Wild Turkeys Terrorizing Neighborhood

[sharona]

Funny how they are suddenly a nuisance right around thanksgiving.

We had a flock of them blocking one side of the road the other day - a 25-30mph very busy street. It caused a ton of traffic. Lots of people joking out their windows as they crept by about Thanksgiving coming soon!

 

[Imzadi]

Funny how they are suddenly a nuisance right around thanksgiving.

They're taunting everyone."Ha Ha! I know you won't be eating ME!"

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Actually, those terror turkeys in the article are from NJ, and they have a "mob" mentality. You don't want to mess with one of them or they'll put you in the ground.

Oh so that's "the situation." They're from Jersey. Which one of em is Snooky? You know what they say. You might catch a disease from Snooky.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

They're only terrorizing those neighbors who decorate for Christmas in November. And, really, who can blame them?

 

[Kitty 34]

Funny how they are suddenly a nuisance right around thanksgiving.

The word rebellion comes to mind....

 

[Frozen Canuck]

We have turkeys in our yard all the time. Never had them on my roof but on my deck, stairs, etc. Luckily, we also have coyotes, fox and fisher cats and a bob cat roaming around to help keep their numbers in check. No, I don’t live in the country, rather the suburbs outside of Boston.

I would have thought we were neighbours, except I haven't seen the bobcat yet. We are in the suburbs as well.

We have turkeys that make their rotations through our yard. They have perched on our deck railing, stairs, and swing set, but not on our roof, though I have seen them fly 50 or more feet up into the pine trees. I welcome them, for the most part. They pull in mid-afternoon and work their way up and down our grass eating whatever they can find, before they move on to the next place. I enjoy watching the babies grow up and I have video of the toms having some kind of "who's the king" display in the backyard. I have never had a problem with them attacking, like I have heard some people complain about. I can head outside and they just meander away a bit.

This spring/summer, a pair of hawks decided that our yard was the place to raise their two babies. That was the worst!!! The screeching and shrieking were practically deafening, even in the house with the doors and windows shut. It was like living in a wildlife sanctuary. While I appreciated their keeping the rodents in check, I was happy when they decided to move on later in the year.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I would have thought we were neighbours, except I haven't seen the bobcat yet. We are in the suburbs as well.

We have turkeys that make their rotations through our yard. They have perched on our deck railing, stairs, and swing set, but not on our roof, though I have seen them fly 50 or more feet up into the pine trees. I welcome them, for the most part. They pull in mid-afternoon and work their way up and down our grass eating whatever they can find, before they move on to the next place. I enjoy watching the babies grow up and I have video of the toms having some kind of "who's the king" display in the backyard. I have never had a problem with them attacking, like I have heard some people complain about. I can head outside and they just meander away a bit.

This spring/summer, a pair of hawks decided that our yard was the place to raise their two babies. That was the worst!!! The screeching and shrieking were practically deafening, even in the house with the doors and windows shut. It was like living in a wildlife sanctuary. While I appreciated their keeping the rodents in check, I was happy when they decided to move on later in the year.

I agree, the poults are adorable! Overall the turkeys aren't too bothersome.

Maybe it's the time of year but there do seem to be more flocks in the road. I've seen it with geese, too. Drivers are impatient with them sometimes. The other day I was on the Arborway in Boston when geese were meandering around in the roadway. Strangely enough there wasn't much traffic at the time, but an Uber driver came flying up from behind, and went around myself and the car in front of me who were going slow so as to let the birds pass. I thought for sure we were going to have some dead geese in the road, but they did move. It happened, too, with the turkeys at home, and they moved for me as well. I have seen quite a few dead turkeys especially on the highway.

 

[mom2rtk]

Are you all sure they're aren't in town filming a sequel to "The Birds"?

 

[Frozen Canuck]

I agree, the poults are adorable!

We have participated in the turkey brood survey in past years that is conducted through Mass Wildlife. (The link is for 2018, not sure if they update somewhere else each year, but the links are active.) They have you track the number of hens with and without poults as well as their sizes, etc. The attrition rate for the babies is high around here. We usually count 12 or 13 poults initially, when the hens first bring them around, but it doesn't take long for their numbers to dwindle. My observations have usually had a hen fully raising three babies each year. By the time they hit three poults each, the hens seem to "clump up" and raise the last of the little ones together as a group until fall.

