It's true. Turkeys are vicious predators. I have been attacked by a turkey! lol
Well, more so harrassed by a turkey. I was hiking the Batona Trail in mid-May about a mile north of Apple Pie Fire Tower when all of a sudden I hear these blood curdling screeches behind me that sounded like somebody was being stabbed to death. I turned around and saw a turkey running straight at me, full boar with its head down. I thought, "What the hell is this? I'm being attacked by a turkey? You gotta be kidding me?" I started laughing. Then the thought occurred to me that this turkey might be acting strangely aggessive because it had rabies. Then I stopped laughing. lol As the turkey got within about 10 yards of me, I did a false charge towards it and it backed up. But every time I turned my back on it to continue walking, it immediately charged me and started pecking at my legs. This scenario went on for about a half mile and the whole time this turkey kept making this really loud, annoying, screeching noise. A couple times I turned the tables and chased after the turkey, and then it would back off about 50 yards. At one point I turned around and shouted at it, "Look, I outweigh you by 200 pounds. I am not running from a damn turkey!" lol
I always assumed I had walked near a nest with eggs or young and this turkey was trying to protect its offspring. But I can testify that turkeys can be aggessive towards humans and I can see how they would become emboldened in their attacks if a person was afraid and ran away.