With all due respect to the TLF, I realize folklore had turkey on the local menu at Thanksgiving 1620 but never saw one in urban Boston area locations until recently . Now they are everywhere. I would think with the coyote and fox population thriving they would be more scarce. Does anyone have an explanation? I never enforced environmental law but isn't there a "turkey season?" I see DCR just announced another deer hunt in the Blue Hills but no mention of turkeys. Did the turkeys learn to come within 500 feet of a dwelling where shooting is prohibited?

Also hearing that hawks are again dying off by eating rats weakened by rat poison all over the area. Sad. One creative move that I've seen is a wolverine type plastic "creature" on the lawn of a local apartment complex that was once infested with Canada Geese. The groundskeeper moves it around, no more geese.

Doin' what comes naturally

By Saddlebrook7 on Sun, 09/02/2018 - 5:47pm.

A turkey hen will lay up to a dozen eggs each spring. There aren't that many coyotes inside 128, nor many places sparsely developed enough for hunting (a shame, wild turkey is mighty tasty). Better get on their good side: send a check to TLF.

What do you mean by "recently"?

By Ian Osmond on Sun, 09/02/2018 - 7:18pm.

Turkeys have been invading Brookline for at LEAST ten years. They've been making steady influxes all over, for quite a while now.

I suspect that human population pressure and urban sprawl may be decreasing populations of large predators, For that matter, I wouldn't be surprised if controlling rat populations helps increase turkey populations -- rats tend to be quite effective at killing bird populations, by eating their eggs.

I do note that it is perhaps embarrassing that three of our most annoying nuisance animals -- turkeys, geese, and deer -- are all delicious. Because we are being pushed around by delicious animals, maybe we need to turn in our "apex predator" certifications...

Not long ago, turkeys were nearly extinct in New England

By Sue OConnell on Sun, 09/02/2018 - 9:16pm.

Success has its downsides...
http://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2016/11/24/wild-turkey-redux

We've heard enough from the

By SapphoinMaadi on Sun, 09/02/2018 - 6:38pm.

We've heard enough from the people with wheels. It's time we showed some respect for the turkeys and offered them a designated lane.

A Meleagriean show of force in Jamaica Plain

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