 

[RedAngie]

They're only terrorizing those neighbors who decorate for Christmas in November. And, really, who can blame them?

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

So I was drunk at a golf outing trying to convince my friend that we should open a company that trains geese to dive and retrieve the golf balls that people hit into the ponds on various courses. And all we would have to do is feed them when they return a ball.
And my friend is trying to tell me that eventually they will just start taking the balls that people are playing with.
And I was like we could teach them ethics and that that would be wrong.
And this is basically why I don't get asked to to many golf outings, and kicked off the turkey threads.
But maybe you or someone could train the turkeys to do something useful for the comuninty. Maybe they could chase the geece of the golf courses.

 

[bcla]

Looking at the video, I'd say that "terrorizing" is hyperbole at best. I don't see a single turkey (even the males strutting) being aggressive towards anyone. Definitely nuisances for pecking at lawns/foliage and I'm sure they're leaving behind a lot of droppings.

 

[JaxDad]

So I was drunk at a golf outing trying to convince my friend that we should open a company that trains geese to dive and retrieve the golf balls that people hit into the ponds on various courses. And all we would have to do is feed them when they return a ball.
And my friend is trying to tell me that eventually they will just start taking the balls that people are playing with.
And I was like we could teach them ethics and that that would be wrong.
And this is basically why I don't get asked to to many golf outings, and kicked off the turkey threads.
But maybe you or someone could train the turkeys to do something useful for the comuninty. Maybe they could chase the geece of the golf courses.

I think your reasoning is sound, despite the alcohol, except you should stick with the tried and true cormorants!

 

[PollyannaMom]

View attachment 452032

That graphic was in my Christmas card photo one year! We were in Florida for Thanksgiving and the decorations were up, so of course I took advantage of them for pictures. But DS was very adamant that it was not Christmas until after Thanksgiving, and held that up as a sign on a Popsicle stick in one of the pics.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I think your reasoning is sound, despite the alcohol, except you should stick with the tried and true cormorants!
View attachment 452052

You my friend are an innovator. Think how many golf balls one of those could store in his neck.

 

[Heather07438]

Yesterday My son and I were driving home from the store when the car in front of me slows down. Turkeys in the road. My son starts howling with laughter. What?

These turkeys are jumping over the guard rail, but there's no ground on the other side. It's a cliff. It was just so surreal. I'm sure the turkeys are fine but it did look bizarre with their lunking bodies jumping over guard rails into oblivion.

 

[bcla]

Yesterday My son and I were driving home from the store when the car in front of me slows down. Turkeys in the road. My son starts howling with laughter. What?

These turkeys are jumping over the guard rail, but there's no ground on the other side. It's a cliff. It was just so surreal. I'm sure the turkeys are fine but it did look bizarre with their lunking bodies jumping over guard rails into oblivion.

Wild turkeys can fly to some extent. They're not like domestic turkeys that frankly don't live long lives since they're bred to grow quickly with an excessive amount of breast meat. Heck - domestic turkeys can barely walk.

There's an educational farm near where I live. Since the animals are being fed, wild turkeys will congregate there looking to score some of the animal feed. I see them on the roof of the barn, so obviously they can fly up there and glide back down.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Adding to my knowledge of Tom's River: parts of it frequently floods, and large birds own the land and sea....

 

[ronandannette]

Actually, those terror turkeys in the article are from NJ, and they have a "mob" mentality. You don't want to mess with one of them or they'll put you in the ground.

Pray they don’t join forces with the evil ninja squirrels in my ‘hood or we’re all doomed.

 

[Searc]

Yesterday My son and I were driving home from the store when the car in front of me slows down. Turkeys in the road. My son starts howling with laughter. What?

These turkeys are jumping over the guard rail, but there's no ground on the other side. It's a cliff. It was just so surreal. I'm sure the turkeys are fine but it did look bizarre with their lunking bodies jumping over guard rails into oblivion.

Wild turkeys can fly. That's how DH hit one with my brand new car (bought it 2 days before) and it caused almost $4000 worth of damage.