• Wild turkeys can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

• A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.

So close, yet so far

• A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.

• Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.

• Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.

• Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.

• Minnesota led the United States in turkey production in 2001. Forty-three million turkeys were produced.

• Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.

• The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle.

• Turkeys have a long, red, fleshy area called a snood that grows from the forehead over the bill.

• The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey.

• Israelis eat the most turkeys.....28 pounds per person.

• The costume that "Big Bird" wears on Sesame Street is rumored to be made of turkey feathers.

• Turkey skins are tanned and used to make cowboy boots and belts.