> 00:19:08,515
ability to comprehend.

252
00:19:13,487 --> 00:19:16,756
Turkeys display a type
of obsession over the

253
00:19:16,756 --> 00:19:20,427
sight of a dead animal
and they would revisit

254
00:19:20,427 --> 00:19:22,395
the site very
cautiously,

255
00:19:22,395 --> 00:19:25,465
and they would
examine very closely,

256
00:19:25,465 --> 00:19:28,535
and occasionally they
would actually pick up

257
00:19:28,535 --> 00:19:31,271
a bone not in
a playful way,

258
00:19:31,271 --> 00:19:35,575
but in a curious
way and drop it.

259
00:19:35,575 --> 00:19:41,448
They would observe this
skeleton very intensely.

260
00:19:41,448 --> 00:19:43,216
And it seemed that
they never tired of

261
00:19:43,216 --> 00:19:48,288
examining, this dead
animal and trying to

262
00:19:48,288 --> 00:19:53,293
understand what the
implication of that was.

263
00:19:53,293 --> 00:19:58,798
That behavior does not
facilitate survival directly.

264
00:19:58,798 --> 00:20:01,234
It's not about
predation, it's not about

265
00:20:01,234 --> 00:20:06,907
food, it's about
understanding the world.

266
00:20:09,176 --> 00:20:10,877
They had a perfect
memory of what that

267
00:20:10,877 --> 00:20:15,115
entire forest was
supposed to look like.

268
00:20:15,115 --> 00:20:17,317
If any object
was out of order,

269
00:20:17,317 --> 00:20:19,853
if a new limb had
fallen out of the tree

270
00:20:19,853 --> 00:20:23,857
they would find that
limb very disturbing.

271
00:20:23,857 --> 00:20:26,126
They would
approach a stump,

272
00:20:26,126 --> 00:20:30,163
of a fallen tree or a
rotted tree and that

273
00:20:30,163 --> 00:20:33,099
was a fascinating thing
as most things are to

274
00:20:33,099 --> 00:20:36,770
wild turkeys.

275
00:20:36,770 --> 00:20:39,206
But interestingly when
we approached a very

276
00:20:39,206 --> 00:20:42,842
old stump, of a tree
that had been sawn down

277
00:20:42,842 --> 00:20:46,813
by loggers something
about that was very

278
00:20:46,813 --> 00:20:52,152
disturbing to
a wild turkey.

279
00:20:53,153 --> 00:20:54,521
I thought it was
a fabulous and

280
00:20:54,521 --> 00:20:58,291
interesting response
but I don't know why.

281
00:20:58,291 --> 00:21:00,560
But here was a stump
that had been cut 10,

282
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:04,197
15, 20 years before and
yet there was something

283
00:21:04,197 --> 00:21:06,132
not right about that,

284
00:21:06,132 --> 00:21:07,867
and the turkeys
would find it very

285
00:21:07,867 --> 00:21:12,706
interesting and
actually disturbing.

286
00:21:29,522 --> 00:21:32,826
I was always a very
anxious mother hen,

287
00:21:32,826 --> 00:21:35,462
and of course having
not done this before I

288
00:21:35,462 --> 00:21:39,065
never knew the right
time for things.

289
00:21:39,065 --> 00:21:40,734
One night we came in
from our usual

290
00:21:40,734 --> 00:21:44,337
daily walk and I
expected them to enter

291
00:21:44,337 --> 00:21:48,341
the pen like they had so
many times before and

292
00:21:48,341 --> 00:21:53,747
suddenly their
behavior changed.

293
00:21:55,215 --> 00:22:01,521
And they started eyeing
the trees and making sounds.

294
00:22:01,521 --> 00:22:07,394
And suddenly a turkey
flew up into a tree.

295
00:22:07,394 --> 00:22:09,863
And another turkey flew
up and they all began

296
00:22:09,863 --> 00:22:10,463
flying up.

297
00:22:10,463 --> 00:22:13,199
And I realized that
they had made this

298
00:22:13,199 --> 00:22:15,602
decision that it was
time to start roosting

299
00:22:15,602 --> 00:22:17,804
in the trees
like turkeys.

300
00:22:17,804 --> 00:22:20,674
And they were making
contended vocalizations

301
00:22:20,674 --> 00:22:22,942
like turkeys do when
they go on the roost

302
00:22:22,942 --> 00:22:25,612
little communication
noises, here I am,

303
00:22:25,612 --> 00:22:26,079
where are you?

