Mailman Claims Self-Defense After Beating Wild Turkey to Death

California wildlife officials and the United States Postal Service are investigating reports of a mailman killing an aggressive wild turkey in Sacramento County on February 28.

Captain Patrick Foy, a spokesman for the Law Enforcement Division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told Newsweek that the postal service first called the wildlife department about a vicious feud between turkeys and mail carriers in the neighborhood of Arden-Arcade in October 2021.

"They said, 'We're having a really major problem with these really aggressive turkeys that are attacking our mail carriers in this one particular neighborhood,'" Foy said.

For reasons that the wildlife department could not explain, the turkeys were reportedly leaving the community's residents alone and saving their assaults for postal workers. The mail carriers were defending themselves with pepper spray and hitting the birds with their mailbags, but the attacks continued. Foy said his department attempted to remove the area's most aggressive turkeys, which seemed to calm the situation.

Until last Monday, that is. Reports of a mailman fatally beating a turkey in self-defense first surfaced from witnesses on the website Nextdoor.

"The mail carrier had allegedly killed a turkey with a club or some kind of a stick," Foy said.

USPS spokesperson Meiko Patton told Newsweek that employees had experienced "several altercations with aggressive turkeys in the area." She said the agency was investigating the fatal incident, adding: "This allegation is alarming, and if true, is inexcusable and does not reflect the efforts of our more than 650,000 employees who faithfully serve and deliver for America every day."

Foy said he personally picked up the dead turkey and called it "the biggest wild turkey I've ever seen in my life." It was likely over 30 pounds, he said.

This could be explained by residents feeding wild turkeys in the area. Feeding wild turkeys is prohibited under California law, Foy said, and can contribute to their aggression.

Another factor is their mating season, which typically spans the month of April. The early days of mating season in March tend to align with an increase in wild turkey attacks.

In March 2021, a wild turkey crashed through the window of an oral surgeon's office in Fair Oaks, California, clawing up walls and piercing dental chairs with shattered glass.

Although the turkeys have primarily been targeting mail carriers, Foy said that he remains worried about other residents of the community. "I'm less worried about the turkey attacking a grown healthy adult than I am about the turkey turning on an elderly person and knocking him or her down," he said.