Ten years ago, Joy and Dean’s poopy problem began when ‘a few’ wild turkeys invaded their lives.
According to the couple, turkeys are a nuisance with only one redeeming quality, they eat lots of bugs, ticks and fleas and consume lawns, so no mowing is needed for five months of the year.
The reason no one wants turkeys on their yards, porches, fences, roofs, or cars is that they poop corrosive-slimy goop everywhere. Imagine what anything that eats slug's excrement would look like. What a mess!
“Once you step in their muck, it follows you into homes and cars,” said Joy. “We have up to 200 huge birds now, who are not native to Oregon. I heard they arrived when some hunters brought in three pair and let them go wild.
Therefore, the birds don't have any natural predators to keep them in check.
Let’s do the math. One hen has three clutches of 15 eggs, three times a year. One turkey soon turns into 45 turkeys, then their daughters mature and up goes the numbers. Imagine having 200, ten-pound females and thirty males who weigh 20 pounds strutting and pooping everywhere.
It is really hard to say, ‘Oh, look how cute the babies are’ when you know they will soon mature and mate.”
The aggressive birds stand 3/4 of the way up a garbage can, and their call is an ugly high-pitched squawk.
They nest in trees on the couple’s property, and at night fly and nest in the tallest trees or on roofs. Joy and Dean’s nightmare intensifies 30 minutes before sunrise when the birds wake and go rooster-squawking crazy...all of them!
They use roofs for their lookouts, but their large claws damage and knock off shingles. They also tear into roofs causing leaks. They are protected wildlife, so a permit is required to haze them off your property.
Homeowners are not allowed to hurt them. You can chase them, spray water at them, wave red towels or clap. If you have a wild turkey problem, call your local Fish and Game for the free permit to legally haze them away.
Two seasons a year, hunters pay $45 for a hunting license in Oregon, a tag for each one shot is $25 each, and hunters are allowed to take only three per season. So, it is very expensive to hunt them.
“Turkeys are smart,” said Joy. “When we try hazing them off the property, they know just how far the frisbee we toss will go, and scatter out of reach.
It is legal to feed songbirds as long as you use a secure container preventing access from other animals, but no feeding turkeys.
Don't get excited if you have a few turkeys in your neighborhood because they may become a flock of hundreds. When Joy’s neighbor’s turkeys first arrived, they thought it was fun feeding wildlife. But not for long! The turkeys invited all their cousins, sisters, brothers, and friends to join them.
Joy and Dean wouldn't trade living in the country. “It is a gift to have wildlife around, that is until they become too many,” said Joy. “I love the deer and fawns that come down from the woods; but since we have been chasing the turkeys off with a red towel, sadly the deer are now staying away.
Our neighbors just got bison. The bovine are beautiful and we are thrilled that they don’t procreate and spread like wild turkeys.”
