Comments on: The Great Turkey Rescue That Wasn't
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- Regarding 11/17/2006 Turkey Release:
It is obivious Steve Hartman did not understand that this turkey release represented ('symbolic' as I read the news release) 30+ years of effort state wildlife agencies, with NWTF's assistance to restore turkey populations throughout North America.
So besides not reading the news release, did Steve edit out the conservation story behind this turkey release? Hmmm, I wonder!
JT - Reply to this comment
- I just want to say what an atrocity this is that a liberal minded reporter would undermind the hard work and conservation efforts of the NWTF to increase the population of the Wild Turkey. Futhermore, it was to be considered as our National Bird by our forefather Benjamin Franklin. How the media takes everything out of context is just appalling. No wonder this country has fallen into the arms of Terrorists. You think we are the enemy for trapping the birds to put locator devices on them, so that we might learn much more needed information about the wild turkey for future conservation. For Steve Hartman to actually quote "pulling the wool over the eyes of children" is totallly irrelevant to the learning process and stewardship of conservation. Mr. Hartman what have you done for children lately? Hunting is conservation just ask the insurance companies about all the cars damaged by the overpopulation of deer. I'll bet you a brand new 100 dollar bill they would like to see more liberal harvest limits on deer. The turkey population much like any other species has been affected by the growth of civilization. If I took away your house and all the grocery stores around, you wouldn't last very long either now would you? Our hunting heritage has been a way of life for centuries, but who wants to be a metrosexual? I love this country and served in our military to protect the rights we have today eihter jump on the wagon or be left for the coyotes which are taking over everyday.
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- Again, we see someone without any facts, trying to educate the public with his perceptions. If only he had taken the time to find out what was going on before he said something foolish. Speaking of educate, do they not get the concept of showing our youth how they too can be involved with restoring animals to their natural habitat. The youth of today will be the stewerds of the land tomorrow. Instead of just talking about it, the NWTF is in the forefront of making it happen. I assumed that the liberal news media were mostly made up of enviromentalists, I am surprised they did not recognize what was going on right in front of their eyes. Maybe do'ers get it, but talkers don't.
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- This is in my opinion another attempt to make the true environmentalist, the hunter, look like a fool. CBS continues to make their anti-hunting bias appear to be news "fair and balanced". Steve Hartman, what a sham! Sportsmen pay for restocking and the protection of wildlife. What makes him an authority to report BS as news?
Bill Swan
Dunlap, TN - Reply to this comment
- Here's what a reporter said about the story,edited to fit:
Published: Nov 19, 2006 ... The restocking programs have been paid for almost entirely by hunting license fees, excise taxes on hunting gear, and donations from the National Wild Turkey Federation, a hunting/conservation organization.
Hartman said that the turkeys had been "abducted" and also that they had been "kidnapped."
Fortunately, 13 of the trapped turkeys were released without incident, and most are probably back sitting on their roosts.
All except one, that is. That would be the gobbler that ran into the fence.
For reasons known only to Hartman, when a big gobbler was released, he laid down his camera and began to sprint after the bird. The turkey wasn't about to be caught by a guy from New York with a doughnut around his middle, of course, but in running away from Hartman it ran full tilt into a barbed wire fence.
Feathers and blood flew. The turkey made it through the fence and wobbled off toward a nearby cypress head, drooping one wing and limping. That gobbler probably wound up as coyote food shortly after sundown - nature does not provide much slack for the infirm.
... This time he wandered far off the track and insulted both the NWTF and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, without the likes of which there would be no wild turkeys anywhere in the nation these days, and missed an opportunity to share a story that should have been told to the national audience of CBS. - Reply to this comment
- Here's what a reporter said about the story,edited to fit:
Published: Nov 19, 2006 ... The restocking programs have been paid for almost entirely by hunting license fees, excise taxes on hunting gear, and donations from the National Wild Turkey Federation, a hunting/conservation organization.
Hartman said that the turkeys had been "abducted" and also that they had been "kidnapped."
