Turkey Trouble Update: Rochester Police and MnDNR Respond

Rochester Police Say They've Not Been Asked to Arrest Lyle Turkey.

• Tuesday, October 12 - Turkey Troubles on 6th Street SW in Rochester, MN.
• Friday, October 15 - Hey where did the turkey go?

On Tuesday, I wrote...

There is an aggressive turkey hanging on Rochester's 6th Street SW...and he's not afraid to chase cars. Watch the video, you'll see vehicles literally being stopped by the turkey, and the turkey not letting them get away with a 'swerve' move.

Several reports tell us Lyle Turkey has not been seen for a while. This could be due to being needed at home with the kids. Really.

I said I'd be connecting with law enforcement and the DNR, and I've done that. Here's what I've found out.

Lyle May Be A Nuisance...

According to the Rochester Police Department's Amanda Grayson...

A quick search of our records indicates we’ve received 8 turkey-related calls so far in 2021 but none recently. (The last one is dated 7.27.21). Most of those calls are regarding birds in the roadway.

So, Lyle may be a nuisance to drivers, but no one's dropped a dime on the bird. I'd say that means there's no major turkey problem in Rochester. Which, in all seriousness, if an aggressive turkey is causing you great trouble, attacking your kids, etc...it's no laughing matter.

I'd love to know what happened in the first seven months of the year to bring in over 1 call a month. But, I don't think it's fair to take Amanda Grayson away from the real work of the department to answer my poultry questions.

However, Grayson did say, "Public safety is our top priority, so if a turkey is creating a hazard for motorists, bicyclists, and/or pedestrians, we will work with our animal control division to capture and relocate it."

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Why Do Turkeys Go After Cars?

For this question, I turned to the Minnesota DNR...

Checking the source I was given, I found I will never likely get the answer to the Turkey and Car Question...

Some wild turkeys, especially in spring and early summer, choose to stand, walk, or pace back-and-forth in the center of busy highways, dodging vehicles and blocking traffic. Some (but not all) of these birds are juvenile males and often do not strut or display. The reasons for this peculiar behavior are unknown.

The DNR says when turkeys become too acclimated to humans, a lot of trouble can begin. When they attack, chase, peck, and even destroy crops, it is very hard to move them along because humans no longer scare them.

What If I Really Need to Get A Turkey Away From My Home or Car?

The DNR says if things they're going after are shiny, cover up the shiny object, or disguise it somehow. You may need to chase it away by literally chasing it, or using a hose on aggressive birds.

• And of course, law enforcement will, as stated above, contact animal control to trap and release the bird.

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

Do You Know The Red Flags To Watch Out For in Minnesota?

Some are pretty subtle, but beware of the people flying the red flags...