A Respectable Bird

As the Fourth of July is among us, we celebrate the freedoms and traditions that make America great. It is a special time of year to pay homage to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms today. It is also a time to celebrate our freedoms and traditions. As conservationists, we celebrate the ability to hunt the wild turkey, a bird that our founding father Ben Franklin praised as representing the courage and originality of our nation.

While Franklin did not officially propose the wild turkey as the National Bird, as lore often has it, he did write a letter to his daughter commenting on the original eagle design for the Great Seal. In comparison to the bald eagle, Franklin wrote the wild turkey is “a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America...He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage.”

As we celebrate the Fourth of July, Franklin’s comments about the wild turkey being a "respectable" critter still ring true today.

From Native Americans, to the founding fathers and to turkey hunters today, the wild turkey has captivated people throughout time who are lucky enough to hear its spring-time gobble reverberate the woods. We appreciate the bird for its challenging nature and its ability to outsmart even the best of hunters. It’s keen sense and elusive nature keeps us learning something new every spring. Sometimes, the bird wins, and that’s alright – a respectable bird indeed. While the wild turkey is respectable as a game species, its role in conservation is equally respectable.

The funds generated from hunting licenses and the excise taxes from firearms and ammo play an essential role in conservation efforts across multiple landscapes. These funds are used to support wildlife management programs that help ensure that wild turkeys, along with many other game and non-game specie, remain healthy and sustainable. Additionally, these programs aid in the restoration of critical habitats, which not only benefit the wild turkey but also other species that depend on those habitats. By investing in conservation efforts through turkey hunting, we are also promoting the well-being of many other species and overall ecosystem resilience.

From outsmarting us in the woods to its role in conservation, like Ben Franklin, we find the wild turkey respectable. Franklin's comments about the wild turkey continue to be relevant today because they highlight the bird's unique qualities that make it a valuable part of our culture. The wild turkey represents courage, originality and respectability, qualities that turkey hunters and conservationists strive to embody in our pursuits.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it is a great moment to appreciate all what the bird stands for - the beauty of nature, the resilience of the American people and the hope for a better tomorrow. While the wild turkey is not our national bird, it sure could be.