Police chase, capture wild turkey roaming Vernon Hills store

A wandering wild turkey stirred excitement and an unusual call for service to the Vernon Hills Police Department last weekend at a Menard's home improvement store.

Police got the call about 9:47 a.m. Saturday reporting that a turkey was running loose inside the big-box store at 1860 Milwaukee Ave. Whether it walked in with a customer or activated the automatic door itself isn't known.

When officers arrived they found the turkey strolling through the paint section just inside the entrance.

The turkey, however, wasn’t ready to leave. Over the next 30 minutes, the bird traveled from the store’s first floor to the second floor then back to the first before it eventually was captured in the men's restroom by officers using a large net, said Jeffrey Hemesath, Vernon Hills police crime prevention officer.

The turkey later was released to a marshy/wetlands area just north of the Menards, Hemesath said. According to several Facebook posts, the turkey was later seen unharmed, he added.

“We do not have animal control, and our officers are not accustomed to catching turkeys,” Hemesath noted. “Our officers generally deal with stray cats and dogs but never a wild turkey. This was definitely a first.”