‘Nightmare.’ Tennessee hunter bags turkey, but there’s a disgusting surprise inside it
_fitted.png "A turkey hunter made a stomach-turning discovery after bagging a bird in Tennessee.")
Turkey season in Tennessee ended on a repulsive note for one unlucky hunter.
They successfully bagged a bird Sunday in Jefferson County, the final day of turkey season, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. But when the hunter started prepping the turkey to cook, they uncovered an insectoid surprise.
Inside it’s crop were dozens of cicadas, dead but completely intact, their beady red eyes staring out from the bird.
“Gee thanks for that ... nightmare,” one person commented on the hunter’s photo, shared by wildlife officials on Facebook.
A crop, sometimes called a craw, is part of the digestive system of certain birds.
Primarily, it’s used to store food before sending it down to the stomach, and hunter’s often cut it open to see what their meal had been feasting on. In this case, lots and lots of cicadas.
Don’t let anything go to waste, one commenter suggested: “Smoked Turkey breast and chocolate covered cicadas for dessert.”
“Cicadas, it’s what’s for dinner!” wrote another.
After laying in wait for 17 years, buzzing swarms of Brood X cicadas have emerged from the earth, thick enough in some places that a broom is needed just to keep the front porch clear, McClatchy News reported.
Brood X cicadas are expected to emerge in 16 states including Illinois, Kentucky and Virginia, according to CNN.
Experts predict that much of Tennessee already has, or will soon see, Brood X cicadas emerge, WZTV reported.
Turkeys that survived the hunting season should have plenty to eat.
This story was originally published May 18, 2021 at 2:49 PM with the headline "‘Nightmare.’ Tennessee hunter bags turkey, but there’s a disgusting surprise inside it."