WildRescue is working up a plan to safely capture a wild turkey with an arrow through its body. These are very difficult rescues.Turkeys are powerful birds, and, like deer, they tend to panic when confined. To minimize risk to the animal and its rescuers, capture strategies must be well thought out, taking days, or even weeks to organize.
The turkey was spotted last Monday, near Ridgemark Park in Hollister, traveling with a gang of other wild turkeys. The group is seen regularly as the birds meander through backyards and along hillsides in this suburban neighborhood, foraging on seeds, grasses, and insects.
The arrow appears to have a bullet target point, used for target practice not hunting, the fletching is a deep purple, and the nock is bright green.
It is not yet hunting season for turkeys, so this was an illegal act. If anyone has any information on who may have shot this turkey, please call the Department of Fish & Game at 1-888-DFG-CAL-TIP (888-334-2258). You do not have to give your name.
WildRescue has had success in capturing 'skewered' turkeys before. Click HERE and HERE for the video of Pinky's rescue and release in 2008.
UPDATE 9-6-12: Capture specialists Duane Titus and Rebecca Dmytryk will be attempting a capture Sunday morning, September 9th. Arrangements have been made for the bird to be seen by Dr. Rebecca Duerr, staff veterinarian at International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, CA.
UPDATE 9-6-12: Capture specialists Duane Titus and Rebecca Dmytryk will be attempting a capture Sunday morning, September 9th. Arrangements have been made for the bird to be seen by Dr. Rebecca Duerr, staff veterinarian at International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, CA.
Stay tuned!
I'm going to guess that within a 2 mile radius there is a house with straw bale targets in the back yard, and a hungry sportsman who couldn't wait for season opener, but he didn't know field points fail to clean kill. A real archery hunter would use judo points for birds, especially if food was the goal. Probably some kid that shoots bow and arrow for fun tried his luck for real and hit the mark by accident and probably feels bad already, not thinking turkeys to be as tough as they are as it flew away with his arrow. The turkey got too close to the target range, perhaps with bait,perhaps by accident. I'm surprised the Game Dept. didn't handle this with a 12 gauge instead of letting a skewered turkey wander around the neighborhood for so many days. Not injured enough to be disabled and too strong to be captured, this dilemma is much different than the canadien goose surprised in a parking lot with a mafiosa van and a fish net. I'll stay tuned and wait for a story about a rescue.
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