304
00:22:26,079 --> 00:22:29,215
Okay there you are.

305
00:22:29,215 --> 00:22:31,818
I was feeling a little
bit let down and a little

306
00:22:31,818 --> 00:22:34,521
bit like I had
been excluded.

307
00:22:34,521 --> 00:22:36,656
This was one turkey
activity I couldn't

308
00:22:36,656 --> 00:22:39,959
participate in and I
felt like I had been

309
00:22:39,959 --> 00:22:41,194
left out.

310
00:22:41,194 --> 00:22:44,331
And I went out feeling
insecure and I made a

311
00:22:44,331 --> 00:22:49,202
little turkey noise a
little mother hen noise

312
00:22:49,202 --> 00:22:50,437
and suddenly everybody

313
00:22:50,437 --> 00:22:57,977
chattered here we are
everything is ok.

314
00:23:21,368 --> 00:23:23,703
Turkeys in general
have this misplaced

315
00:23:23,703 --> 00:23:25,972
reputation for
stupidity.

316
00:23:25,972 --> 00:23:30,143
This experiment of mine
has proven quite the opposite.

317
00:23:30,143 --> 00:23:32,278
There are many things
that suggest wild

318
00:23:32,278 --> 00:23:33,847
turkeys are
intelligent.

319
00:23:33,847 --> 00:23:35,181
But my experience
with learning their

320
00:23:35,181 --> 00:23:38,518
vocabulary has taught
me how profound this

321
00:23:38,518 --> 00:23:43,289
intelligence actually is.

322
00:23:43,289 --> 00:23:45,825
You have to be this
close to a creature to

323
00:23:45,825 --> 00:23:50,797
understand how
it communicates.

324
00:23:52,565 --> 00:23:56,803
And in fact they have
specific vocalizations

325
00:23:56,803 --> 00:23:59,539
for individual animals.

326
00:23:59,539 --> 00:24:01,841
And I actually learned
these vocalizations,

327
00:24:01,841 --> 00:24:04,511
and when I would hear a
certain vocalization,

328
00:24:04,511 --> 00:24:06,980
I would know without
question they had found

329
00:24:06,980 --> 00:24:12,919
a rattlesnake and
not a grey rat snake.

330
00:24:18,725 --> 00:24:21,194
I have identified over
thirty specific calls

331
00:24:21,194 --> 00:24:26,232
and my vocabulary is
growing every day.

332
00:24:26,232 --> 00:24:31,671
I am learning
to talk turkey.

333
00:24:37,310 --> 00:24:38,845
Interestingly, I
learned that within

334
00:24:38,845 --> 00:24:42,682
each one of those calls
there are inflections

335
00:24:42,682 --> 00:24:44,918
that have very
different meanings.

336
00:24:44,918 --> 00:24:52,258
For example one would
be what is known as a purr.

337
00:24:55,595 --> 00:24:57,797
Many different meanings
depending on the

338
00:24:57,797 --> 00:25:02,202
inflection, from simply
here I am where are you?

339
00:25:02,202 --> 00:25:06,840
To catastrophe
is on the way.

340
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:11,644
A simple plain yelp,
that would mean you are

341
00:25:11,644 --> 00:25:15,114
out of sight now and
need to come closer.

342
00:25:15,114 --> 00:25:20,119
When turkeys see a hawk
soaring in the distance

343
00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,355
and they are not really
disturbed by the hawk's

344
00:25:22,355 --> 00:25:24,824
soaring, but they want
everybody to know it's

345
00:25:24,824 --> 00:25:28,862
there and so they emit
what I called a low nasal

346
00:25:28,862 --> 00:25:38,861
whine and it causes everyone
to be still and very quiet.

347
00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:44,711
I didn't have the
capacity to understand

348
00:25:44,711 --> 00:25:48,882
every vocalization,
but somehow I had the

349
00:25:48,882 --> 00:25:52,552
capacity to understand
their meaning and that

350
00:25:52,552 --> 00:25:56,422
was an almost magical
thing that occurred

351
00:25:56,422 --> 00:26:00,293
with these young birds.

352
00:26:11,070 --> 00:26:12,505
Their language and
their understanding of

353
00:26:12,505 --> 00:26:16,643
the ecology shows
a remarkable intelligence.

354
00:26:16,643 --> 00:26:18,511
But their ability to
understand the world

355
00:26:18,511 --> 00:26:25,018
goes much further than
just communication.

