Backyard Turkey

[UncleDave]

Man have the turkey in the metro spread.  Saturday afternoon at about 2:00 my dog went crazy barking out the backyard screen.  I got up figuring there was a neighbor dog out and low and behold there's a big old tom strutting around my yard.  Last fall I had a possum in the yard now this.   I am probably 2 miles from the Mississippi and I live in a suburban area with lots of fences and dogs.  You just don't expect to see larger wild animals roaming.  Pretty cool! 

[CampYJewel]

I think the turkeys are taking over every where!!!!  I know some people in our area love them and others hate them. 

One question is it true that they are hard on the grouse population??  I have heard people complain that they eat their eggs.

Jewel

[HD]

Turkeys will eat, well just about anything from small mammels (mice) to frogs and toads, any grains and green vegitation also including buds and nuts. They really like insects, they like scratching gopher mounds to dig up larva and beetles. Any yes, I have heard they will eat eggs that are layed in a ground nest. I've never personnally seen it, but have read it in some of the books on turkeys.


Hope this helps,


Hunter

[Joe]

I've been seeing them around North St Paul too. We had one walking right down the middle of the street a couple weeks ago.

[thunderpout]

I heard that, about them eating/desroying grouse/pheasent eggs but I heard a DNR biologist say it probably isnt true, but that they eat the same food and that during the winter when food dwindles for them it makes a tuff situation even tougher on them. Turkeys eat alot...they're a large bird! Our neighbors across the street, by a creek, have their bird feeders raided by turkeys all the time...One jumps up on the feeders to spill the feed down for the rest of their buddies!  They're tryin to turkey-proof the feeders...

[b.henrichs]

there are always a bunch in Lakeville by my house.

[UncleDave]

I saw a hen and 6 larger offspring about a month ago on Theodore Wirth Golf course in Golden Valley/Minneapolis.  Pretty cool.

[b.henrichs]

i was ridin my mountain bike to the Lakeville Target an i was no more than 15 ft from 7 large toms walkin next tothe busy cty rd 50.it was really cool.