Turkey attacks?

[Ugly Sauce]

My news feed keeps send me stories about people being attacked by wild turkeys in multiple locations in Massachsetts. A mailman got sent to the hospital and people are freaking out about being stalked, attacked, having their cars chased, and so on. One guy is running them off with a hockey stick. I get it, they are an overgrown wild rooster- but my experiences with wild turkeys has always required waking up earlier than I would like to, camouflage, a good-performing shotgun, calling, and so on- with more failures than successes. I know if this same "emergency" happened anywhere around here, it wouldn't take long at all for us to "get it under control". Maybe Mass needs to open up an urban archery season in these areas where the citizens are being assaulted by thunder chickens. There are people that hunt in that state, right?

Right on. If the Turks are anything like Rooster chickens, what I have done with Roosters is to let them jump up to spur, I step back and then on their way down grab them by the neck, or just kind of "body slam" them and get ahold of them that way. If you hold them down for a while, they don't like that. They are programmed to fight, so if you just fight them they usually won't stop. A turk is bigger and stronger, but I think that would work.

I have cured more than a few aggressive rooster chickens that way. I just hold their legs together, and carry them around for a while, pet them, carry them upside down, talk to them...! Anyhow it works. (on Rooster chickens) If I were to be attacked by a Turk, I'd try the same thing. Again, they are programmed to fight...they don't want to be "loved". it's the worst thing you can do to them. Kicking them, hitting them with a stick, (why would anyone go for a walk without a staff or walking stick???) is what they want, they want a fight. Don't like being captured. They hate that.

Having said that, a good stout walking stick or staff (not one of them light skinny things they sell out of a barrel at the five-n-dime or flea market) will put an end to a turkey very fast, with just minimum of knowledge of how to use it.

 

[sage5907]

About 25 years ago I went bass fishing on a farm pond with my fishing buddy and the pond was owned by his wife's cousin. We were using a 12 foot john boat and had a really good evening fishing. When we were ready to go home we loaded the boat into the back of his old rusty 3/4 ton Ford truck. When he hit the starter it wouldn't start so we got out, lifted the hood and he started to clean the battery terminals. Earlier in the evening we saw two really big Rio Grand turkey gobblers and when we got out of the truck to work on the battery they came toward us and became agitated with us being there. The situation quickly got out of hand as they started trying to flog us so in defense my friend worked on the battery and I stood with my back against his and fought the turkeys off with my five and a half foot bass rod. They hit me several times with their wings and were trying to spur me with their feet. I used the bass rod like a sword as the birds made several passes at me and in desperation I slapped one of the big toms in the head with the tip of my rod and he fell over kicking and quickly died. I didn't know that the turkeys were pets of the cousin that let us fish in his pond and when he asked about the dead turkey the next day we acted innocent and I never told him what has happened. I wanted to fish that pond again! I've been a life long hunter but that is my only turkey with a bass rod..

 

[Ugly Sauce]

In case of turkey-attack, walk softly, and carry a bass rod.

 

[courtgreene]

I was going to say carry an ugly stick but in reality my chosen weapon would be a fly rod.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Truth. My weapon of choice, of course, would be an Ugly-Stick.

When we was kids, my friends and I had this weird thing about Ugly-Sticks. We'd make them, and decorate and carve on them, make lanyards for them, the whole bit. And then beat each other with them, have Ugly Stick fights, laughing with glee. Or strike some unsuspecting kid with them, counting "coup". But part of the "thing" was that they had to come from this certain tree, in the yard of the resident scary and grumpy old man. We'd sneak into his yard and break off branches to get our Ugly Sticks, the danger and adventure of getting caught or yelled at being a big attraction. But if it didn't come from that tree, it was not a real Ugly Stick.

Sorry...I just remembered that.

 

[.38 Special]

Having met people from Massachusetts, I'm rooting for the turkeys.