The Wild Turkey Boom Is Testing Wyoming’s Patience

With the number of turkeys you see around Wyoming, it would be hard to convince someone that they're not a native species from here. It wasn't until 1935, after trading Sage Grouse with New Mexico, that the turkey began to roam around Wyoming. Since then, they're not just roaming; the population has exploded.

Turkeys are a common topic of conversation around Casper, and the number of birds living in town has become such an issue that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has trapped and moved hundreds of birds over the last few years.

READ MORE: How Wyoming Game And Fish Traps Turkeys

The issues with turkeys are not only traffic-related; they also damage homes and yards, attack kids, and cause sickness to pets. These issues are not enough to keep some residents from feeding them, even though it's illegal in Casper. If someone were continually feeding, would you want to leave?

READ MORE: Undoing Casper's Turkey Problem

You can't shoot them in town, and you can't poison them. What about using predator calls to deter them from your yard?

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According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Brandon Werner, that may only be a temporary fix.

Yes, you can use predator calls as an attempt to scare away turkeys off of your property. However, if this is successful it will likely be temporary as the turkeys will get wise to hearing the predator but not seeing it, also your neighbors my get a bit uneasy listening to a predator sound. Wild turkeys mostly use sight to detect danger and not so much sound so using a predator call might not be very effective. Wild turkeys are often predated upon from eagles and hawks. Using a birds of prey sound might deter turkeys on your property for a short time frame.

So how are you supposed to defend your home and property from pesky turkeys?

• Remove easy-to-get food sources.
• Make noise when they're in your vicinity.
• Spray them with water.
• Let your dog do the job by being on a leash in your yard..
• Add a reflective item that will flutter and glitter in the breeze to your yard.