I prefer my wild turkey in a glass on the rocks… not running around and terrorizing motorcyclists.
This video out of Ontario, Canada is currently circulating on the internet once again (it was originally posted in 2019), and it’s probably because you don’t regularly see a turkey trying to take on a motorcyclist at a stop light.
Typically, my battles with turkey are reserved for the Thanksgiving table. I’d prefer to get into a heavyweight fight with my belt to see how much turkey I can stuff down over actually going toe-to-talon with a turkey in the middle of the road.
But unfortunately for this guy riding what I’ve always referred to as a “crotch rocket,” he didn’t have much of a choice. As the story goes, the person driving the vehicle saw the turkey in the middle of the road and came to a stop. At some point, the guy on the motorcycle passed her and tried to mind his own business at the stoplight.
The wild turkey had other plans.
Not long after the motorcyclist came to a stop, the turkey started circling the bike – plotting its next move. After a couple of seconds of contemplation, the bird decided to pick a fight with the motorcyclist, and since I don’t ever pass up an opportunity to provide some alliteration, it was a turkey tussle.
The man did his best to fend off the turkey, but the fearless bird just kept coming. Wild turkeys are known to be aggressive around humans, especially if it’s during breeding season. They don’t often peck, attack or chase humans, but when they do – like in this video – they really go for it.
Though the turkey got airborne multiple times trying to scratch and claw at the motorcyclist, the guy did a good job holding his own while keeping his bike upright. And I can virtually guarantee you that he was muttering, “Turn green! Turn green dammit” as he kept his legs active in self defense.
Good thing he was already wearing a helmet in case things really went south:
I feel like we should have some sort of loophole in the law to run a red light if you are actively getting attacked by a wild animal.
Let this be a lesson to keep your distance from wild turkeys, if you can. This guy couldn’t help that he was at the wrong stoplight at the wrong time and had no choice but to feel the wrath of the terrible turkey for the time being.
Social media had some funny reactions to the video in the comment section below the post:
“Turkey wanted beef for no reason.”
“Bet that’s the longest red light that man has ever sat at.”
“This guy is gonna cook two turkeys for Thanksgiving after this.”
“They were both using the same leg tactics.”
“Thank goodness for this video cause his wife was never going to believe the reason he’s late is a turkey attack at a traffic light.”
“Buddy getting a first class ticket to my oven for that stunt.”
“Turkey wanted all the smoke.”
On that note… I’ve had a smoked turkey before and it was delicious. I know that’s now what the social media user meant when they left that comment, but it’s just what came to mind for me. Hey Siri… search “Best Turkey Sandwich near me.”
