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Negaunee is a Turkey town

Downtown Negaunee is having Turkey for Thanksgiving

Before the snow fell, the Negaunee turkeys visited a home not far from downtown. (Photo courtesy of Michael G. Hauswirth)

NEGAUNEE — A group of visitors has descended on downtown Negaunee in the last few weeks and they are gobbling up a lot of attention.

A group of wild turkeys has visited Negaunee’s City Hall, the old Bank Building, the Elks Club, the YMCA, the football field and a local law office, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The birds have become local celebrities, with rumors swirling about their business in town.

Four turkeys were reported during the first sightings in October and early November but that number has since dropped to three.

Some locals suspect “fowl play” but others report that one of the visitors got hit by a car.

Turkey tracks can be seen in the fresh snow on Iron Street on Saturday. Three to four wild turkeys have been spotted at several establishments and residences on Iron and Tobin Streets over the last few weeks. (Photo courtesy of Scott Soeltner)

Scott Soeltner, owner of Smarty’s Saloon on Iron Street, said he still sees the feathered visitors every day, and had even fed them popcorn once.

“That day was the only time I fed them — it was fresh popcorn, and they loved it,” Soeltner said. “Everyone in town has adopted them, it’s a community thing.”

The fall turkey hunting season is Sept. 15 through Nov. 14, but according Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife technician Caleb Eckloff, it was likely not the hunters that drove the birds into town.

“Food and food availability are probably what drove them into town. They have found an excellent way around the problem of deep snow and lack of food. They are pretty resourceful,” Eckloff said.

DNR upland game bird specialist Al Stewart said the fall season is meant to manage the turkey population.

“You can take a hen or a tom. You can even purchase one turkey license a day, until licenses are gone for that unit,” said Stewart. “With two full months of hunting, the fall turkey season offers many chances for a wild Michigan Thanksgiving turkey.”

The Negaunee visitors seem to have literally dodged a bullet.

According to Dan Ryan, the Invasive Wildlife biologist at Pinnacles National Park in California, wild turkeys are one of several successful nomadic species that push into suburban and urban areas when population pressures force them to move.

“Once established in fairly predator-free areas, their population may grow in a more artificial way — especially if food is abundant and easily available. Since we have eliminated many wild habitats, various forms of wildlife — not just turkeys — are moving into our surroundings where the living is easy, and made even easier since we are feeding them,” Ryan said.

Eckloff said it is not illegal to feed the turkeys.

“The turkeys have been camped out at recreational bird feeders,” Eckloff said. “Pretty much the rule of thumb is, if you don’t want the turkeys around, don’t feed them.”

In a Scientific American article “Wild Turkeys: Marvel or Menace,” author Dawn Starin, said before the arrival of European settlers and their hunting, forest clearing and timber extraction, wild turkeys were prevalent throughout much of North America.

Starin said by the start of the 20th century, wild turkeys were on the brink of extinction.

“Through conservation and reintroduction efforts they recovered and today, although their number falls short of the 10 million estimated during the 1600s, there are now approximately six million turkeys … in every state except Alaska,” the article stated.

And, for now, we can add downtown Negaunee to the list, especially if food remains plentiful.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-486-4401. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.

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