Wild a Feral Cat take down a Turkey?

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airborne

airborne

Member
May 15, 2016
404
6
Pennsylvania, United States
I was watching my two wild turkeys that come around and feed under the bird feeders. This morning one flew over the fence and it was a feral cat chasing one. I tried to chase it away and doing so just the turkeys took to flight. its pretty amazing how they can take to fight so quickly. he is a video of a house cat chasing one , so I have no doubt a feral cat would try to kill one, But not today,25 cal. was my answer and the turkeys are safe. This is just a quick video I goggled to see if its common practice for a feral cat to try and take down such a big turkey, and it happens, but as I mentioned not today. So may strays here where I live. People come from the cities, and just drop them off and then they mate with the feral ones and we have a issue. Any similar stories, I was shocked by this and pissed off at the same time

 
When I moved to Pa in 1972, if you took a turkey you were a real hunter, as they were very hard to tag, because there were none around like it is today. We have a healthy turkey population. Seeing one now or a flock is no big thing to most locals. Just like a farmer has a fenced in area that surrounds a plant near me. I bet in that plot of about 30 -40 acres I counted over 30 deer at one time. They just move around inside that fenced in area( which is posted as that is the plants property) and become very tame to on coming traffic. I will try to go out and take some pictures. Usually around 2-3 bucks in the herd, soon the Buck will have the pecking order down. No way will they open it to hunting, I think the Game Commission had some concerns with so many deer in a small area like this. They tried to move them but they just hop back over the fence in a different area. They know its safe and they will go to inside the fence. Just like my property, I have deer on my property as I set out game cameras,but they are night deer. They come down from the mountain above me and then go back up in the morning, Its a routine for them. I have a empty nest now and it would just be me eating the meat so I stopped hunting deer. My daughter does not want it as she said she has plenty of deer meat offered to her already, so now I just take pictures of them
Jim I did not know that about the racoons. You know I have a family of 4 on camera, maybe I should thin them out.
 
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I don't think a house cat type feral or not can take on a turkey and win, I guess possible if it surprised it, but no way head to head. Over the years I have watched cats try it and get the crap kicked out of them and then the cats stay away from them. I even had one cat makes friends with a flock in the yard and he used to walk around them and lean on them and they just accepted him. Go Figure.
 
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I guess you are right, but this is a feral cat for sure. I chased him a few times and he just looks at me. I watched his first and second attempt. Like I mentioned the one bird flew into a fenced in area we have for our dogs. When the one did that he went for the other one outside the fence. I have these birds coming up to feed for months now, so I guess as you mentioned they can take care of themselves
 
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Game warden once told me that cats don't belong in the woods and left it at that. I am no cat fan period as I am allergic to the damn fur balls and have first hand seen the destruction they do to birds and other animals. Once I got rid of the feral cats on my farm, the small game populations are much better as are the song birds and I now have a good wild turkey population. Wild cats should be a nuisance animal and killed with extreme prejudice as far as I am concerned!! I have no issue with people having house cats and barn cats, but free range cats are one of the most detrimental critters to song birds and small game animals.
 
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old Spook, iride and Aj, I am with you on all the post. Cats do not belong in the woods. Dogs do not belong in the woods, They have been seen in pacts in this part of the county. I have not seen them yet, but it has come from a good source. I blame this on inconsiderate people, driving out to this part of the country to let them loose and run wild
 
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This is what happens when people feed and protect feral cat populations.
http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm

Excerpts from the following link:
http://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Texas-Parks-and-Wildlife-Department-Feral-Cat-Briefing-Paper.pdf
Feeding stations intended for cats actually attract a variety of animals such as rats, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and foxes, putting these animals in unusually close contact with humans, cats, and each other. This close contact increases the risk of contracting and spreading diseases, including rabies, to other wildlife, cats, and humans.
...
Scientific research shows that free-roaming domestic cats kill between 1.4 – 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 – 20.7 billion mammals annually and that free-roaming cats are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic (human caused) mortality for US birds and mammals.
...
Rabies in cats is more than twice as common as in dogs or cattle, 12 and cats are the domestic animal most commonly reported rabid.
...
http://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Texas-Parks-and-Wildlife-Department-Feral-Cat-Briefing-Paper.pdf
 
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"oldspook"This is what happens when people feed and protect feral cat populations.
http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm
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Totally agree with you, but as AJ mentioned, cats do not belong in the woods. Cat owners think they have the right to leave their cats loose. I go through a town when I leave my house and someones rabbits mated with the wild rabbits and they are all over the town. Some are squashed on the road. they do not run away and I assume they are making good fox and coyote bait. I have a red fox on my game camera 50 yards from my house. He has been on the camera many different days, so he is finding food. Last year I had one on camera eating some bananas I threw in the back. I did not know they ate fruit of veggies. I thought they were all meat eaters
 
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"airborne"
"oldspook"This is what happens when people feed and protect feral cat populations.
http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you, but as AJ mentioned, cats do not belong in the woods. Cat owners think they have the right to leave their cats loose. I go through a town when I leave my house and someones rabbits mated with the wild rabbits and they are all over the town. Some are squashed on the road. they do not run away and I assume they are making good fox and coyote bait. I have a red fox on my game camera 50 yards from my house. He has been on the camera many different days, so he is finding food. Last year I had one on camera eating some bananas I threw in the back. I did not know they ate fruit of veggies. I thought they were all meat eaters
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Totally agree with you that they do not belong in the woods. Programs such as the one that county is entertaining are there to pacify the bleeding hearts, not to protect the environment. In my county feeding stations are being set up by the people, not the county. This winter when I get my Condor properly set up. I'm going to go out and do the right thing by these feral cats. If there were feral dogs in my county I'd take care of that as well. If there were feral hogs... I'd have a lot of pork in the fridge.
 
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I seen with my own eyes, this cat did not do it once but tried twice to jump on the hens back. These hens were adults but very scared of the cat. Then the cat went into that prone hunting position and I went out then. One bird was in my fenced area I have to contain my dogs. She had no problem taking flight and the other one followed, but the cat was not afraid of me as it just stood there thinking screw you.I have yet to see my 2 hen turkeys coming around now. They usually come by early so they are roosting in my weeping pines. The two would come up and eat the feed that is on the ground from the woman's bird feeder. They would scratch the ground like crazy and then this cat comes by and tries a stunt like that. No more turkeys but no more cat is better. Last year I had a flock of 14 turkeys come through the grounds, 2 toms and 12 hens from what I could tell. I even have on film some where the Tom jumped on a hens back that was laying down. I asked myself, what the hell is he doing on her back, but then it hit me..lol Very cool footage. it is on super 8 camera. Remember those?,not so long ago...........
 
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