I didn't realize that one could hunt and kill a wild turkey in California and that said turkey would actually be worth eating, but according to the Chronicle, this is totally a thing!

Yes, with a proper permit, allegedly, one can head north to spots in Mendocino and Lake Counties to shoot one's own Tom the Turkey — and there is even, of course, a local hunting guide service called Sky to Table that will help outfit you with the proper gear and teach you how to shoot. Also, you'll want to aim for the head, i.e. the part of the bird you don't want to eat, otherwise you end up chewing on buckshot.

Turkey season opens on November 14, and if you have $500 or more to drop on gear and a turkey gun, you'll want to get a move-on on that permit. And don't go thinking you can just shoot one of the wild turkeys that, say, roam Berkeley for instance. Because that's not allowed by law.

Apparently toms, the males, can be 18 to 22 pounds just like your average store-bought bird, but what do they taste like? Turkey can be dry and odd-tasting enough as it is, what happens when you add gameyness to that?

Also, turkeys travel in flocks — it's actually called a 'rafter' of turkeys, FYI — so they can be tough to single out and shoot unless you really know what you're doing.

And if you're looking for the challenge of game hunting, do you really want to go after some big fat flightless bird rather than, say, something that flies? [Correction: OK, apparently the unable-to-fly thing is a myth because they feed on the ground. Per LiveScience, "The have to fly... because they roost in trees at night. Some accounts say they can soar up to 55 mph for short bursts."]

Let's also not forget: wild turkeys can be totally aggressive and scary.