As Thanksgiving approaches (November 27th), Illinois fields and forests are full of the bird that inspired the holiday feast, the wild turkey. We all know that millions of domestic turkeys meet their fate this time of year, what about their wild cousins? Do they migrate south for winter or tough it out right here in the Land of Lincoln?

Speaking of Lincoln, it seems our 16th president had a real fondness for turkey dinners, but he also had a heart about things. Abraham Lincoln was the first president in a long line of American presidents who've pardoned turkeys that otherwise would have ended up on a plate.

According to the Smithsonian , In 1863, a live turkey was delivered to the White House for the Lincoln family’s Christmas dinner (not Thanksgiving, which came later that same yea

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