Skip to content
Independent and accessible public media is needed more than ever.
Help us continue keeping communities informed and inspired.
Keep public media independent and accessible
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  •  

Don’t Feed Wild Turkeys In California. And No, City Residents, You Can’t Shoot Them.

  •  Ezra David Romero 
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Nicole McDavid / Submitted

Turkeys walk through a neighborhood in Sacramento.

Nicole McDavid / Submitted

During the holidays, Americans eat more than 68 million turkeys. Many are raised in environmentally controlled barns, some have limited access to the outdoors and others are farm-raised.

But often the wilder version of the seasonal hen is considered a pest in urban areas. 

People who live in places like Midtown Sacramento or anywhere along the American River are familiar with the birds. They're active all year, they hold up traffic, destroy gardens and leave droppings everywhere. 

"In some instances, they've been known to roost on cars and can scratch paint,” said Elaine Lander, an Urban & Community Integrated Pest Management Educator with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Lander recently wrote a blog post about how to manage turkeys as a homeowner in an urban setting. She says the best way to avoid turkeys is simple: Don't feed them, especially since it’s illegal to feed wildlife in California. 

"The larger adults can be upwards of 20 pounds,” said Landers. “Their urban populations are growing and so we're trying to let folks know what they can do if they encounter wild turkeys. "  

Lander recommends removing bird feeders that attract the birds and installing motion-detecting sprinklers to scare turkeys off. Dogs can also deter turkeys from entering a yard.

With two major rivers around Sacramento, the city decided in 2010 to no longer respond to calls about trapped healthy wildlife. City officials say “residents must learn to cohabitate with [turkeys] in order to preserve the natural conditions and habitats of this region.”

Turkeys were first introduced into California on Santa Cruz Island in 1877 as game birds — although some say the turkeys introduced to California have ancestors that were once native to the state around 10,000 years ago.

The California Fish and Game Commission had a turkey raising program that was eventually terminated because it didn’t succeed. But in the late 1950s wild turkey populations began to take flight. The agency attributes the growth to a device (the cannon-net trap) that made it easy to trap and relocate the birds. It’s now mostly used to relocate problem turkeys.

Today turkey numbers are still growing and occupy about 18 percent of the state, says California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira. The department doesn't have an estimate of the total number of turkeys in the state.

“We are seeing turkeys colonizing urban and suburban areas,” said Tira. “They can be found across the state in deserts, forests, and cities. They can eat all kinds of foods; they travel in groups and they have lots of eyes to avoid predators.”

Merriam’s wild turkeys and Rio Grande wild turkeys are the most common in the Sacramento area. Turkeys are most active in the spring because of mating,when the male calls and struts and gathers a harem of five or more females. But Tira says turkey sightings are a regular thing, even outside his office.   

“We’re seeing turkeys in places where we have never existed before,” Tira said of places like downtown Sacramento and even Oakland. 

“People think, ‘Oh, what a dumb bird,’ but they are actually quite smart because they know exactly where they are safe. They know when they are downtown there are no mountain lions or coyotes that are going to chase after them.”

Turkeys can become aggressive during the breeding season, occasionally even charging toward people.

But Tira says even if turkeys are a nuisance, shooting them is illegal in urban areas. 

“You can’t hunt turkeys everywhere,” says Tira. “It really depends on where you live and where you want to go hunting. Most urban laws have restrictions on hunting or discharging lethal weapons within city limits.”

Still, the CDFW website says homeowners experiencing property damage from wild turkeys can get a depredation permit from a local CDFW office. 

In unincorporated areas hunting turkeys is dependent on county law. Tira recommends calling the local sheriff's office for more details. 

But there are areas where hunting wild turkeys is allowed, including some state wildlife areas, refuges or other public lands. 

“There are places close by where you can turkey hunt, but you're not going to be able to turkey hunt in the city,” said Tira. 

To hunt wild turkeys you'll need  a hunting license and upland game bird validation. 

“If you’re a hunter, you’re king if you can supply your Thanksgiving table with a wild turkey,” said Tira.

Clarification: We've updated the story to note that bird feeders attract both hens and toms, and that while dogs can deter a turkey from entering a yard, UCIPM doesn't specifically recommend you get one.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Al Gibes / Capital Public Radio

    California's Turkey Population Moves to Town

    Wednesday, November 12, 2014
    Some 130,000 people are licensed to hunt game birds in California. Some already know wild turkey hunting season opened this week. But they don't have to go to the woods to find the large birds. In urban areas, the number of wild turkeys is growing.
  • Al Gibes / Capital Public Radio

    Wild Turkeys Cause Nuisance Complaints in Sacramento, Bay Area

    Monday, November 10, 2014
    State wildlife managers says complaints about wild turkeys have persisted since they've stopped releasing the birds for hunting.

Ezra David Romero

Former Environment Reporter

Ezra David Romero is a former Environment Reporter at CapRadio.  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Cal Fire fumbles key responsibilities to prevent catastrophic wildfires despite historic budget

June 21, 2022

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

How idle oil wells leaked explosive levels of methane in Bakersfield

June 21, 2022

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

Tunnel vision: What’s next for the governor’s plan to replumb the Delta?

June 22, 2022

Most Viewed

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Governor Newsom signs bill to shield patients threatened by abortion bans in other states

Hundreds gather in Sacramento to protest Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 vaccines saved about 20 million lives in one year, scientists say

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Governor Newsom signs bill to shield patients threatened by abortion bans in other states

Hundreds gather in Sacramento to protest Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 vaccines saved about 20 million lives in one year, scientists say

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.