From the old "Maverick" TV series:
"My daddy told me to never drink anything older or stronger than I am."
Posted on 04/07/2008 6:10:18 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MADISON, Wis. - Rather than rain or snow, or even dogs, postal workers in a West Side neighborhood near Owen Conservation Park are being pestered by wild turkeys this spring. Mara Wilhite, manager of the Hilldale Station Post Office, said she expected to deal with all manner of issues when she went to work for the U.S. Post Office. But that was not one of them.
"Just when you thought you'd heard it all," she said.
About five to 10 of the birds have been pecking at the postal workers as they make their rounds, and some of the birds have attacked the letter carriers with the sharp spurs on their legs. One of the birds went through the open door of a mail truck and scratched the driver.
Wilhite sought help in the matter from Eric Lobner, regional wildlife program supervisor for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Lobner said the behavior is clearly tied to the breeding season, which started recently and runs through about mid-May.
Color plays an important role in turkey breeding, he said, with the color of the male's head during mating season changes from gaudy blue to white to red. Lobner speculated that perhaps the turkeys are attracted to the red, white and blue postal trucks.
Postal workers were armed with water pistols. But Lober said that, while the squirts of water worked for a while, the turkeys now seem accustomed to it.
Some workers have been using long sticks to fend off the birds, he said, adding that he will meet with Wilhite next week to discuss other possible solutions.
Part of the problem, Lobner said, is that residents around Owen Conservation Park around the Parkwood Hills neighborhood may be feeding the turkeys, which makes the birds less afraid of humans. He said pamphlets have been circulated in the neighborhood to discourage people from feeding the birds.
This story brings back a childhood memory of mine. When I was about 8 years old, my uncle raised turkeys. They weren't the dumb white ones. They were, I believe, considered game birds. They were dark colored like wild turkeys, but they were larger and not quite as wild and weren’t as good at flying. These birds roamed the barnyard. Us kids had to keep an eye out for these crazy birds because they would attack viciously. And I mean they were relentless. It was like a war zone and they were always trying to sneak up on us. There were 2 dogs around that would defend us. A golden, and a large fox terrier. These birds only had half their feathers from their tangles with the dogs. And I didn't feel one bit sorry for those birds either. They were mean, and they didn't run from those dogs without putting up a fight first. And it seems to me the dogs didn't alway win. We couldn't count on the dogs always being around though. So we started carrying baseball bats with us. Boy, I still remember whacking those dam birds so hard I'd swear I was killing them. But it didn't seem to hurt them much. THey’d just run off and a little while later, they'd be back trying to attack again.
Whatever happened to professional courtesy?
Send a few out here. I’d like to scare the willies out of the crew at my local post office.
I agree. I've seen them run across the freeway once. Real dumb, since turkeys can fly and roost in trees.
Although they have a real good sense of escapability. Three of us were hunting them one year and saw a flock. We cornered them in and there was only one way out....they found it. I waited too long to shoot looking for a better shot and they saw that it wasn't a hen making that noise calling them in.
I love Wild Turkey! The 101 proof is my favorite.
Time to start filling the water pistols with a little ammonia...
PS: Though I do love it, I don’t drink it often(maybe twice in a year). Anything that burns that bad going down COULDN’T be good for what its burning. lol
I remember a couple of weddings were that was served, to the groom, right before the ceremony. LOL
How weird. We had wild turkey in our backyard for two days recently. We live MILES from any wooded area. He was enormous.
I know that the increased home building is driving the wild creatures out of their habitat.
From the old "Maverick" TV series:
"My daddy told me to never drink anything older or stronger than I am."
Geez. There’s got to be a good way to trap them if they are flying in your truck. Bet they make good eating.
Wild turkeys are good eating!
The turkeys went postal?!!!
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No kidding! I drove past a few of them on the shoulder of the highway as they were pecking at the gravel. I thought there were crows until it was too late to slow down. One of them flew up and hit my sideview mirror and broke it off. I thought for sure it was a dead turkey - looked in my rearview mirror and saw it land on the highway, shake itself, and fly off.
It's like hitting a cannonball.
I should have figured, Spirit!
Anyone have a cartoon of a postal truck with a turkey in love with it? You would think they could see better than that! Perhaps they are upset about the continual postal rate increases, it ain't chicken feed any more ya know. They are serious about striking against the postal workers.
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