Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Discouraging Water Turkeys

A gas cannon might work. It is used to ward off birds in agricultural fields. They work off LP gas. Here is a link to get started. They are not cheap. www.deerbusters.com

darnold,

They have a special fondness for old dead trees sticking up in the water....they use to recycle their freshly eaten fish (i.e. poop) from your pond and rest up for the next days feast. If not trees, then any kind of structure sticking up out of the water will attract them. They leave a definite calling card.

Meadowlark,

Is it a possibility to remove the trees? I have several dead trees in my lake too, seems like I am going to have to deal with the same issue (after I fill and stock the lake). I was wondering how big of a job it is to cut them down...

D

All you need to do is cut them off at the water line. With a chain saw and a stable platform that wouldn't be too difficult unless you have a lot of trees. Above water trees don't provide any fish structure anyway.

That won't completely rid you of the problem but it will help. At least they won't use you as a Motel 6 that way. Once they find you, and they do have their ways, they will return. You just have to make sure they know they aren't welcome at all/any times.

I guess they are everywhere...did you see Web site from the UK?

http://www.cormorants.info/

Look under management for additional ideas. (I didnt see an section on target practice)

They are everywhere, everywhere!

Dan Patterson sent me a copy of an article that described a Government study in the Green Bay area of the effects of water turkeys. Guess what...the Government has discovered that water turkeys eat fish! My, my. What a surprise!

Enjoy the spring and summer cause just like the seasons, they will return in the fall to wreck havoc.

I can assure you some components of the government are not happy with them either. Maybe that's why they are coming around.

I was told by a biologist in Alpena, Michigan that due to a combination of walleye predation and commorants they only get a 1/10th of 1 percent survival rate of the brown trout they plant into Lake Huron. They've actually seen the commorants waiting in anticipation when the stocking truck pulls up to the lake and then the birds actually herd and go on a feeding orgy on schools of the fingerlings wiping them out on the spot.

Alpena has historially had a "Brown Trout Festival" for many years where one aspect is a brown trout contest which consists of a tournament. Trouble is catching brown trout has become really tough last I heard.

I understand the islands they roost and nest on in the Great Lakes are absolutely desicrated with foul smelling feces due to an unnaturally high concentration of the birds. The islands look and smell like a sewer dump.

Cecil, that sounds pretty typical for an island nesting ground for a water bird.

Folks bemoan the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, quoting old accounts of how the huge flocks would "turn the sky dark." What they fail to note is that the same flocks would also turn the ground white.

Now thats a sight I can visualize....water turkeys sitting around waiting for the fish truck to show up.

I absolutely believe you. I have seen them roundup fish just like they were cows and then proceed to eat every one of them...in a community lake.

Maybe the Government will finally wise up, but I have my doubts....too many well meaning folks who want to protect them.

Please, Meadow, dont maintain your political correstness. Many are not well meaning people, they are people, some of which have probably never seen a water turkey except the same video of the same one with oil on it in Valdez, but have to feel that they are making a difference.

War on water turkeys!

burgermeister,

You are right, so right. Its just that a lot of people really do not realize the harm these birds can cause. If you lived in New York City (oh shudder the thought) or LA(even worse) you might think we were a bunch of red necked cowboys chasing down innocent birds...well come to think of it, they will probably think that regardless.

Meadowlark,

No experience with dyes but I liked the ideal of lead dies spread over the surface...

Have you considered using ramdomly fired noise cannons while you are not there? Somewhere in my memory I saw noise cannons being used to scare birds away from some air field or some farmer's crop. Maybe it was on TV. It should work on turkeys.

I had a friend that trained a hunting dog to stay in his field to chase the wildlife away. He never brought the dog home. From the first day he got the dog he fed the dog in the field. He set up a dog pen with a waterer, dog house, etc. Perhaps a labador retriever could be stationed at the pond and trained to chase away all water birds. For some of the guys with poacher problems, a nasty junkyard dog might work to stop the poachers. Just be sure to keep the rabies shots up to date and properly recorded. It is just one step above a man trap but should be excluded from the booby trap laws.

Meadowlark,

Perhaps we are looking at water turkeys all wrong.... perhaps we should see them as a game bird, they might taste like chicken or at least could be served as chicken to some in-laws.

I have eaten a lot of wildlife but never a water turkey. Any experience out there?

The new member "Boone" is a cajun and claims to have a "MEAN" Sauce Piquante that may just be the ticket. Good hunting.

Meadowlark,

You rednecked innocent bird chasing cowboy. Just for your information, New Yorkers (in cooperation with southern fish hatcheries) raise water turkeys for export to Texas. Its a very lucrative business I must admit. This springs hatch was a dandy and should really blacken the sky when we send them your way this fall. We are now starting to use GPS, which enables us to pinpoint a specific destination. So where in Texas do you live??



Russ

I had heard of people giving one way boat rides to pigs and raccoons to some of those islands in Green Bay. They seem to be real fond of water turkey eggs. Some of those islands were wooded but are now just whitewashed rock piles.

At one point I beleive they fed them on Kidney Island in an attempt to help them recover their numbers. Now the island is totally destroyed. I am just north of Green Bay and only a couple miles off the water. I don't see them too often, they don't seem to come inland much, but we still keep watching and ready to defend our fish.

I would still love to get a copy of a Texas permit for them. It would be a nice novelty.

Russ,

I have to say its working...even without my lat. and long. they always find their way back.

We need to figure out a way to send you guys some fire ants...in return for your generous gift. You all would love them. They clean up the environment, cultivate the dirt and in general do a fine job of keeping an eye on things. We will just have to strap some on your returning water turkeys and make them a present to you all.

Meadowlark,

Fire ants !! Ok, I'm sending up the white flag. While visiting a friend in Hutto, Tx., I saw first hand what pain they can cause. His 4 year old daughter got tangled up with a party of those critters. Not good, lots of screaming.

Russ

Enjoyed reading all the angles of your problems & must admit ya'll know more about water turkeys than I do.I don't have any problem here at all.I had a problem with a gator ,but that only lasted two days & he ended up in a "Sauce Piquante".
Dennis..you out there?? We had a problem with "Nutreas" down here & now they are a delicacy because us "Cajuns" showed everybody how to cook them.I don't think I ever ate a water turkey but would try it ."Cajuns will eat anything that wont eat them first".
Have a nice day !!!
Boone