Every spring, Jim and I wait for the new flock of tiny velociraptors, accompanied by their stately and vigilant mother, to hop, skip, and bounce their way across the field and into the grove. These feathered dinosaurs are delightful to watch, and we are thrilled at every sighting. Over the following months, we will count their number each day, hoping that it doesn’t decrease. We watch them grow up, until they no longer resemble extras from a Jurassic Park film, but look like the wild turkeys we know them to be.

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is one of two species of turkey native to the New World. Several subspecies of M. gallopavo exist in every state except Alaska and parts of Canada.

The Eastern wild turkey (M. gallopavo silvestris) was the one hunted by settlers at Jamestown and pilgrims at Plymouth. It has become the most recognized symbol of our American holiday of Thanksgiving. Today, the Eastern wild turkey range extends from Maine to northern Florida and west to ...