Cougars, coyotes and turkeys—oh my!
Caledonia got wild this year, with residents telling tales of wild turkeys, coyote visits and a cougar sighting.
Photos
Caledonia residents love the rural side of things, but sometimes nature gets too close to comfort.
Terrorizing turkeys
Wild turkeys that chased people into their garages and caused traffic backups in the 5800 block of Erie Street were killed by the Caledonia Police Department, after the DNR issued a permit. The turkey saga earned Village President Ron Coutts a gift: A resident gave him a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon as a joke (and he gave it back)
Coyote visits
People in Caledonia spotted quite a few coyotes this year, and when one killed a dog in Mount Pleasant, the DNR issued some advice for homeowners on how to keep their pets safe. The DNR also said coyotes top their list of nuisance calls, and said concerned homeowners can have coyotes trapped and removed from their land.
Cougar sighting
Bigger than coyotes and turkeys, was the cougar that a woman reported seeing while out riding her horse on Caledonia trails this fall. She said the big cat spooked her horse, and that it walked away without bothering them.
This article is one of several we'll be running in the last week of 2012 highlighting some of this year's most popular, memorable and biggest stories.
Caledonia Retiree
7:15 pm on Monday, December 24, 2012
I've seen all kinds of wild animals strolling through my yard. Raccoons, possums, coyotes, a beaver that liked my pond, and even a huge turtle that must be almost 100 years old. But the one that really raised my blood pressure was a skunk. I was repairing my air conditioner and not paying attention to anything else. I got up to go in the house and get a tool and when I turned around there was a huge skunk about 10 feet away just standing there looking at me! I VERY slowly moved away hoping it didn't turn around and spray me and fortunately it didn't...
Jerry DeBoer
8:02 pm on Monday, December 24, 2012
Here's a photo I got of some coyotes /coy-dogs that were running around the 7th Green at Shoop Park last winter. There were a total of 5 animals. I wasn't scared but certainly was cautious as I approached them and did breathe a sigh of relief when they ran off.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geraldd/6512502435/in/photostream