This Thanksgiving in Billings, the turkey is for eating— not feeding, state wildlife and city officials said Wednesday.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the city of Billings issued a joint release urging the public to be aware of nuisance turkeys roaming neighborhoods and to give people tips to shoo them away safely.
“Our intention is to protect public safety and property,” said Kevin Iffland, City of Billings Assistant City Administrator, in a written statement. “However, we need the public’s cooperation to make that happen.”
The city and state wildlife department have recently received reports of wild turkeys damaging yards and property, and they noted that such behavior is almost always triggered by humans, particularly the feeding of wild turkeys.
Once the wild birds are fed, intentionally or not, they can change their foraging habits, becoming more aggressive and congregating around food sources. This can lead to an increase in flock size and encourage the spread of disease, wildlife officials warn.
If the feeding creates a problem, such as disease transmission or a public nuisance, violators could face a fine of up to $1,000.
If residents see turkeys wander onto their property, wildlife officials recommend non-lethal hazing to guard against their return.
Some common techniques:
- Tethered barking dogs
- Loud noises: yell, airhorn, whistle, etc.
- Get physically big: wave arms, open an umbrella, etc.
- Spray water from hose or squirt gun
- Install motion-activated sprinklers
- Chase, but do not make physical contact
Hazing roosted turkeys is especially important, which can be best accomplished with a hose.
Wildlife officials will not relocate nuisance turkeys in Billings, because they do not believe it solves the problem.
Billings has one species of wild turkey in the area: the Merriam's wild turkeys, which were brought by state biologists in the 1950s from Colorado and Wyoming.
Wild turkeys are omnivores and forage for a variety of foods, such as insects, seeds, nuts, frogs and snakes. Some of the larger birds in North America, males, or “toms,” can weigh 18 to 30 pounds while females, or “hens,” can weigh 9 to 12 pounds. Turkeys are active during the day and roost in trees at night to avoid predators.
