by Ben Sobieck
Turkey & Turkey Hunting Online Editor
It’s like something out of a Clint Eastwood movie. A quiet, suburban neighborhood in the Midwest is held hostage by a pack of adolescent punks. They spit curses at passersby. They gang up on dogs. They block the roads. They tear up yards. They impose their hostile climate over any otherwise happy, normal day.
Only it’s not people I’m talking about here. It’s turkeys. Marauding jakes and irritable hens harassing a Minnesota neighborhood just north of Minneapolis.
Before the season ramps up, I'll be using this download for a refresher on using calls. These suburban turkeys don't have far to go, but calling is still important to position the bird for the shot. More on that in a future post.
Some initially welcomed the sight of turkeys in their yards. Who wouldn’t? Wild turkeys are beautiful creatures. But throw any animal – be it turkey or human – into an environment without consequences, and things devolve into “Lord of the Flies” faster than you can chalk a box call.
As with many places in the country, wild turkeys are finding homes in the green pockets littered throughout human development. Low predation and the “all wildlife are cute ‘n’ cuddly” effect combine to allow big turkey numbers in relatively small acreage.
In most cases, turkeys and humans can live side-by-side without incident. But this particular Minnesota neighborhood is different. The birds have a mean streak about them. They’ve moved beyond quasi-domestication into full-blown subjugation mode. It’s like when your dog kicks you off the couch. Only the dog travels with 10 buddies who all have knives for feet.
This being a Clint Eastwood movie, I like to think of myself as the guy on the porch who’s finally had enough. He’s getting his shotgun and calling his friend. He’s going to send a message that being mean doesn’t excuse you from also being dumb. These are turkeys just begging to be hunted.
Join me as I chronicle my suburban hunt here on turkeyandturkeyhunting.com. I’ll be hunting a 5-acre plot of woods next to a swamp – and a few houses. Hunting nuisance wildlife in the suburbs is a growing trend, both in and out of turkey hunting. I’m looking forward to it.
What about you? Ever hunt the suburbs? Leave a comment below. Let’s share suburban turkey hunting tips and strategies.
Ben,
How big is the swamp? Do they use it for roosting? What is on the back side of the swamp? Can you access the swamp margins other than in your area?
In my experience most turkeys in the conditions you described have a more limited range and a more well defined movement pattern than you might see in their “wilder” counterparts. They learn quickly where the best stocked bird feeders might be, where the dogs are not, the safest travel lanes and so on. Their loitering spots are defined by the absence of human traffic, although a “burbs” turkey is not as spooky, they do want their safety buffer. So, this said, where do they go to do their late afternoon “buggin’ “, preening and stretch before fly up? Is it near your set up area or can you get to it from your area? The reason I say this is because in this case (please hide the eyes of the young among us) like in a John Wayne movie the best way to get rid of the bad guys is with an ambush (I blush here for effect) it has worked for me in a similar circumstance. So your best move might be to “cut them off at the pass”.
Good hunting.
Thanks for the comment, Dixie Belle. The swamp cuts through the development, acting as a natural buffer for a creek. It goes on for several hundred acres through the county before dumping into a larger tributary. The turkeys hang tight in the swamp until it’s time to feed or take care of turkey business, which is when they move up into the woods. They follow a few game trails that cut through the 5-acre plot’s woods. Just like you say, it’s a perfect scenario for an ambush strategy.