Aggressive Turkey that Showed Up in Minn. Community on Thanksgiving 2021 Has 'Taken Over' Area

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A pesky neighbor is taking over a mobile home park in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and residents are fed up.

The unlikely source of drama? A wild turkey. The bird reportedly showed up in the neighborhood around Thanksgiving 2021 and hasn't left the area since.

"This turkey has literally taken over our life," Coon Rapids resident Rachael Gross told CBS Minnesota, adding that the bird attacks her "every single day."

Gross also said that the turkey stalks her and "goes up my stairs, tries to get into my house. When I leave in my car, it follows my car."

The turkey, which also chases cars, is remarkably bold and not deterred by scare tactics such as sprays from a water bottle or screaming.

"I have to carry my broom and my water and my golf club everywhere I go," Gross told the outlet, adding that she has had to help schoolchildren battle the turkey while they try to walk to their bus stop in the mornings.

"But now they are smart, and they carry sticks," Gross noted of the children.

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Another Coon Rapids resident, Emily Ahlsten, told CBS that she cannot have a barbecue outdoors with friends and that she fears for the safety of her 1-year-old grandchild while the aggressive fowl is at large.

"It's not safe for anybody, including the turkey, so I would just like it to be relocated to a place it could be with other turkeys," she said. "And not be a nuisance to people or potentially hurt somebody."

Gross and Ahlsten say they have reached out to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources for help finding a new habitat for the bird and were instead given suggestions on how to mitigate the situation, including removing bird feeders and trimming branches where the turkey might nest.

According to the agency's website, trapping and relocation are not options. "The methods used to trap turkeys in remote areas are often impractical or ineffective in urban or suburban areas due to safety or disturbance," its section on "aggressive turkeys" reads.

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"Released turkeys may also continue their inappropriate actions where they are released or may move substantial distances to other suburban sites."