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Wild Turkeys Destroy Landscapes10-02-08 | News

Wild Turkeys Destroy Landscapes

The wild turkeys are destroying the lawns, gardens and landscapes of Philomath residents. Trapping or killing the turkeys would require a permit from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Photo Credits: www.dfw.state.or.us

Although there is over a month until Thanksgiving Day, some Philomath, Oregon residents are already looking into trapping or killing turkeys. The one thing stopping them is the proper paperwork.

The problem: about 20 of the big birds hang out in west Philomath, scratching or tearing up landscaping and roofs, making noise during the early morning, fish and wildlife officials say.

“(Councilors) want to take definitive action to help folks,” said City Manager Randy Kugler. “The council still, very clearly, is not taking a kill permit off the table. They just want to ease into this, and not eliminate options that might be beneficial to solving the problem.”

Charlene Hendricks says the birds wiped out strawberries in her garden and made a play for her blueberries. “I had to chase them off my property twice a day,” Hendricks said. “We see them every morning and every night.” She said she found the first one or two interesting but now considers them pests. “I’m just worried if something doesn’t stop them from multiplying and staying here, we’ll have a lot more turkeys in our area,” Hendricks said.

The turkeys came to the council’s attention August 25. Since then, the city has distributed fliers to homes in neighborhoods with the birds, sent messages out with water bills, and consulted with fish and wildlife specialists about the matter. Kugler says residents have followed advice not to feed the birds, but that they haven’t dispersed.

Nancy Taylor, an ODFW wildlife biologist, said trapping the birds would be only a temporary fix, and that they would return.

Source: www.thedalleschronicle.com/news.