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Imitation game: Wild turkey chases Colorado deputies who gobbled at him

A deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Colorado uses her tactical baton to keep a wild turkey at bay earlier this month after the turkey began chasing her and another deputy. 

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery, at least not to one large turkey who gave chase to two Colorado deputies who called out to him earlier this month.

Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office posted video of the encounter, which was captured by a deputy's body camera, on Facebook. They said the deputies were finishing up a call on -- wait for it -- North Turkey Creek Road when a deputy identified as Deputy Fisher spotted the wild turkey and called out to him.

The turkey, named "Tom" in the Facebook post, called fowl and began following the deputies back to their vehicles, despite their efforts to shoo him away.

"Singing the song of his fellow fowl brethren, the nearly 25-pound turkey aggressively followed the deputies down the driveway, across the street and all the way to their patrol cars," the post read.

The deputies held the turkey at bay with their tactical batons as they backed away, laughing, down the dirt driveway and toward the main road. “Stay back,” they repeated, and at one point, it appeared one deputy tried telling the turkey to “sit.”

Sheriff’s Office officials used the lighthearted moment to remind people of the dangers of wild animals.

"We don't want to ruffle any feathers, but we think this is a good time to remind folks that wild turkeys are not to be mistaken for domesticated animals," the Sheriff's Office's Facebook post read. "They have sharp beaks and claws that can inflict serious damage.

“Thankfully, our deputies were not injured as they repeatedly told the bird they already belonged to the JCSO flock.”

Followers of the department’s page thought the situation was hilarious.

“That’s what you get for talking jive, turkey,” one man wrote.

“Maybe he just wanted a ride-along,” another commenter suggested.

Others recalled their own skirmishes with wild turkeys and other creatures.

“Oh man!”

. “One time I was driving to my sister’s house along North Turkey Creek and I realized a bison was running next to the car! So thankful that when I called JCSO, y’all were fast to contain the bison that were loose.”

Pictured is a poem a Jefferson County, Colorado, sheriff's deputy wrote for a wild turkey who chased her and another deputy earlier this month.

A Sheriff’s Office official also posted a comment that contained

involved in the turkey confrontation. It begins, “Here’s a short poem to a turkey I met, who was very aggressive, he wasn’t a pet.”

The poem goes on to list some of the crimes the turkey could have theoretically been charged with: stalking, menacing, assault on a peace officer and jaywalking.

It finishes, "If you threaten me again like you did before, you will save me a trip to the grocery store.

“So obey the laws and be polite, and you may live to see Thanksgiving night.”