I just don't think they're the world's brightest bird as some would have us believe. Do you know when you order turkey chick's they recommend ordering some chicken chick's with them, to teach them where the food and water is and how to eat and drink?
I think every bird or animal including humans have to be taught to eat and drink by a mother. I work for a man who manages his land for hunting and he buys pheasant chicks and we have to teach them them the same thing. He's got a big pen that's full of weeds and grass that has a small room on one end and by teach I mean we have to keep them locked in there for several days with food in the feeders as well as on the cement floor and 6 big pans of water. If we let them out in the main pen as soon as we get them some will wander around and starve or thirst to death.
I think your right about their intelligence, after all, I've got 30 minutes of video of one trying to breed one of my hen decoys.
Intelligence is simply a relative term we use to describe a bird or animals inter action with humans.
Animals and birds learn by trial and error just like we do, the more they inter act with hunters and hunter methods the smarter they get or they die. Pressured and unpressured birds or animals are 2 different things.
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, my point is people post pictures on here to share an accomplishment of something they got enjoyment from. Life is short, lots of unhappy things, war, death, sickness, divorce, children going off the deep end, loss of job, political upheaval, etc. etc. etc.
So when somebody posts, I'm going to congratulate and tell them good job. I don't care if he or she shot a deer at 2 or 2000 yards or a turkey at 6 or 60 yards, if it's a fork horn or 250 inch 4 point I'm going to acknowledge the accomplishment.
One thing I highly value about you DW and some others on here is your positive responses to my pictures and posts.