356
00:26:27,253 --> 00:26:31,558
I came to realize that,
these young turkeys in

357
00:26:31,558 --> 00:26:38,998
many ways were more
conscious, than I was.

358
00:26:38,998 --> 00:26:42,435
And I actually felt a
sort of embarrassment

359
00:26:42,435 --> 00:26:44,203
when I was in
their presence.

360
00:26:44,203 --> 00:26:48,241
They were so
in the moment.

361
00:26:48,241 --> 00:26:50,710
And ultimately their
experience of that

362
00:26:50,710 --> 00:26:55,281
manifested into the
kind of joy that I

363
00:26:55,281 --> 00:26:56,849
don't experience.

364
00:26:56,849 --> 00:27:01,421
And I was very
envious of that.

365
00:27:14,634 --> 00:27:16,636
In search of a grasshopper

366
00:27:16,636 --> 00:27:18,104
is a calling as strong as

367
00:27:18,104 --> 00:27:20,607
any I have ever known.

368
00:27:22,308 --> 00:27:24,143
They are almost three
months old and I find

369
00:27:24,143 --> 00:27:30,483
myself a fully fledge
member of a turkey gang.

370
00:27:30,483 --> 00:27:37,857
We raid the field like
ancient marauding barbarians.

371
00:27:37,857 --> 00:27:39,592
Insects can hop or
run away but they are

372
00:27:39,592 --> 00:27:42,261
likely to land at the
feet of another this is

373
00:27:42,261 --> 00:27:47,834
a strategy that must occur
with turkeys everywhere.

374
00:27:52,672 --> 00:27:54,607
This is innate
communication unlike

375
00:27:54,607 --> 00:27:58,311
any I have ever known I
feel a little like an

376
00:27:58,311 --> 00:28:00,847
anthropologist who
after immersing himself

377
00:28:00,847 --> 00:28:04,317
in an exotic tribe is
becoming confused about

378
00:28:04,317 --> 00:28:07,053
his own social identity.

379
00:28:07,053 --> 00:28:09,188
I haven't started
eating grasshoppers yet

380
00:28:09,188 --> 00:28:12,325
but the smooth green
ones are beginning to

381
00:28:12,325 --> 00:28:16,829
look pretty tasty!

382
00:28:28,641 --> 00:28:31,177
Affection is a very
abstract concept anyway

383
00:28:31,177 --> 00:28:32,812
and very hard
to talk about.

384
00:28:32,812 --> 00:28:35,181
And yet I was observing
this everyday,

385
00:28:35,181 --> 00:28:39,719
this need for these
turkeys to be touched

386
00:28:39,719 --> 00:28:43,122
and for closeness.

387
00:28:43,122 --> 00:28:45,124
And so in that sense
wild turkeys are very

388
00:28:45,124 --> 00:28:49,662
affectionate and they
are very tactile.

389
00:28:49,662 --> 00:28:52,932
I saw it most
profoundly in Sweet Pea.

390
00:28:52,932 --> 00:28:54,801
From very early on
Sweet Pea had this

391
00:28:54,801 --> 00:28:58,004
overwhelming desire,
to be close and to be

392
00:28:58,004 --> 00:28:59,806
touching, at all times.

393
00:28:59,806 --> 00:29:02,275
And there was never a
time when I was sitting

394
00:29:02,275 --> 00:29:05,511
on the ground when
Sweet Pea wasn't in my lap.

395
00:29:05,511 --> 00:29:07,280
And if I sat there
Sweet Pea would go to

396
00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,451
sleep, and she expected
to be stroked and cuddled.

397
00:29:11,451 --> 00:29:12,318
And it was a
very interesting

398
00:29:12,318 --> 00:29:15,288
relationship, and of
course I fell for it

399
00:29:15,288 --> 00:29:17,990
hook, line and sinker
and just fell head over

400
00:29:17,990 --> 00:29:23,029
heels in love
with Sweet Pea.

401
00:29:23,029 --> 00:29:25,465
Affection is something
you would never

402
00:29:25,465 --> 00:29:28,534
anticipate or expect
from wild turkeys and

403
00:29:28,534 --> 00:29:31,304
yet it was very
apparent that this was

404
00:29:31,304 --> 00:29:36,743
a very important part
of their social life.

405
00:29:43,015 --> 00:29:47,820
Today I lost two birds
to some unknown illness.

