A walk on the wild (turkey) side. Why are turkeys so visible in the fall, and what to do when you encounter them

It's a perfect fall day for a walk. Golden autumn sunlight is filtering through the thinned out tree branches, and what leaves remain are gently sifting to the ground. You're strolling along, minding your own business, when you suddenly encounter a large flock of wild turkeys.

There are hens, jakes and jennies, and several huge toms, each up to three feet in height and weighing as much as 25 pounds. There are a few dozen of the birds in your path.

What do you do?

"For the most part, you just walk along and they'll get out of your way," says Marj Rines, a naturalist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

But, she admits, it can all depend on how aggressive the birds are, especially the toms and the juvenile jakes working on establishing their place. While wild turkeys generally will scatter, she says, "there are times when turkeys can be aggressive" -- this is most especially true during mating season in mid March to May.

"They are big birds," Rines says, noting there are cases when turkeys have been known to harass people.

She has herself found dozens of wild turkeys on her lawn at times, and finds they will disperse when she goes out and shoos them away loudly.

Birds of a feather flock together

At this time of year, it can seem that wild turkeys are suddenly out and about in large numbers. In reality, Rines explains, they are around all year, foraging in the woods and grasslands, eating bugs, berries, nuts, seeds and grasses.

So why do wild turkeys stick out more in the fall?

"That’s because this is the time of the year when they form flocks. During breeding season they break up into much much smaller groups," Rines says.

Most times of the year, there are small, non-breeding groupings of two to three birds. There may be groupings of one to nine toms, and groupings of up to 30 brooding females. But in the fall, wild turkeys come together in large flocks, or rafters, of three dozen and more of mixed gender and age.

"In winter they roost in large flocks," she explains. "It's probably just a social behavior. A lot of flocking behavior also has to do with protection from predators, though turkeys don’t have a whole lot of predators -- the young certainly do, but when you get a big tom turkey there’s not a lot that’s going to take that on."

She describes wild turkeys as "highly gregarious," and because this part of their nature causes them "to hang out with each other."

Don't back down

Back to what to do when you encounter a bunch of wild turkeys. It's all about establishing dominance, according to the Massachusetts Division of Wildlife and Fisheries.

"Don't let turkeys intimidate you," the agency's wildlife biologists advise. "Don't hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises."

Waving your arms and yelling, flapping your coat or shirt, or blowing a whistle can work, as can opening and flapping an umbrella if you have one at hand. Or if there are turkeys trying to start a dust up with you in your yard, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose" is recommended.

"A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent," according to the wildlife agency.

The thing not to do is to run away, back down or show fear. That will just signal a bully turkey that you are lower on the totem pole, and therefore are not worthy of its respect.

According to state wildlife biologists, turkeys have a distinct hierarchy of dominance -- a pecking order. The turkeys higher up in the pecking order will peck at and dominate birds lower in the order.

An aggressive turkey "just gets a bee in their bonnet," and may peck and try to drive you away, but Rines says aggression "is almost always against an inanimate object -- either a reflection in a window or on a car."

"It doesn't take a whole lot of reflection for them to get aggressive," she says. "I've seen them attacking cars on the road."

It's just a matter of carefully driving away if a turkey has approached the side of your car, or honking your horn. When on foot, or in your yard, covering reflective surfaces that have the turkeys' snoods in a twist should be effective.

Rines notes on occasion there may be problem turkeys that require more than a loud show of dominance from people.

"There are cases where the state will permit the removal of the turkey, but it would have to be a pretty severe case," she says. "They wouldn’t do it for your garden variety brush up."

The state Division of Wildlife and Fisheries notes that turkeys "thrive close to humans in suburban and urban areas," and if you want to make your property less attractive to

turkeys, there are certain practices to follow. It is also very important that everyone in the neighborhoods follows the same procedures; otherwise, "your efforts will be futile if

neighbors provide food or shelter for turkeys or neglect to act boldly towards the birds."

Here are the agency's recommendations:

• DON’T FEED TURKEYS: Keep wildlife wild. Feeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause turkeys to act tame and may lead to bold or aggressive behavior, especially in the breeding season.
• KEEP BIRD FEEDER AREAS CLEAN: Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground as the seed attracts turkeys and other wild animals. Remove feeders in the spring, as there are plenty of natural foods available for all birds.
• DON’T LET TURKEYS INTIMIDATE YOU: Don’t hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent.
• COVER WINDOWS AND SHINY OBJECTS: Turkeys may respond aggressively to shiny objects and their own reflection. Since the stimulus to drive away the “intruder” is strong, and since the reflection does not disappear when the turkey confronts it, the bird will often continually display towards or attack the reflection until changing light conditions cause it to vanish. If a turkey is pecking at a shiny object, cover or disguise the object.
• PROTECT YOUR GARDENS AND CROPS: You can harass turkeys searching for food in your gardens. Dogs tethered on a run can be effective in scaring turkeys away from gardens. Netting is another option to employ. In agricultural situations, some scare devices are effective.

A protected species

Wild turkeys, like all other bird species native to North America, are protected in Massachusetts by law and may not be removed or hunted without permission from the state -- there are regulated, legal turkey hunting times established in the spring and fall. 

According to the state wildlife division, there was once a widespread native turkey population in Massachusetts, but habitat loss and hunting wiped them out. The last known native turkey was killed in 1851.

"In the 1970s, MassWildlife biologists trapped 37 turkeys in New York and released them in the Berkshires. The new flock grew in what was an ideal mix of agricultural and forested lands, and by the fall of 1978 the estimated population was about 1,000 birds," the agency says.

With birds also moving in from adjacent states, "turkeys soon ranged throughout most parts of Massachusetts west of the Connecticut River. In-state transplants of the birds, conducted until 1996, continued to expand their range into the central, northeastern, and southeastern parts of the state."

Turkeys were named the state's official game bird in 1991. The wild turkey population in Massachusetts is now estimated at between 30,000 and 35,000 birds.

Fun turkey facts

Adult male turkeys are called toms. Female turkeys are called hens.

Male juvenile turkeys are called jakes. Female juveniles are called jennies.

Baby turkeys are called poults.

Turkeys are born with already developed feathers.

Poults leave the nest within a day and begin learning to forage for food from their mothers.

Toms don’t generally get involved with parenting.

A group of turkeys is called a rafter or a flock.

A group of turkey hens is called a harem.

A wild turkey’s gobble can be heard up to a mile away.

Only toms can gobble.

Tom turkeys have about 5,500 feathers.

Wild turkeys can run up to 25 miles per hour.

Wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour.

Turkeys can be found throughout the U.S., except Hawaii and Alaska.

A wild turkey lives three to five years on average. The oldest known wild turkey was 13.

Wild turkeys can weigh as much as 20 to 25 pounds.

Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird.

Wild turkeys roost in trees.

Wild turkeys enjoy communal dust baths, which helps to maintain their feathers.

Wild turkeys may walk up to two miles a day while foraging.

Turkey calls include 28 sounds for different communication purposes. Some of them are: Gobble, assembly call, cluck, cut, yelp, purr, and yelp. (Listen to some turkey talk at https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/wild-turkey-basics/turkey-sounds)