I got a hot tip yesterday from a friend who saw a gobbler on national forest that in his words "had some white mixed in its feathers." From what I've gathered it could be a smoke phase bird? Anyway gonna try him in the morning and was just wondering if anyone here has seen one or killed one before. Hope you all have one gobbling for ya this weekend!
I let this guy walk up close and walk away. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250411/90452fb6638eb9d6dd566894314f5eb8.jpg)
Didn't shoot because he had beard rot.
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I've seen a few but never when hunting. Couple hours south of me they're supposedly common. Guess maybe it's like black or white squirrels. Some places they're actually a dominant phase
Check this out. They are doing a study and collecting samples on odd colored turkeys.
https://wildturkeydna.com
Dr. Mike Chamberland
Have heard about it on several podcasts.
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Good luck in your hunt for him.
Shot this last year, there is a monster Royal Palm Tom running wild in the area, I am sure he has been shot at from road, I cant even get a picture of him, he runs as soon as you slow down. He hides out on private. Been there for a few years, probably the father to this one and the 2 Smoky hens running around. Saw this one hanging with 2 Toms and 2 Jakes, got lucky, spotted them all together in field, had to let others get by me following a hen. Fought with them for a while before they came my way. Going back for the lead Tom this year.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250411/709793e20e88a16335dfa29fc1e77c4a.jpg)
I've never seen a gobbler or a Jake but every once in a while we'll have a hen or 2 on our family farm in Indiana. This pic was from spring '22. Such cool birds to see.
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Had to find the pictures I did get.
I have seen at least 7 smoke gray hens over the years. I killed a smoke gray tom in the spring of 2023, one in the spring of 2024 and doubled on smoke gray toms in the fall of 2024.
Quote from: Dougas on April 11, 2025, 12:09:59 PMI have seen at least 7 smoke gray hens over the years. I killed a smoke gray tom in the spring of 2023, one in the spring of 2024 and doubled on smoke gray toms in the fall of 2024.
You need to go buy a lottery ticket!
I do need to. They were killed in the same area that is logging company open to the public that borders BLM land. There is a good gene pool there and it is quite a ways out away from civilization. I went out there last week to scout it and the timber company is clear cutting it all, so it will be off limits while they are in there. So, I'll have to figure that out eventually.
Not a entire smoke phase but it has the primary wings got it fully mounted.
Quote from: Ol timer on April 11, 2025, 12:52:21 PMNot a entire smoke phase but it has the primary wings got it fully mounted.
Beautiful bird Ol' Timer. How'd the mount come out?
Here he is finished mounted, work was done at Blackwing Turkeys Taxi in Fla.
Quote from: Ol timer on April 11, 2025, 12:52:21 PMNot a entire smoke phase but it has the primary wings got it fully mounted.
And taken with your bow :you_rock: that's awesome!! looks like the pines. :icon_thumright:
Shot a Tom many years ago that had almost pure white wings. I was on the trapline in the fall. I took him back to camp and breasted him and put him under the porch. Finished checking traps and went back to take care of the rest. The neighbors dogs took it. After an extensive search I found 1 white primary feather. Weren't too happy with those dogs.
Awesome!
Cool gobbler Ol timer. Great mount as well.
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Beautiful bird ol timer. I was watching one similar last year on a property that I hunt. Saw him the year before as a Jake. He had a habit of strutting in plain view of the road so I think he was shot before season as I never saw him from opening morning on.
Several miles away from there on public we did end up working a different white winged bird in and my dad was fortunate enough to connect with him. He's in the process of getting it mounted so we still have some of the meat. I reached out to wild turkey DNA and they confirmed they would like to sample the bird so I'm waiting for the kit. Participated in the duck DNA program the past few years through DU for similar mallard research and they need a tissue sample. I'm interested in seeing if the color phase is just mutation or DNA from a feral farm turkey.
I've seen smoke grey hens in the past but never any color phase gobbler.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250412/46fbf8cb120ee5afecd8ab649f1646c3.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250412/fab35aca814a8ba366bc4635ddf31dcd.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250412/2ec05d87c44356bd29206bb068788ae4.jpg)
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Quote from: Dhamilton1 on April 11, 2025, 10:44:10 AMCheck this out. They are doing a study and collecting samples on odd colored turkeys.
https://wildturkeydna.com
Dr. Mike Chamberland
Have heard about it on several podcasts.
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interesting because years ago... if somebody killed a black wing bird or a solid white bird ... folks were like wow how rare . Doesn't seem so rare anymore ... I mean seriously prolly 1/2 the people I know including myself have killed some variation of a color phase / melanistic bird. And it seems that on social media for my state alone multiple solid white ones are killed every year . I know this doesn't make it "not rare".... Perhaps the ratio of them is the same, you just hear about it due to the internet
I read somewhere that you have a 1 in 500 chance of seeing a smoke gray hen and a 1 in 1500 chance of seeing a smoke gray tom. Some genetics are stronger on some areas than others so I think the odds may be skewed.
The first one I shot weighed 15.3 pounds and had a nine inch beard, 3/4 inch spur on one side and little button on the other, they look like they were made of mud, very light dull brown with deep grooves running up and down them and rough like a cocoanut. The legs had a lot of white pigment in them. The speculum was very unconventional in shape and appearance. It had yellow scabs all over it and a weird toe. I mounted it in a standing pose.
The second one had a 5 inch beard and button spurs. It weight 13 pounds and had yellow scabs on it. It had normal color legs. I mounted it in a hanging dead pose.
Fall tom #1 was 19.6 pounds, a little over 7 inch beard and 3/4 sharp spurs, normal color legs and normal shaped speculum. I mounted it in a walking strut pose.
The second fall tom was 18.3 pounds with a little under 7 inch beard, an ugly mud looking deep grooved spur about 5/8 inches long and the other was the same, however, the tip was shredded into thin fringe like shards.
Its speculum was normal shaped. I did a cape/tail mount in a silver victorian picture frame over fall leave covered cloth design. I bought a small medieval silver shield and plucked the breast feathers to glue them inside the shield in a design and mounted the speculum on each side and glued the spurs to the shield. I put that in the same type of picture fame as the cape with fall leaf design cloth beneath. It had normal colored legs.