406
00:29:47,820 --> 00:29:49,756
And I feel heart-broken.

407
00:29:49,756 --> 00:29:52,291
There is no question
about my connection to

408
00:29:52,291 --> 00:29:54,627
this family.

409
00:29:54,627 --> 00:29:55,461
And there is no
question,

410
00:29:55,461 --> 00:29:58,297
we all feel some
deep sadness.

411
00:29:58,297 --> 00:30:03,936
The effect on the
group is palpable.

412
00:30:03,936 --> 00:30:06,272
Emotions are certainly
not peculiar to the

413
00:30:06,272 --> 00:30:08,574
human experience.

414
00:30:08,574 --> 00:30:12,879
In their observation
of death,

415
00:30:12,879 --> 00:30:16,282
the death of another
turkey that is a member

416
00:30:16,282 --> 00:30:17,416
of their group.

417
00:30:17,416 --> 00:30:20,553
It's a very conscious
behavior as if they are

418
00:30:20,553 --> 00:30:24,123
trying to understand
what the meaning

419
00:30:24,123 --> 00:30:28,661
of this is.

420
00:31:02,628 --> 00:31:04,730
Shelter from the rain
on my porch of my hut

421
00:31:04,730 --> 00:31:07,767
is one of the few perks
these birds have gotten

422
00:31:07,767 --> 00:31:15,141
from having such
an odd parent.

423
00:31:16,876 --> 00:31:18,177
It seems a long
time has past,

424
00:31:18,177 --> 00:31:25,017
since I tended these
birds from the egg.

425
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:55,448
I've walked these oak
hammocks for over 20

426
00:31:55,448 --> 00:31:59,218
years and I had no idea
how many rattlesnakes

427
00:31:59,218 --> 00:32:02,054
there were here.

428
00:32:02,054 --> 00:32:03,956
I'd see maybe
two in a year.

429
00:32:03,956 --> 00:32:07,026
Now with these turkeys
we were finding 2 or 3

430
00:32:07,026 --> 00:32:09,829
every day!

431
00:32:09,829 --> 00:32:17,536
Today we came across
a 6 foot diamond back.

432
00:32:17,536 --> 00:32:19,405
I used to fear
for them terribly,

433
00:32:19,405 --> 00:32:24,944
but now there is no
question who is in charge.

434
00:32:24,944 --> 00:32:28,347
Sweet Pea and Rosita
were insistent they

435
00:32:28,347 --> 00:32:35,388
wanted to escort this rattle
snake out of the area.

436
00:32:39,625 --> 00:32:41,894
The non-venomous Indigo
snake got an even

437
00:32:41,894 --> 00:32:47,900
closer inspection
from Turkey Boy.

438
00:32:50,403 --> 00:32:52,872
This kind of intense
interaction is born

439
00:32:52,872 --> 00:32:55,708
from a desire to
remain in touch with a

440
00:32:55,708 --> 00:32:57,476
possible predator.

441
00:32:57,476 --> 00:32:59,578
Although sometimes it
does feel like it's

442
00:32:59,578 --> 00:33:05,284
become a bit of
a game for them.

443
00:33:13,592 --> 00:33:15,361
I had never considered
that the wild turkey

444
00:33:15,361 --> 00:33:23,369
was a playful bird, but in
fact they are playful.

445
00:33:23,369 --> 00:33:25,771
They're curious about
things that don't

446
00:33:25,771 --> 00:33:29,442
benefit their
survival directly.

447
00:33:32,078 --> 00:33:37,483
[Music Playing]

448
00:33:39,018 --> 00:33:40,653
The white tailed deer
has fawned late this

449
00:33:40,653 --> 00:33:44,190
year, and as always
Turkey boy is vying for

450
00:33:44,190 --> 00:33:47,226
some reaction.

451
00:33:47,226 --> 00:33:48,894
But this time he has
bitten off more

452
00:33:48,894 --> 00:33:53,165
than he can chew.

453
00:33:53,833 --> 00:33:59,171
The young deer can give
as good as she gets!

454
00:34:13,753 --> 00:34:18,057
Sweet Pea's favorite
is far more amiable.

455
00:34:18,057 --> 00:34:20,693
The Fox squirrel seems
to want to play as much

456
00:34:20,693 --> 00:34:23,763
as she does.

457
00:34:29,902 --> 00:34:31,871
There is no question
in my mind that these

458
00:34:31,871 --> 00:34:38,277
birds experience
joy in their lives.

