Wild Turkeys and Cat Calls My husband Mark and I moved to a small, wild valley in northern Idaho. We watched moose, white-tailed deer and black bears crisscross our meadows. But of these animals, we became especially attached to the wild turkeys. Every morning and evening I feed them on corns. About the same time that I adopted the turkeys, Mark surprised me with two kittens for our anniversary. He knew that after watching lions and leopards for so many years in the bush, I longed for a cat of my own that I could cuddle. However, due to the high density of coyotes and the occasional cougar, the cats weren't safe outside at night. Every evening when I fed the turkeys, I would call, "Kitty, kitty, kitty," and they would scramble into the warm security of our cabin. The turkeys soon learned that shortly after I called the cats, I spread the corn onto the snow. All the toms and hens would come running from the woods whenever they heard me. And they were not the only ones. The white-tailed deer and the crows also thought that "Kitty, kitty, kitty" meant "Soup's on!" So whenever I called the cats, we would have forty turkeys, fifteen deer and numerous crows munching in the yard. Perhaps I was a bit overenthusiastic in my feedings. In a few years we had more than eighty turkeys glaring at us through our windows if I was late with their food. These "wild" birds would prance around the picnic table and perch on the porch, flapping their wings until I emerged with the bucket of corn. During mating season, the toms, wanting to impress the females, became very vocal. "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE" echoed through the forests and meadows for most of the day. The slightest noise would set them off, and to our amazement, whenever I called, "Kitty, kitty, kitty," they would respond, "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE.” One day a local man drove down our road and stopped at our cabin. He had noticed our large flock of turkeys and wanted a closer look. “You can call’em, you know. I’m pretty good at it,” he said. “Old trick I learned from years in the woods. Ya wanna see? Before we could answer, he pumped up his chest, twisted his fingers into some kind of complicated knot, puckered his lips and produced a loud "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE.” Sure enough, the turkeys answered rather weakly from the woods: "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE.” “Oh, yeah?” I replied. “Watch this.” In my sweet voice, I called, “Kitty, kitty, kitty.” And from the woods came a resounding thunder: "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE." Then, more than eighty birds came running toward us as fast as their scrawny legs could carry them. Later I told Mark that I hoped I hadn't offended the old guy. "I wouldn't worry about it. Just wait until his friends catch him in the woods during turkey season, calling, ‘ Kitty, kitty, kitty! ”