Wild turkeys are pretty smart.

When starting to cross the road they are aware if a ca is coming and turn around and go back on the shoulder.   They do this as a group (flock).

I observed this on a trip to Tupper Lake NY and back.

If they are half way across they will hurry to the other side.

Not like deer that will stare at you and you don't know where they will go.  Didn't see any deer this trip.

My son's got 'em, he had to turn the hose on two Toms fighting - mating season.

PITA critters.

If you really want to know... read this book.

Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season with the Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey 101 is my favorite.   Wait, your talking about the bird...  nvm.

I beg to differ. I had an office ground level with floor to ceiling glass facing 2 corners and I routinely had 2 or 3 of them smashing their heads into it since it was 1 way glass and they were attacking the reflection.

I ended up moving to a 2nd floor office after about a month of that

Damn near the most aware, observant being in the woods.

ChrisLS8 said:

I beg to differ. I had an office ground level with floor to ceiling glass facing 2 corners and I routinely had 2 or 3 of them smashing their heads into it since it was 1 way glass and they were attacking the reflection.

I saw them doing that at my office as well.  As for crossing the road, around here they just walk out into traffic and stroll across the road as if the cars don't exist.

They still aren't as dumb as domestic turkeys.

Kendall_Jones said:

Wild Turkey 101 is my favorite.   Wait, your talking about the bird...  nvm.

When I was a drinkin man, that was my choice of poison.  

In reply to stuart in mn :

Maybe our Adirondack turkeys are just smarter.

Canada geese will cross as a flock, but first the guard ganders will walk into a break in traffic then just stop in the middle and stare down oncoming cars. Once the traffic has stopped in both directions, the rest of the flock will proceed across. Only after the rest of the flock makes it will the ganders break station and follow them. 
 

All right, you twisted my arm.

Some years ago, I drove an F450 with a dump bed. I also towed a trailer, but that's not entirely relevant to the story. I had just completed a metal roof delivery, and was going along a country 2 lane road. Not fast, but certainly not slow. Maybe 50. In my periphery, I saw a commotion that was a wild turkey running/flying/flapping on a collision course with my truck. I swear it looked me right in the eye. I had enough time to mutter "don't do it". Twice, but it kept coming through the field at an angle soon to intercept mine. My foot was off the gas going for the brake when it flew up in front to the truck. It's body and wings filled the windshield, and I instinctively ducked, as I was sure it would come through the windshield, but it cleared. The truck, but not the 1/4" steel lip of the dump bed. It rang a deep tone, like a giant spring sending Wiley Coyote in a ballistic orbit. Feathers went everywhere, but there was no other sign of the fowl when I investigated back at the shop. 

I can not speak to the bird's intelligence, but its actions were both deliberate and effective.

I once had a wild turkey come through the windshield of a Miata during the Jefferson 500. I pitted, expecting a driver change and instead we kicked out the windscreen and continued on. I pitted again 2 laps later as the adrenaline had started to subside and the realization that I had soiled my nomex undies had set in. 

 I don't like wild turkeys. 

We had two young turkeys hanging around at work,  one male and one female.   I wouldn't say they were overly smart, especially the male.  Our office was right off of business 85 in Spartanburg and the male had a habit of walking over to the interstate in the morning and standing a couple of feet off the emergency lane.  He just stood there.  One day I saw a smushed turkey in the frontage road right where you turn to our office.  The other bird just disappeared.  

I've had run-ins with both live and liquid wild turkeys. Neither panned out.

The live ones are JERKS. If you are driving around and they start congregating at the edge of the road, just keep driving. If you stop, they may attack your car! My wife found out the hard way when they started pecking at her car one day. She called me in a panic, not knowing what to do. She didn't want to run them over or hurt them, and honking the horn only made them angrier. When another motorist stopped to assist, they started attacking his car, and she sped off. She felt bad, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

The liquid ones are ALSO JERKS. I drank an entire bottle by myself at my bachelor party, and I still can't touch bourbon of any kind 9 years later. My friends give me tidbits of info on the things I did that night when we hang out, since I can't really remember any of it.

Pretty smart indeed.

pilotbraden said:

Damn near the most aware, observant being in the woods.

While simultaneously being the densest, most ignorant one...

To wit- my uncle was hunting spring turkeys. He managed to call one in and shot him. Another Tom came running and upon arriving at the scene of his compatriot's death, proceeded to start kicking the ever-loving crap out his carcass...