459
00:34:51,357 --> 00:34:54,226
I was learning new things
about turkeys every day.

460
00:34:54,226 --> 00:34:56,328
But this was not
just about how they

461
00:34:56,328 --> 00:34:57,530
lived their life.

462
00:34:57,530 --> 00:35:00,533
These animals were
showing me how to live

463
00:35:00,533 --> 00:35:03,469
my life also.

464
00:35:04,270 --> 00:35:13,079
We do not have a
privileged access to reality.

465
00:35:17,183 --> 00:35:21,487
So many of us live
either in the past or in

466
00:35:21,487 --> 00:35:26,358
the future and
betray the moment

467
00:35:32,131 --> 00:35:36,902
and in some sense we
forget to live our lives.

468
00:35:36,902 --> 00:35:39,271
And the wild turkeys
were always reminding

469
00:35:39,271 --> 00:35:44,043
me to live my life.

470
00:35:44,043 --> 00:35:46,979
I think as humans we
have this peculiar

471
00:35:46,979 --> 00:35:51,817
predisposition to be
always thinking ahead

472
00:35:51,817 --> 00:35:54,620
and living a little
bit in the future

473
00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:57,590
anticipating the next
minute the next hour

474
00:35:57,590 --> 00:36:01,994
the next day and we
betray the moment.

475
00:36:01,994 --> 00:36:08,000
And wild turkeys
don't do that.

476
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,102
They are convinced that
everything that they

477
00:36:10,102 --> 00:36:13,806
need, all their needs
will be met only in the

478
00:36:13,806 --> 00:36:17,009
present moment
and in this space.

479
00:36:17,009 --> 00:36:19,311
And the world
is not better,

480
00:36:19,311 --> 00:36:21,614
a half a mile
through the woods,

481
00:36:21,614 --> 00:36:24,416
it's not better an hour
from now and its not

482
00:36:24,416 --> 00:36:25,885
better tomorrow.

483
00:36:25,885 --> 00:36:28,888
But this is as
good as it gets.

484
00:36:30,589 --> 00:36:34,793
And so they constantly
reminded me to do that.

485
00:36:34,793 --> 00:36:39,565
And to not live in this
abstraction of the future.

486
00:36:39,565 --> 00:36:42,601
Which by definition
will never exist,

487
00:36:42,601 --> 00:36:46,438
and so we sort of betray
our lives in the moment.

488
00:36:46,438 --> 00:36:49,475
And the wild turkeys
reminded me to be

489
00:36:49,475 --> 00:36:53,913
present, to be here.

490
00:37:09,628 --> 00:37:12,565
For over a year, day
after day we never saw

491
00:37:12,565 --> 00:37:14,633
another human-being.

492
00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:17,069
Which was perfect.

493
00:37:17,069 --> 00:37:19,838
But as the year wore on
I could feel one day

494
00:37:19,838 --> 00:37:25,978
soon I would
walk home alone.

495
00:37:29,148 --> 00:37:31,417
It was late afternoon,
I was sitting in the

496
00:37:31,417 --> 00:37:34,053
thick forest
with Sweet Pea.

497
00:37:34,053 --> 00:37:36,255
We suddenly realized
that there were no

498
00:37:36,255 --> 00:37:38,090
turkeys around us.

499
00:37:38,090 --> 00:37:40,893
And we started looking,
we realized that there

500
00:37:40,893 --> 00:37:44,163
were no turkeys
in the area.

501
00:37:44,163 --> 00:37:47,233
Sweet Pea became
very concerned.

502
00:37:47,233 --> 00:37:52,104
And she actually
started lost calling.

503
00:38:09,788 --> 00:38:12,825
And so we walked maybe
a quarter of a mile,

504
00:38:12,825 --> 00:38:16,729
and finally we saw
turkeys up in the distance.

505
00:38:16,729 --> 00:38:20,299
And I thought this
was really strange.

506
00:38:20,299 --> 00:38:22,868
And I decided okay
we're going to head

507
00:38:22,868 --> 00:38:28,107
back towards home, and
I turned to leave.

508
00:38:28,107 --> 00:38:30,542
No one followed me.

509
00:38:30,542 --> 00:38:32,645
And in fact they
started heading out in

510
00:38:32,645 --> 00:38:34,446
the opposite direction.

511
00:38:34,446 --> 00:38:36,715
In fact there was a
farm in that direction,

512
00:38:36,715 --> 00:38:41,353
that had yard dogs, all
sorts of things that we

513
00:38:41,353 --> 00:38:43,255
did not want
to encounter.

