KELLER, Texas — Sitting high above a tree in the Mount Gilead community of Keller is a hawk nest.
Over the last three months, neighbors say they’ve been on guard after a pair of red-shouldered hawks have attacked people about two dozen times.
Neighbor Anastasia Schumer said everyone in her family has been attacked, including her daughter Madison.
“They come down with such force,” Schumer said.
The hawk pair of hawks are protecting three chicks in their nest.
“I get the mail daily, and I get hit every time I get the mail,” Madison said.
According to the Schumer family, the same nest contained hatchlings last year. Ever since, Madison has suffered six attacks. She has scars on her head, including one near her eye.
“They hit really hard, she thought it was a baseball bat,” Schumer said.
The Schumers aren’t alone.
They told WFAA their pool maintenance, lawn, and roof employees have been attacked.
Another neighbor, Alana Gray, said her 72-year-old mother was also a victim.
“My mom has gouge wounds in her scalp all the way back to the bone,” Gray said.
Gray has contacted several wildlife agencies over the last three months, and said she kept hitting roadblocks.
The city of Keller confirmed the issue and told WFAA the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking the lead, since the hawks are federally protected.
In a statement to WFAA, the USDA said biologists are currently working to remove the chicks and send them to a local rehabber within the next few days and the nest will be removed.
The USDA says the adult hawks will be able to re-nest and Wildlife Services will use nonlethal methods to haze the birds away from the area.
“I like wildlife, and I really don’t wanna hurt anybody, but they're attacking us,” Schumer said. “We can’t even go outside.”
The Schuman family picks up their mail drive-through style to avoid the hawks.
Neighbors have begun using umbrellas and helmets to protect their heads anytime they venture outdoors.
“I’m definitely an animal lover myself, but this is out of control,” Gray said.
Gray said a U.S. postal worker was attacked while delivering mail, and ever since, they don’t step outside of their vehicles when delivering mail.
“The mail lady was actually attacked twice. Once on both sides of her head, and she has lasting nerve damage,” Gray said.
A spokesperson for the city of Keller said the relocation of the hawk family is scheduled for Friday morning beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The USDA has requested the assistance of Keller Fire-Rescue and Keller Animal Control.