Wild turkeys can fly. They spend most of their time on the ground, but they can fly up to around 100 yards to get away from predators. The turkey in the picture looked like it had just been thrown out and hadn't reached a good aeronautic trim and was likely headed for a lumpy landing. Turkeys are not known for graceful eagle like gliding technique.
The turkey dropped in the youtube vid above may be a wild turkey, but certainly does not appear to achieve good aeronautic trim (it’s tumbling) on the way down. OTOH the article states people are chasing them on the ground. Another discrepancy is that it is stated in the vid that 4 turkeys were dropped, yet some guy being interviewed says “several burnt up in the wires” and “some were hit by cars”. I detect considerable exaggeration in the interview.
Maybe it’d be better to drop via small parachutes “dummy” turkeys with prizes in them. Like cuts of frozen turkey.
Oops, that was supposed to be in quotes: “good aeronautic trim”, as you said it 1st!
You simply cannot toss a 25mph bird from an airplane going at least 55mph.
[I’ve seen them fly at my daughters property in upstate NY.]
There was one that roosted in the tree in my son’s backyard. The turkey would take his time figuring out the best route to take from the ground to the neighbor’s roof, to the roof to the tree limb.
It takes some effort for them to fly short distances.
Yup. I see wild turkeys around here all the time, both on the ground and in the air. The domestic farm turkey has been bred for a bigger breast/more white meat, so it is too bulky to get airborne.