514
00:38:43,255 --> 00:38:45,824
And I could not get the
birds to listen to me,

515
00:38:45,824 --> 00:38:49,428
they would not follow
for the first time ever.

516
00:38:49,428 --> 00:38:52,031
And I became
very disturbed.

517
00:38:52,031 --> 00:38:55,834
And I lost called and
all the vocalizations I

518
00:38:55,834 --> 00:38:59,738
need to employ
they would chatter

519
00:38:59,738 --> 00:39:02,875
acknowledgement, but
they wouldn't follow me.

520
00:39:02,875 --> 00:39:05,144
And by this time I was
just a nervous wreck,

521
00:39:05,144 --> 00:39:06,578
I was exhausted I
didn't know what was

522
00:39:06,578 --> 00:39:10,649
going on and I thought
I've lost these birds

523
00:39:10,649 --> 00:39:12,785
I'm not going to be
able to get them back

524
00:39:12,785 --> 00:39:19,358
and I did not want
this to end like this.

525
00:39:20,192 --> 00:39:22,528
Eventually I tried the
same technique got out

526
00:39:22,528 --> 00:39:27,900
in front, and finally
they start veering off.

527
00:39:27,900 --> 00:39:31,337
And it took hours, to
get the turkeys turned

528
00:39:31,337 --> 00:39:34,807
in the direction
of home.

529
00:39:34,807 --> 00:39:36,675
But I realized that
everything was

530
00:39:36,675 --> 00:39:38,677
different now.

531
00:39:38,677 --> 00:39:41,180
The life that we had
known for the last 6 or

532
00:39:41,180 --> 00:39:43,482
9 months had changed.

533
00:39:43,482 --> 00:39:44,883
And they were from
that point on,

534
00:39:44,883 --> 00:39:47,853
fully wild turkeys that
came and went as they

535
00:39:47,853 --> 00:39:52,558
pleased, they allowed
me to accompany them,

536
00:39:52,558 --> 00:39:58,230
but I was no
longer the parent.

537
00:39:58,230 --> 00:40:02,768
I was just
another bird.

538
00:40:08,173 --> 00:40:10,976
Wild turkeys grow up
fast and I knew my days

539
00:40:10,976 --> 00:40:12,411
with them were
numbered.

540
00:40:12,411 --> 00:40:14,546
But these turkeys had
taught me not to betray

541
00:40:14,546 --> 00:40:21,854
the moment for some
abstraction up ahead.

542
00:40:37,536 --> 00:40:41,373
Once again I am a man in
search of a grasshopper.

543
00:40:41,373 --> 00:40:43,709
It's a calling as
strong as any I have

544
00:40:43,709 --> 00:40:45,244
ever known.

545
00:40:45,244 --> 00:40:47,479
This makes me wonder
sometimes if I have

546
00:40:47,479 --> 00:40:52,951
gotten in a
little too deep.

547
00:41:44,837 --> 00:41:47,239
The peace is being
broken more and more

548
00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:49,908
each day.

549
00:41:50,576 --> 00:41:52,811
It's not just Turkey
Boy, now all the males

550
00:41:52,811 --> 00:41:59,852
practice displaying
getting ready to do battle.

551
00:42:03,455 --> 00:42:05,491
The males will need to
fight their way to the

552
00:42:05,491 --> 00:42:08,961
next stage of
their lives.

553
00:42:08,961 --> 00:42:13,499
Only the toughest
will get to mate.

554
00:42:19,071 --> 00:42:21,106
And as these practice
bouts show when the

555
00:42:21,106 --> 00:42:28,480
real fighting starts
it will be ferocious.

556
00:42:31,383 --> 00:42:34,119
As I looked on, I had
no way of knowing how I

557
00:42:34,119 --> 00:42:42,895
was going to be part of
this rite of passage.

558
00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:10,222
It's over a year
into the project,

559
00:43:10,222 --> 00:43:18,030
and I am starting to see
the birds less and less.

560
00:43:18,363 --> 00:43:19,798
It's natural for the
young jakes to move

561
00:43:19,798 --> 00:43:22,568
away from the group and
the hens too should be

562
00:43:22,568 --> 00:43:24,870
disappearing soon.

563
00:43:24,870 --> 00:43:28,874
But I can't help but
feel a deep sadness.

