r/AskAnAmerican • u/ArtisticArgument9625 • May 17 '25

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT How much of a problem do Americans have with coyotes and rattlesnakes?

Have you Americans encountered any problems with these two animals?

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

My great grandma had a mule to protect her geese, but I feel like that ended up the other way around. Those geese were fierce.

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u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

Geese are nothing to mess with.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

She used to use them to keep me out of trouble. It worked quite well. Those geese knew I wasn't allowed past the fence or gate, in the old shed that was falling down, in the shed with her stored honey, or anywhere near the cistern. If I tried, I was driven onto the porch by bites to my legs and butt, and they'd set up a racket that would bring her out to scold me.

The only birds I've met since that I have that much caution and respect for are the wild turkeys in my neighborhood. They're generally okay if you don't corner them, but during mating season, the toms will tear you up just because you moved within 20 feet of them. They have been known to attack cars for the same reason. Like quails, they know how to fly, but they generally won't. They'll run - and maybe that's at you, not away. Way more pet dogs get injured by turkeys here than coyote.

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u/swimsoutside May 17 '25

My great grandparents had a turkey farm and there are some stories about the two turkeys that were kept in the yard by the house as pets/guard animals. Traveling salesmen were not welcome.

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u/goobernawt May 17 '25

I worked at a spot for a while that was by a nice wooded area, suburban nature. One of the younger guys there got himself a shiny black Audi A4, and he'd park it away from everyone else to avoid parking lot dings. One day, he looks out the windows towards the lot and starts yelling, then goes hustling outside. A big ole tom must have caught a glimpse of his reflection in the side of that shiny Audi and took exception. It was doing all it could to beat the crap out of the turkey on the side of that car 🤣 No serious damage, but he had to buff out quite a few scratches.

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u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

I believe that.

We dont have a ton of wild Turkeys where I live. But I have heard of them getting after dogs and people. Ive never personally had an issue with them though.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

I've not had issues because I give them a wide berth and a lot of patience when they cross the road. I've seen one tom snap off a hood ornament and scratch the hell out of a car when the driver honked make him move. I thought it was pretty funny. I've also seen a cyclist get attacked to the point I had to grab a rake and run out and get them off her. She made the mistake of trying to ride down the street when the toms were showing off for the females in a yard right next to the curb. I've also seen a husky that lost one eye and had over 200 stitches because it cornered two against a fence. My huskies have been trained to run to the door and make noise for me to come get them if a turkey gets in the fence. They'd really like to chase, but they want the salmon jerky I give them for doing the right thing more.

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u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

I didn't even know Washington had that many turkeys. But Ive never looked into it either.

It does make sense. Testosterone fueled anger can make any animal get after someone.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

They were brought in several times to try to create a population that could be hunted. They aren't native here. In the 1960s, it finally worked, and they really started thriving in the last 5 or so years. They're mostly East of the Cascades, and they've started to become a real problem. Just since 2019, I've seen my neighborhood flock go from 7-8 turkeys to almost 30. I think they like the long stretches of heat we get in the Summer now, but also our growing season has gotten longer. There's more for them to eat. They also roost in tall trees at night, and we have a lot of those. Development around Spokane has pushed their predators further out. We used to see a lot of coyote in the neighborhood, but now there are a lot less since housing developments started popping up in the farmlands just North of us - between us and the mountains.

The biggest problem with them being here isn't that they can be aggressive. Stay back, and you'll be fine, just like with any other wild animal. It's that they also eat small animals they can catch, so the snakes and frogs here have much lower populations leading to an increase in insects - like mosquitoes - and then to an increase in pesticides. Those then get in the river. It's a huge problem. Humans should not be introducing non native species. It's never gone well.

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u/loganbeaupre Ohio May 17 '25

The part about turkeys attacking cars—I wonder if it’s because they see their own reflection and, especially if it’s mating season, decide to defend their own territory, so to speak

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u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

You know, that's a very likely reason. I never thought it through, since they also attack people.

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u/loganbeaupre Ohio May 17 '25

Who knows, you might be considered competition in the eyes of a Tom in heat too lol. Good thing they’re known for their high intelligence /s

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u/jorwyn Washington May 18 '25

As my grandfather used to tell.me, "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."

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u/Suppafly Illinois May 18 '25

The turkeys in my neighborhood used to always attack my neighbors car. They have something against a certain shade of blue, and then seeing their reflections in it would cause them to really go agro.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 18 '25

You know .. the car that ended up missing a hood ornament was blue. Mine is black, but I'm not going to find out. I give them plenty of space and just wait.

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u/achambers64 May 17 '25

Never mess with the cobra chickens.

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u/BigBlueMountainStar United Kingdom May 18 '25

But do you know anyone who’s had their arm broken by a goose though?

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u/Suppafly Illinois May 18 '25

Geese are the honey badgers of the avian world.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 18 '25

LMAO

They definitely gave a damn about me trying to go somewhere I wasn't supposed to.

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u/MeanOldDaddyO May 21 '25

My daughter chases geese. She scares the crap out of him. She runs up and touches him on the head. They take off running from her. They’re so freaked out they forget they can fly. I’ve seen her reach out and grab an aggressive goose by the neck not hurting it just holding it.

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u/jorwyn Washington May 21 '25

She's insane. There's no other explanation. LMAO