RE: Smokey Grey Gobbler
Those are some beautiful turkeys. Actually Ridge Runner, domestic turkeys will not survive in the wild. They are usually easily taken by preditors. They don't have the survival instincts of wild turkeys. Often they cannot fly, so that is a death warrant in the wild. A domestic turkey will even drown itself in the rain. They will look skyward while it's raining and actually drown by opening their mouths. Sounds silly but it's true. There may be an exception or two, but in just about every case a domestic turkey released in the wild has perished, by means other than hunters. I know a person who released 10 or 12 domestic turkeys in the wild. None made it. It's against the law anyway. They don't want an inferior cross breed to take over. That would spell doom to turkeys in an area.