564
00:43:28,874 --> 00:43:33,178
Day after day they have
been my only company.

565
00:43:33,178 --> 00:43:36,248
Sweet Pea still stays
close by and Turkey Boy

566
00:43:36,248 --> 00:43:39,284
remains the
closest of friends,

567
00:43:39,284 --> 00:43:45,390
but some of the others
are drifting away.

568
00:44:03,241 --> 00:44:06,144
And then something
very special happened,

569
00:44:06,144 --> 00:44:09,681
Sweet Pea started
nesting nearby.

570
00:44:09,681 --> 00:44:11,817
If she hatches her
brood with me here,

571
00:44:11,817 --> 00:44:15,187
it could start a whole
new avenue of research.

572
00:44:15,187 --> 00:44:21,893
A new access to the
reality of the wild turkey.

573
00:44:21,893 --> 00:44:24,429
I had notions of
possibly being able to

574
00:44:24,429 --> 00:44:27,032
do a partial imprinting
thing on her brood

575
00:44:27,032 --> 00:44:30,636
where they would accept
my company without

576
00:44:30,636 --> 00:44:32,704
being disturbed and I
thought that would be a

577
00:44:32,704 --> 00:44:39,511
new and interesting
perspective.

578
00:44:39,511 --> 00:44:43,882
Eventually Sweet Pea
didn't show up one day,

579
00:44:43,882 --> 00:44:50,022
and I thought she's
hatched her babies.

580
00:44:50,155 --> 00:44:52,457
Eventually I thought
well I'll go and

581
00:44:52,457 --> 00:44:55,560
inspect her nest site.

582
00:44:55,560 --> 00:45:00,098
And I went there, and
immediately saw feathers.

583
00:45:00,098 --> 00:45:04,002
And I realized that
Sweet Pea had in fact

584
00:45:04,002 --> 00:45:06,004
been killed on the nest.

585
00:45:06,004 --> 00:45:08,707
And eggs were crushed
and destroyed,

586
00:45:08,707 --> 00:45:12,944
partially eaten.

587
00:45:12,944 --> 00:45:14,913
It was a very
disturbing moment,

588
00:45:14,913 --> 00:45:17,382
heart breaking.

589
00:45:17,382 --> 00:45:20,552
And it made me realize
how deep my involvement

590
00:45:20,552 --> 00:45:25,057
was with these birds.

591
00:45:35,901 --> 00:45:40,372
But when everyone left
Turkey Boy was the one

592
00:45:40,372 --> 00:45:42,774
who eventually
came back.

593
00:45:42,774 --> 00:45:46,912
And once he did he
never wanted to leave.

594
00:45:46,912 --> 00:45:52,250
And so we developed an
incredible companionship.

595
00:45:52,250 --> 00:45:54,352
It was clear I was
no longer this wild

596
00:45:54,352 --> 00:45:55,821
turkey's parent.

597
00:45:55,821 --> 00:46:00,358
We had actually
become brothers.

598
00:46:00,358 --> 00:46:03,895
I've spent a lifetime
studying wild animals

599
00:46:03,895 --> 00:46:07,065
bears, primates, I
don't think I've ever

600
00:46:07,065 --> 00:46:09,568
had a close
communication,

601
00:46:09,568 --> 00:46:12,804
with an animal like I
had with Turkey Boy.

602
00:46:12,804 --> 00:46:14,873
It was truly
phenomenal.

603
00:46:14,873 --> 00:46:17,476
And I recognized this
and I spent every

604
00:46:17,476 --> 00:46:19,444
available minute I
could with him because

605
00:46:19,444 --> 00:46:24,950
I felt like it was such
a rare opportunity.

606
00:46:24,950 --> 00:46:26,752
The depth of our
relationship and the

607
00:46:26,752 --> 00:46:30,155
extraordinary
communication we had.

608
00:46:30,155 --> 00:46:34,159
And yet Turkey Boy had
the ability to convey

609
00:46:34,159 --> 00:46:37,729
to me very
specific meanings,

610
00:46:37,729 --> 00:46:40,165
about what he wanted
to do what he expected

611
00:46:40,165 --> 00:46:42,234
from me, where
he wanted to go,

612
00:46:42,234 --> 00:46:44,636
how he wanted to
spend his day.

613
00:46:44,636 --> 00:46:47,372
The communication
was very complete,

614
00:46:47,372 --> 00:46:51,276
it's pretty remarkable
when a man and a bird

615
00:46:51,276 --> 00:46:57,516
unlike anything I've
ever experienced.

