‘Tis the season for tasty turkey, hearty ham, buttered rolls, succulent sweet potato pie and other yummy treats. It’s Thanksgiving and for those fortunate enough to splurge, that means enjoying a big festive meal with family.
But apparently, there’s one turkey out there who is very unimpressed with the holiday season and the humans who enjoy dining on his relatives. The testy turkey resides in Wisconsin and apparently has it out for none other than United States Postal Service mail carrier Jeff Byrne.
Maybe the turkey sees Jeff delivering the mail every day and suspects him of having something to do with the reason why his relatives keep coming up missing. Or maybe the turkey just has an ax to grind and Jeff is his daily target.
We’ll never know just why this particular turkey has a grudge against poor Jeff who is only trying to do his job.
For months now, the turkey has chased Jeff in his zippy little red, white and blue postal vehicle in Pewaukee.
It’s a suburban neighborhood with paved streets and roadside mailboxes. And a very angry, aggressive turkey.
You wouldn’t expect to stumble across a wild turkey in a suburb, especially one that likes to torment the mail carrier every day. But as Tom Huges, wildlife biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation explains, wild turkeys actually take up residence in big wooded areas near neighborhoods and suburbs.
“The turkeys are not necessarily moving to town, but the towns or suburbs are expanding out to meet the turkeys.”
Huges said that the wild turkeys living on the fringe of city limits behave differently than their counterparts, the rural birds. They are less apt to be afraid of humans and aren’t concerned about vehicles. Except for this one, Jeff said…
“He didn’t pay me much attention at all in the first couple of months, but over the last month, he’s acquainted himself quite well with the truck and has started to follow me. It’s Thanksgiving. I can’t say he’s annoying. It’s too close to his holiday.”
Local resident Sherry Michaels followed Jeff’s mail truck one day, recording the turkey waddling after the white mail truck. To express his displeasure with Jeff and the U.S. Postal Service, the turkey honks and squawks at him.
In the video, you can see that when the mail truck comes to a stop, the turkey strides around the truck and even attempts to look inside. Maybe he’s looking to see if there are any Christmas presents inside for him?
His behavior as of late likely has landed him on Santa’s naughty list anyway.
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife advises anyone who comes face-to-face with an unhappy turkey to not shy away, but instead stand your ground and don’t be intimidated.
“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.”
Turkeys can be vicious if angered, so Jeff has armed himself only with an air horn just in case the turkey needs to be startled away. So far, he hasn’t had to use it yet.
Check out this wild turkey who seems to be a bit territorial and less than thrilled with Jeff the mail carrier. What would you do if you were in Jeff’s shoes?
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