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Know Your Turkey Parts

Published

6 years ago

April 21, 2017

NTFR

By Russell A. Graves

Ask any turkey hunter about the sport and he or she will wax eloquent. Turkey hunting fulfills many senses, from the tactile to the cerebral — it’s a complete sport. Therefore, it’s no wonder people are so crazy about chasing the big birds.
But how much do you know about turkeys? The wild turkey stands out among Texas and Oklahoma game birds because of the way the males spread their feathers during the animated spring mating strut, its naked head and its large size. As you might expect, turkeys have many distinctive parts that aren’t found on other birds. Although females share some of the same parts as their male companions, the male turkey, or tom, really puts on a show to highlight his parts.
Here’s a rundown:
1. Spurs
Both sexes have spurs, although on females, the keratinized appendages are no more than small buttons protruding from the back of the leg a few inches above the foot. On males, spurs serve as a way to fend off other males when they spar for dominance when gathering a harem of hens. Spurs grow at the rate of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch a year and usually top off at about an inch and a half at four years of age.
2. Fan
A turkey’s fan is a prominent feature you’ll see when a tom struts. Made up of 18 tail feathers 12 to 15 inches long, toms display the fans to attract females during the breeding season. In juvenile males (also known as jakes), the middle tail feathers are longer than the rest of the tail feathers, but adult males have tail feathers uniform in length.

To read more pick up a copy of the April 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

Attractions

Dixie House Cafe: Home of the Big Buns

Published

8 hours ago

March 25, 2023

NTFR

By Donna Long

If you are hankerin’ for home cooking just like grandma used to make with fresh ingredients, then look no further than Dixie House Cafe with locations in Fort Worth, Saginaw, and Euless. Dixie House, which was originally named Theresa’s Cafe after its owner, opened its first restaurant in 1983.

In the early days, it was just Theresa and one employee that ran the cafe. Between the two of them, they created mouth-watering meals from scratch using tried and true recipes. Dixie House is where the nostalgic vibe of a 60’s diner meets the charm of Southern hospitality and cooking. The portions are substantial, and the flavor is reminiscent of a time when meals were slow-cooked with families gathered in the kitchen and not hurriedly microwaved.

To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

Equine

No Winter Blues in Rodeo

Published

2 days ago

March 23, 2023

NTFR

By Phillip Kitts

With most of America fighting off the winter blues and setting their sights on the warmth of spring, the rodeo world is already heating up. It is often common chatter about how the rodeo world really does not have an off season. In October when the regular season wraps up, it is not even a week before rodeo athletes start running to fall rodeos so they can start building up money toward the next year’s finals. It is true that fall rodeos do not have big payouts, but many athletes take the every dollar counts approach and throw several of them on the calendar.

November and December may be the slowest months of the rodeo year, but believe it or not, there are still plenty of places rodeo athletes can go and earn a small check. Traditionally the number of rodeos in the winter months is lower, but the few events that do happen tend to have big payouts. Pretty much every rodeo fan knows all about places like Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Rapid City. These are all big scale events with huge payouts.

To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.