Fortunately, 13 of the trapped turkeys were released without incident, and most are probably back sitting on their roosts.
All except one, that is. That would be the gobbler that ran into the fence.
For reasons known only to Hartman, when a big gobbler was released, he laid down his camera and began to sprint after the bird. The turkey wasn't about to be caught by a guy from New York with a doughnut around his middle, of course, but in running away from Hartman it ran full tilt into a barbed wire fence.
Feathers and blood flew. The turkey made it through the fence and wobbled off toward a nearby cypress head, drooping one wing and limping. That gobbler probably wound up as coyote food shortly after sundown - nature does not provide much slack for the infirm.
... This time he wandered far off the track and insulted both the NWTF and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, without the likes of which there would be no wild turkeys anywhere in the nation these days, and missed an opportunity to share a story that should have been told to the national audience of CBS. - Reply to this comment
- Here's what a reporter said about the story,edited to fit:
Published: Nov 19, 2006 ... The restocking programs have been paid for almost entirely by hunting license fees, excise taxes on hunting gear, and donations from the National Wild Turkey Federation, a hunting/conservation organization.
Hartman said that the turkeys had been "abducted" and also that they had been "kidnapped."
Fortunately, 13 of the trapped turkeys were released without incident, and most are probably back sitting on their roosts.
All except one, that is. That would be the gobbler that ran into the fence.
For reasons known only to Hartman, when a big gobbler was released, he laid down his camera and began to sprint after the bird. The turkey wasn't about to be caught by a guy from New York with a doughnut around his middle, of course, but in running away from Hartman it ran full tilt into a barbed wire fence.
Feathers and blood flew. The turkey made it through the fence and wobbled off toward a nearby cypress head, drooping one wing and limping. That gobbler probably wound up as coyote food shortly after sundown - nature does not provide much slack for the infirm.
... This time he wandered far off the track and insulted both the NWTF and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, without the likes of which there would be no wild turkeys anywhere in the nation these days, and missed an opportunity to share a story that should have been told to the national audience of CBS. - Reply to this comment
- To "Boxers4ever",
Surely you don't believe everything you see on TV, especially network news broadcasts. They are always manipulating stories to fit their liberal agenda. They can also do wonders in an editing booth. - Reply to this comment
- To answer boxer4ever's question:
I was there! The NWTF and the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commision did tell the public that the turkeys were trapped there on the ranch. They even Acknowledged the Thomas family (owners of the property) who were prsent.
Releaased to be hunted? Another distortion of the truth. Turkeys on the ranch are hunted during the Spring season and then only by the family members and guests of the Thomas family have that privelige.
Only males (gobblers) are hunted. Of the turkeys released, only a few were gobblers. The others are not leal to harvest and the Thomas family is legendary in Florida for maintaining such strict conservation programs.
To make those kinds of broad remarks really shows how narrow minded you are. - Reply to this comment
- I'm disgusted with Steve Hartman's report on the turkey release near Tampa. Let me just put a few facts forward. Like Steve; I was there!
I was there with my younger brother and sister. I don't know what the press release said about the event, but I do know that National Wild Turkey Federation didn't trap the turkeys. If Steve hadn't have shown up late, he'd have heard Ken Audad of the Florida Wildlife Commission telling about the ongoing reasearch of wild turkeys Florida.
If rather than hanging out on the fringes, he'd have learned with the rest of us that the turkeys had been outfitted with radio telemetry transmitters for the biologists of the Florida Wildlife Commission to study them.
The NWTF used the capture and release as an event to educate the school kids and the general public about the wild turkey and the organizations continuous dedication to Wildlife commissions country wide to improve the wild turkey populations and their habitat.
The birds were trapped and released for wildlife studies. The NWTF setup the event surrounding the study as an educational event. Mr. Hartman surely should have paid attention to what was being said and taking place, rather than jumping to conclusions.
Also...when one of the turkeys was released, Steve took off running after it and chased it across the pasture. He didn't catch it. It was wild. And Steve was a jerk for not presenting the facts! - Reply to this comment
