Bold turkey picks wrong person to mess with on Colorado highway: A wildlife officer

Wild turkeys are notorious for harassing and chasing people, but one took things to a different level last week when it began panhandling on a Colorado state highway.

As cute as that sounds, the ornery bird made the mistake of trying to play a state wildlife officer, and he was not amused.

The incident happened Friday in Larimer County in northern Colorado, where the 208,00-acre Cameron Peak Fire is raging, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.

“A wildlife officer was clearing debris off HWY 14 in Rustic ... and this turkey came out of the trees and right up to him. It first appeared to be a bird in distress from the fire,” the department’s NE Region said in a tweet. “But as time went on, that opinion changed. The turkey was in really good body condition.”

Turns out it was looking for a handout, specifically free food. And what started as verbal harassment of the officer evolved into pecking at the side of the pickup, then following the vehicle as the officer drove away.

“This is not natural behavior,” the department posted. “What can happen when you feed wildlife is the animals can become demanding. The next person to come across this turkey could be met with aggression and injured by it if it is expecting you to feed it.”

The department tweeted three videos of the incident, which have been collectively seen more than 3,000 times in the past few days. The officer was not identified.

Colorado’s “more than 40,000 wild turkeys” weigh up to 30 pounds each and can fly at 55 mph, the state says. The U.S. Department of Agriculture warns they’re “highly social” and can be aggressive toward people, “especially during breeding season.”

“Rarely do they cause serious damage, although they often will chase and harass children,” the department says. “Elderly individuals are also at risk from falls associated with aggressive turkeys.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Bold turkey picks wrong person to mess with on Colorado highway: A wildlife officer."