gray wild turkeys

[vtscott]

You think they bred with some domestic's?

They have been coming around all winter, there is only two of them, and it looks like one of them is growing a beard, wonder if it will taste better then the wild one's?

Scott

<a href="http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e56/462n/?action=view&current=IMG_1637.jpg" target="_blank">

</a>

 

[Dell (WA)]

Scott........giggle.......white domestic turkeys can't breed natural. The toms BIG breast gitts in the way and they couldn't catch a wild turkey hen they are so slow. I doubt that the tail fan would "impress" the wild hens either. White domestic turkeys are the product of artificial insemination and turkey master-beaters (grin).......Dell

 

[Gaspump]

Having been a large producer of white breeder turkeys in the 50's and 60's you couldn't be more wrong. The one and only reason production breeders use artificial insemination in to bring the fertility rate up to near 100% simply because hatcherys do not pay for un-hatched eggs and if an egg is infertile the bird is being fed for no gain. It pays nothing to keep and feed male birds just for natural insemination. When using artifical methods only a very small percentage of donor toms to hens is necessary, natural it would be near 50%. Also by using artificial methods each and every hen is inseminated leaving nothing to chance.

 

[vtscott]

Thanks for the info, I know nothing about domestic turkeys. I have not seen wild ones this light colored before.. I was just wondering if I should hunt them come May 1st.

Scott

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks for the great pic always nice to see life in the wild. PLEASE put your gun away and see if they will reproduce. I am a avid hunter but I think first

 

[Gaspump]

We always kept our grower turkeys on open range. There were wild turkeys in the area that would sometimes roost in trees during daylight hours over the domestic ones and call to them. We kept busy shooing the wild ones away as they could be carriers of any of the diseases that could be devastating to domestic flocks. Finally I trained a big Collie to persue the wild birds and after that he kept them at bay. Without the dog we likely would have had mutated wild turkeys too.

 

[Grove]

I used to have a white turkey running around my place. I never understood why they say turkeys are hard to hunt. Don't they all just come knocking on the door?

 

[Anonymous-0]

One with the beard is a tom.

 

[Colin King]

Scott, According to this site from the PA Game Commission, there are recession plumage colors that do show, including the gray you saw.

Do you see turkey often? In the last 10 years or so, the turkey population in Central Minn has exploded. You can hardly take a Sunday drive now without seeing a dozen or so birds.

Colin

PS: Great photo, by the way.
PA Game Commission

 

[OhioTractorGuy]

I didnt catch where you are located. I live in north central Ohio and there is a flock of 30+ turkeys that visit my back field. . . at least one of the light colored birds is in the flock like your picture shows. Always thought it was kinda neat cause it stood out.
Dave

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hi Dell,

I am just a smile'N away. 0)

Hey "turkey", eye candy was here in Pensacola last week-end. Just couldn't afford to pay the $$$$ for the Celtic performance. Local paper pictures are enough.

Just finished re-siding the garage and workshop.

German siding.

Hang in there.......maybe you will have those "grey turkeys" visit your area.

Laughing.....John,PA

PS: Do you think that wild ducks mate with farm-type Moscovi (sp) ducks. The offspring look like Malrads, just don't FLY.

John,PA 0)

 

[jon]

I read somewhere years ago that the NC Wildlife Commission used some domestic birds in their breeding program to build the flocks up quicker for release than using all wild birds. Apparently there weren't enough wild ones left to reproduce what they wanted &amp; maybe it made a better suited turkey, not sure. Occasionally I'll see a lighter colored one.
We've had as many as 54 in the garden at one time but usually theres about 10-15 in a flock. They can sure eat up some turnip greens.
There's even a bearded hen that I see often. That's why your hunting license say's shoot only "bearded birds" instead of "male birds". It's kinda hard to tell them apart from a distance if they've got one.
I've heard of antlered Doe deer too but never saw one.
Must be all the steroids in the corn...... :wink:

 

[vtscott]

I am in central Vermont, I saw the two light birds this spring as poults, I thought they would get darker.

They have the winter camo, but they will probably stand out this summer.

Scott

 

[vtscott]

Colin,

We have turkeys here every day, I am sure it is not because I throw out a bunch a cracked corn a couple of time a week. They are long gone once the snow melts.

Scott

 

[Upper Peninsula,MI.]

Scott, light colored Wild Turkeys are not really rare but somewhat uncommon. Nice looking birds. It would be unusual for Wild birds to mate with domestic ones, but it can happen. Yes,I could be wrong,but thoutht it was Penn. State that many years ago tried it and found out the survival rate was extremely low. It is also dangerous in that desease is transmitted between the wild and domestic ones that can eliminate the flocks over a short period of time. Wild birds don't have immunity from the domestic deseases. Your in the area where they must be winter fed. Normally in areas that have 6 inches of snow or more on the ground they must be fed. However, if you have several farms in the area they could make it through your tough winters utilizing all kinds of farm residue. They don't require a lot of feed (corn) to make it through the winter, normally about 2 pounds of per week. Some turkey grit in the area is also a big help. They are extremely hardy and can survive most any kind of weather. If you don't have any turkey feeders in the area you might want to consider contacting a local National Wild Turkey Federation club for information. They will often provide them and the feed free of charge. Good luck and happy hunting this spring. Ron

 

[vtscott]

Colin,

I just read about the recessive gene plumage,
Thanks for the website. I hope they make it through the summer, they will probably look like a scoop of ice cream to a coyote.

Thanks,

Scott
(with all the free snow you could ever want!)

 

[vtscott]

The turkeys seem to winter just fine here, I feed them primarily to see them out my front window every morning. Come spring turkey season, they are pretty hard to find.

Scott

 

[Dan in CO]

Scott;

Wild turkey over an apple wood fire on a rotisserie. Has the consistency of beef and the flavor of turkey, all dark meat. Tates real good.

 

[vtscott]

Here is a picture of a Barred owl that sits in the tree above the turkeys and harasses them.

<a href="http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e56/462n/?action=view&current=IMG_1479.jpg" target="_blank">

</a>

 

[Upper Peninsula,MI.]

Scott, come spring they all act like teenagers and the males and females all go looking for love. My experience is that in the heavey snow belt they gather in large flocks, stay near feed during the winter and spread out in the spring to mate and raise their young (polts). Ron

 

[Dave 2N]

"Bingo!!" to that!

 

[edhOH]

Where I grew up in North Central OH, there are a couple albino wild turkeys. Only a few left last time I heard. Haven't heard of any "grey" offspring, but it can't be totally out of the question. My brother hunts them hard, but has never been able to see them during the season, at least to legally hunt them during the legal hours. After the season is over, they are out in full force for everyone to see....typical wild turkeys!!