McPHERSON, Kan. — Over the next 10-14 days, starting tonight, McPherson residents, especially on the northwest side of town, may be hearing some loud booms. McPherson Police Chief Mikel Golden says it’s nothing to worry about. This is an attempt to drive turkey vultures away from a neighborhood.
According to a media release Thursday night, a resident in the 1000 block of North Walnut contacted Kansas State University in an attempt to relocate turkey vultures from their trees and that area. Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Assistant Professor Drew Ricketts came up with a possible solution.
That resident has been issued a “bird banger”, which is an orange handheld pistol that propels an pyrotechnic into the air and makes a loud sound similar to a firework. There was a demonstration of the bird banger at the Fire Department Thursday that led to a lot of calls about hearing gunshots.
You’re most likely to hear 2-3 of these loud shots around sunset, and the holder of the bird banger has been asked to let dispatch know before starting and let neighbors know about the situation.
