Turkey problems around Spokane

[Ridgeratt]

SPOKANE, Wash. -
An egg hunt of a different kind.  Several wild turkeys on Spokane's South Hill are causing the Department of Fish and Wildlife to up the ante when it comes to cutting down on the growing number of them roaming in the area.

Right now it's wild turkey mating season and there is an abundance of them south of town.   

"Between Cannon Park and 29th you'll see them all the time," says Scott Maclean, who lives on the South Hill.   

"I've seen traffic held up for two blocks," Anita Kernie tells KHQ.   

The Department of Fish and Wildlife says the overpopulation also leads to other problems, like sanitation issues and sometimes the turkeys fly into windows and cars.   

"You watch them and they sometimes they strut," says Kernie.  "Sometimes they even flap their wings."  Kernie enjoys the turkeys but she can see why so many of them would be a problem.   

"You come across about what seems maybe 15 of them all at once," says Maclean.  "It's quite a sight."

Bob Pederson says they're in his yard a lot.  "They eat the shrubbery," says Pederson, "but they're part of the scene."

Fish and Wildlife is planning an egg hunt.  They are looking to train volunteers to go into the parks on the South Hill and look for the turkeys' nests.  The volunteers will then oil the eggs that are not viable so they never hatch.  They say that will help cut down on the population.

While some say they should leave well enough alone, others understand why it's being done.   "I think they're pretty much a nuisance for most people," says Kernie.   

The Dept. of Fish and Wildlife will hold a meeting this Thursday, March 31st at 6:30.  That will be at the Moran Prairie library for anyone interested in volunteering with the egg hunts or learning more about the problem.


http://www.khq.com/story/31584488/turkey-troubles-on-spokanes-south-hill

Last week there were about 40 of them wandering around a couple of blocks from Northtown

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/26/wdfw-kicks-off-effort-to-decrease-number-of-hatche/

[quadrafire]

They are fun to see around once in a while, but glad they aren't frequenting my yard. We have a few groups that wander the neighborhood. I've been hearing them gobbling most mornings recently.

[huntingfool7]

WDFW should make airgun hunting legal. 

[lokidog]

Maybe WDFW needs to spend some time editing their information, they already look stupid enough most of the time.   

"The volunteers will then oil the eggs that are not viable so they never hatch."  Not viable eggs will already not hatch, duh....

Honestly, it would be really easy for WDFW to trap these birds. 

[Jonathan_S]

Maybe WDFW needs to spend some time editing their information, they already look stupid enough most of the time.   

"The volunteers will then oil the eggs that are not viable so they never hatch."  Not viable eggs will already not hatch, duh....

Honestly, it would be really easy for WDFW to trap these birds.

I saw that too.  Wondered what the point of it would be 

[quadrafire]

Loki they have tried, with little success. The traps were not very effective with the minimal snow we had where baiting would have been helpful. And I read they even had traps vandalized.

[flatbkman]

Another way to address the problem would be to allow some of the hens to be taken out of the flocks so there isn't even a bigger problem next year.

[lokidog]

Loki they have tried, with little success. The traps were not very effective with the minimal snow we had where baiting would have been helpful. And I read they even had traps vandalized.

Maybe they should have put out chicken food, a friend has them go through her coop every day....   

Another way to address the problem would be to allow some of the hens to be taken out of the flocks so there isn't even a bigger problem next year.

This doesn't require as much effort/$$ as looking for/oiling eggs and it makes the problem go away instead of be a continuous one.

[quadrafire]

The ones they did capture by trap were transported to some WDFW land near Kettle Falls as the neighbors involved in the trapping were against any lethal means of dealing with them. Imagine what that would cost?
Again we have wildlife management being dictated by popular vote.
Me, i'd say we have a neighborhood BBQ with a few

[huntingfool7]

The ones they did capture by trap were transported to some WDFW land near Kettle Falls as the neighbors involved in the trapping were against any lethal means of dealing with them. Imagine what that would cost?
Again we have wildlife management being dictated by popular vote.
Me, i'd say we have a neighborhood BBQ with a few

Would those be the same neighbors doing the complaining?

[quadrafire]

  probably

[JDHasty]

Peacocks are worse.  Peacocks are pretty good table fare.  We have a place that we have access to hunt... just so long as the owner doesn't ever find that we saw a peacock and left a peacock alive.  One time I said: But he was perched on the roof of your shop.  He said:  If ya' missed him low, I have yet to see a bullet hole in a roof that can't be patched. 

[NRA4LIFE]

I like the barbecue idea.  I'll bring my deep fryer and make turkey McNuggets.

[Ridgeratt]

Here are some of the Hooligans.

[quadrafire]

I like the barbecue idea.  I'll bring my deep fryer and make turkey McNuggets.

  and 

[quadrafire]

Funny thing Ridgeratt, I've been turkey hunting up by Colville in the past, skunked and driven home 2 hrs empty handed and have had to wait for Toms to cross the road just down the street from my house.

[Ridgeratt]

Funny thing Ridgeratt, I've been turkey hunting up by Colville in the past, skunked and driven home 2 hrs empty handed and have had to wait for Toms to cross the road just down the street from my house.

They are where you find them. One year I was standing on my deck up north after chasing them in the morning and heard a Gobble. There is a tom Strutting in my back pasture so I throw a cut at him and here he comes wanders up to the burn barrel when I could have one 30 feet behind the house and starts spinning and a twirling. Hadn't filled the tag yet but just couldn't shoot him he was to much luv struck.

But for what it is worth birds were going off last weekend. Did see some large flocks between Colville and Chewelah

[JLS]

WDFW should make airgun hunting legal.

Wouldn't matter if they did, Spokane city ordinance does not allow pellet guns.

[huntingfool7]

WDFW should make airgun hunting legal.

Wouldn't matter if they did, Spokane city ordinance does not allow pellet guns.

A city ordinance against pellet guns makes more sense than a statewide ban on hunting with one.

[jasnt]

Maybe WDFW needs to spend some time editing their information, they already look stupid enough most of the time.   

"The volunteers will then oil the eggs that are not viable so they never hatch."  Not viable eggs will already not hatch, duh....

Honestly, it would be really easy for WDFW to trap these birds. 

i wondered if any one caught that

[tlbradford]

A few weeks back a flock of eight held up traffic on Pines and a block north of Sprague, just meandering through businesses.  There was a dead one on the I-90 on ramp at Sullivan yesterday morning.