George the Turkey at the corner of College Avenue and Fulton Street in Grand Rapids. (May 6, 2024)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Turkey is causing minor traffic delays in Grand Rapids and is gaining attention online.
Wild turkeys are common in West Michigan. When jogging or driving in Grand Rapids, Candace Smith says you should be on the lookout for turkeys, especially around Heritage Hill.
“I’m coming down to College (Avenue) and Fulton (Street) and all the cars are crooked and piled up and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Oh, there’s a turkey.” said Smith.
she is the founder of Tours around Michigan And her motor bus was stopped by something called George the Turkey (or Georgia). Not to be confused with the Facebook famous turkey. gary the turkeyhe has his own page and has 2,800 followers.
“An hour and a half later we found the turkey again. When we got there, there was a car blocking it. I think I was trying to protect it, but they had no car. I made the big mistake of getting out of the car and trying to move the turkey, but the turkey clearly saw it as a confrontation and started pecking at the tire at that point. Mr. Smith said.
by Michigan DNRAs temperatures rise and daylight hours increase in the spring, turkeys begin breeding.
“They do better between 60 degrees and 69 degrees. So we were out in the field back then when it was in that temperature range. And turkeys will attack anything that’s subordinate to them. , I think they might poke you or something,” Smith said.
Smith said she plans to continue talking about turkeys throughout the tour.
“I said maybe we should put out some tips about turkeys, like don’t try to rescue them and stay in your car,” she said. “Obviously, George sees (the intersection) as his personal territory, his personal mating territory. So he’s going to kick out everything that’s there. The best thing you can do is just leave it there. Get out and let George find the love of his life,” Smith said.
If there are ferocious turkeys in your area, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
of DNR Recommended Be careful when driving and limit the number of things that may attract turkeys, such as songbird food.
“If they become a nuisance in your neighborhood, immediately remove all food attractants from your backyard and prevent your neighbors from feeding them. Young plants can attract turkeys. Fences, hardware Protect young gardens using cloth or motion-activated scare devices,” the DNR said.
If a turkey becomes aggressive, the DNR says to establish dominance.
“To deter them, use gentle hazing techniques. Start by making loud noises and waving to startle the turkeys. To harass them, use a watering system or water from a hose. Consider spraying or spraying to scare off leashed dogs,” the DNR said.
