In the last several decennium , conservation system have successfullybroughtwild Republic of Turkey back from the brink of extinguishing in the U.S.—so it ’s not rare to ply into one ( or many ) in your neighborhood . While most of these encounters are innocuous , turkeyshave been know to lash out at car , chain armor carriers , and kitchen window in the past . Here are six of the strangest story to bring to the table thisThanksgiving .

New Jersey’s Gobbling Gangsters

Courtney Lopchinsky wasenjoyinga passive kinfolk dinner party at home plate in Teaneck , New Jersey , when a hazardous Republic of Turkey crash through the kitchen window , showering her and her kid with glass and clay . “ I grab the kids and we literally ran for our lives out of the house because we were so frightened , ” shetoldCBS2 in 2016 . harmonise to Lopchinsky , the unwelcome dinner guest was one of many “ gangster turkey ” known to “ terrorize kid at bus stopover and go after hoi polloi to their cars . ” Teaneck health police officer Ken Katter commend just give the bird a wide berth , though “ water hose ” and “ leashed firedog ” could be used to scare them off if necessary . As for how to deal with split up and entering , he did n’t say .

When Turkeys Encircled a Dead Cat

In March 2017 , Jonathan Davis witness a sight of well - organize turkey plodding around a stagnant cat-o'-nine-tails in the midriff of a street outside Boston . “ They were prompt in pure unison , bobbing their heads , and it almost look as if it were some character of séance or ritual , ” he told Inside Edition . Alas , thecatdid not get up — and the turkeys plausibly did n’t want it to . “ My guess is they are bewilder by the strange behavior of the dead or go bad cat [ and wanted ] to get a closer look , without aim too close , ” Tom Hughes , a wildlife life scientist at the National Wild Turkey Federation , explainedtoNational Geographic .

The Prized Pet That Ambushed a Brooklyn Butcher

In April 1924 , a Brooklyn butcher named Sam Fishman entered Garber & Danziger ’s live domestic fowl shop to choose somechickensand ended up leave with a crushed arm . The room was dim , so Fishman was completely blindside when a “ turkey gobbler count at least 40 pounds charge from behind a dismal street corner . ” Upon encroachment , Fishman slip on the slopped floor and landed on his left arm , which did n’t bring around properly after surgical operation . Hesuedthe owners , Mollie Garber and Benjamin Danziger , who explicate in court that the Republic of Turkey was a favorite and “ never had render vicious propensities before . ” About two year after the accident , the courtyard awarded Fishman $ 2000 in damages ( about $ 35,400today ) .

The Woman Who Fought Fowl With Fowl

In November 2014 , body fluid columnist Tracy Beckerman headed home after a trip to the grocery store to find a wild turkey block her drive . After she shouted , sounded her machine horn , and blow a raspberry at it , the fowl charge her car and gave the bumper an omnipotent peck . Since it showed no signs of leaving her property , Beckerman turned to more drastic measuring stick . She hook the twine , rawThanksgiving turkeyfrom her grocery bag and lobbed it at its subsist congeneric . The wild turkey took to the skies to sidestep the missile , but it did n’t go far — bit later , it had settled in her neighbour ’s yard .

When Turkeys Waged War Against a Michigan Mail Carrier

In 2009 , the dud of Grand Haven , Michigan , part point one man in picky : themail newsboy , Doug Cody . “ We ca n’t figure it out because anybody else can take the air pretty tight to them and they ’ll just stay there and look at you , but even when he come down in his truck — he’ll back his truck around and they ’ll peck at the motortruck , ” one resident physician tell WWMT . Once , when a few menacing turkeys had tree Buffalo Bill on a resident ’s porch , he foretell the postmaster for avail . “ She laughed so hard I think she just dropped the phone , ” Cody said . Other postal workers treated the ongoing issue with standardized levity , filling Cody ’s berth letter box with Meleagris gallopavo feathers and hanging “ desire ” polarity for the fiendish fowl . finally , Cody accept to bring a thin plank of wood on his road to keep the birds at a aloofness .

Hank Hatebeak, the Big Bird on Campus

In 2017 , uncivilised turkeyswreakedso much mayhem on campus at the University of California , Santa Cruz , that students started keeping tabs on — and even naming — individual offenders . The biggest perpetrator was Hank Hatebeak , a particularly prominent and hostile specimen with a leaning for pecking auto tires . “ I used to finger regretful about eat joker , ” graphics student Caroline Alfonso say in a tidings release . “ Now I feel less sympathy . ”

Discover More Thanksgiving Dinner Conversation Topics :

Just waiting to ambush you.