616
00:47:06,158 --> 00:47:07,726
Of course it was
inevitable that all

617
00:47:07,726 --> 00:47:10,228
this was going to end.

618
00:47:10,228 --> 00:47:13,431
Turkey brothers
stay together.

619
00:47:13,431 --> 00:47:14,666
But as a human,
of course,

620
00:47:14,666 --> 00:47:18,804
I had to return
to my own species.

621
00:47:20,705 --> 00:47:22,674
But nothing could have
prepared me for the

622
00:47:22,674 --> 00:47:28,280
ferocity of
what came next.

623
00:47:29,681 --> 00:47:32,584
I happened to look up
and Turkey Boy's face

624
00:47:32,584 --> 00:47:37,823
was right next to my
face and he was just

625
00:47:37,823 --> 00:47:41,593
glowing with these
vivid colors of purple

626
00:47:41,593 --> 00:47:43,428
and red and blue.

627
00:47:43,428 --> 00:47:45,831
And he had a fierce
look in his eyes,

628
00:47:45,831 --> 00:47:50,035
predatory look, and
I thought that was

629
00:47:50,035 --> 00:47:53,038
strange and I reached
out my hand and he

630
00:47:53,038 --> 00:47:56,041
pecked it at the back
of my hand and actually

631
00:47:56,041 --> 00:47:57,542
drew blood.

632
00:47:57,542 --> 00:48:00,712
And I didn't hit him I
just pushed him back,

633
00:48:00,712 --> 00:48:04,549
with my hand on his
breast, get back!

634
00:48:04,549 --> 00:48:06,885
And that was the trigger,

635
00:48:06,885 --> 00:48:09,821
and suddenly understood
what our relationship

636
00:48:09,821 --> 00:48:12,257
should truly
be as brothers.

637
00:48:12,257 --> 00:48:16,928
And he immediately
attacked me.

638
00:48:16,928 --> 00:48:19,798
And he jumped up and he
spurred me in the back,

639
00:48:19,798 --> 00:48:25,270
and gouged me
really hurt me.

640
00:48:25,270 --> 00:48:27,038
And he jumped up at my
face which is really

641
00:48:27,038 --> 00:48:29,107
dangerous they can
blind you with their

642
00:48:29,107 --> 00:48:34,679
big pointed spurs.

643
00:48:38,483 --> 00:48:38,984
I was bleeding

644
00:48:38,984 --> 00:48:40,619
my ear was bleeding, the
back of my hands were

645
00:48:40,619 --> 00:48:43,955
bleeding, and so I
jumped back up and I

646
00:48:43,955 --> 00:48:46,358
grabbed this long-leaf
pine and I swung as

647
00:48:46,358 --> 00:48:50,929
hard as I could.

648
00:48:51,196 --> 00:48:53,231
Hitting Turkey Boy on
the side of the head

649
00:48:53,231 --> 00:48:56,368
which literally
knocked him down.

650
00:48:56,368 --> 00:48:58,637
And he got up, he
turned around and he

651
00:48:58,637 --> 00:49:05,310
ran out of sight, as
fast as he could run.

652
00:49:08,146 --> 00:49:14,519
And that was the last
time I saw Turkey Boy.

653
00:49:18,590 --> 00:49:21,660
For weeks and months, I
would go out into our

654
00:49:21,660 --> 00:49:25,764
old area and I would
go there and I would sit

655
00:49:25,764 --> 00:49:26,965
for hours sometimes.

656
00:49:26,965 --> 00:49:29,668
Fully expecting for
someone to walk in,

657
00:49:29,668 --> 00:49:31,770
a familiar face.

658
00:49:31,770 --> 00:49:35,774
And uh, no
one ever came.

659
00:49:35,774 --> 00:49:37,876
And in fact their
absence seemed to

660
00:49:37,876 --> 00:49:40,946
change the
ecology entirely.

661
00:49:40,946 --> 00:49:44,950
And the rattlesnakes
seemed to disappear.

662
00:49:44,950 --> 00:49:48,053
And I realized that the
turkeys had afforded me

663
00:49:48,053 --> 00:49:52,057
this privileged
experience,

664
00:49:52,057 --> 00:49:55,894
this insight into their
world that had finally

665
00:49:55,894 --> 00:49:59,197
closed its doors to me.

666
00:50:14,312 --> 00:50:31,652
[Music Playing]