Does anyone have suggestions for wild turkeys

15 years ago

Okay so here we go another year of the garden of eaten.I am used to handling the deer.Have several methods for them.. But this year we are being over ran by wild turkeys we get several groups numbering from 3 to 34.The snow is melting and they total anything green.Including the yews,junipers, even the muhgo pines.We just found a few bulbs peeking up nest to our water garden, so now the concern is about the beginning of the green sprouts being cleaned out.

These goofy birds have pecked away inches of blue foam board, they come up on the deck and peck at their reflections,, lol and like geese they can crap alot(sure its free fertilizer).Real special out on the deck.They even find ways to get up into the sunflower seed we put out for the little birds.They hit the feral cats dishes right off, and well the sedums on the roof have taken some pretty good hits since melt down started.Okay and then there is nothing quite as special as looking out your window to see several turkeys trying to eat the stone and wood on the window ledge.We have tried baiting them further down the road as well, it does not work.Lately we have taken to throwing snowballs and firecrackers at them.

There have been several suggestions, but its not legally turkey season here and wild turkey is tough dark meat no matter how ya cook it.

Anyone have suggestions?

Thanks

Mary

Featured Answer

laura_42

15 years ago

Wow, that sounds like a challenging problem!

I've heard that anything that reminds them of their natural predators (eagles, bobcats, coyotes) might cause them to stay away; another idea would be to catch them with live traps and then release them elsewhere, if it's legal...

Comments (7)

lilacs_of_may
15 years ago
My initial suggestion was wild rice stuffing, but I guess that's out. ;-)

At a kite store nearby, they have eagle kites that you can put in your yard. In the wind, they swoop and fly like real birds. The first time I saw one, it took me a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't a real bird. And I've been to college. Turkeys haven't.

I also saw, in the Gardener's Edge catalog today, fake coyotes and bobcats that are supposed to scare away pests.

I don't think anything would scare my squirrels, though. Even the neighborhood cats don't scare them off.
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david52 Zone 6
15 years ago
In the summer, they'll eat all the grasshoppers for you.

There are a very few around here and sort of pampered by the gardeners for that reason.

Not that this helps your situation......
gardenbutt
Original Author
15 years ago
Well the eagles and bobcats do not seem to phaze them.I live next to the lake and have had 4 eagles flying around even circling and they do not run.Every thing else does feral cats, squirrels, and little birds disappear instantly.
Bobcats live down here and a mountain lion as well but I think they are pretty much nocturnal here and the goofy birds are up roosting in the trees at night..
Cars seem to be their best predator here so far,at least when they get up onto the highway.
If the huney was not allergic to dogs I would barrow one to chase them around for a week.Hmm maybe the fake predator could be an option if I moved it around on the roadside in front of the house.
We have been hoping that they move back up into the mountains with the snowmelt, Please please please...Before the vege garden gets put in.
LOl, after reading the trapping suggestion, called the game warden, no go on that since we are in their natural range and their population is just reaching a healthy level. bah
David,, I do not have much of a grasshopper problem, do you think anyone would notice if I shipped a few down there to be spoiled,lol, not to mention for some reason my other half has decided we need to go back to raising chickens so we have a hundred of them coming in a week or so.
Thanks for the help, any suggestions are worth checking into.
Mary
jaliranchr
15 years ago
Oh, you have my condolences, Mary. That's the pits. We get them en masse in the late summer/fall. They made seeding the lawn a real challenge. The turkey vultures are around here in the spring so no problem with the turkeys until the fall when the turkey vultures leave. Guess you can hope some of those show up. Turkeys are a nuisance and stop traffic quite often around here as they meander and mosey across or down the roads. And the giant turkey turds are so pleasant to encounter. :P My pooch doesn't realize they are bigger than he is but does his best to chase them out of the yard then looks at me like, "What are THOSE?"
billie_ladybug
15 years ago
I don't know how close your neighbors are, but maybe an airhorn, like the ones you use at hockey games? I would suggest motion detector sprinklers, but my turkeys enjoy baths.

Billie
gardenbutt
Original Author
15 years ago
Jaliranchr,
Gotta admit there is nothing quite like walking barefoot out to the truck and and splop turkey crap between the toes,, uck and yuck.The turkey vultures show up when we get a roadkilled deer down on the property.LOL, thats bad now I am thinking about picking up roadkill to get rid of turkeys,, eaaagads,,hehehe
Billie,
Never thought of the airhorn, I will be picking up one of those this afternoon ,possibly to go with my roadkill,lol,My neighbors are not close enough to be bothered so its a great idea.They do not run from the sprinklers, they jump,gobble and move out of the way but thats it.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions they are very much appreciated
Mary