North Carolina Hunter Tags Rare All-White Leucitic Gobbler

[Sir-diealot]

Troy Cornett of Dudley Shoals, North Carolina, killed a stunning, all-white gobbler on April 9th and wrote on his Facebook page that it was the culmination of a years-long quest to tag the rare bird he first spotted in fall 2019. Cornett says he wasn't sure what he was looking at when he first laid eyes on the white turkey while deer hunting his father's 10-acre property in Burke County. "I was like, That looks like something white!" Cornett tells F&S. "I kept looking through my binoculars. The gobbler was inside the flock, so I wasn't able to get good eyes on him, and it was kind of late in the evening. Finally, the bird got positioned where I could see him, and I was like, Oh my god, that's a white turkey!"

Read more @ https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/hunter-kills-white-turkey-north-carolina/?amp=

[PalmettoRon]

There was an albino turkey killed in SC also last weekend. It amazes me how an albino turkey can escape predators to make it to adulthood.

[Turkeybutt]

Cool bird. Did you notice his beard is still black

[Sir-diealot]

There was an albino turkey killed in SC also last weekend. It amazes me how an albino turkey can escape predators to make it to adulthood.

Do you know if it is the same one and maybe mistakenly reported as an albino? I would like to read the article on it. I guess the eyes are the only thing that made this one not an albino.

Cool bird. Did you notice his beard is still black

Yes, certainly did.

[GobbleNut]

Unique gobbler,...only problem with shooting one of those is that there will always be doubt in some folks minds as to whether this was a true, wild turkey or if it somehow was a domestic bird,...or had domestic turkey bloodlines.  Now, I'm not suggesting that this is not a true, wild bird,...just noting that there will always be doubters. 

I have had discussions with some folks about whether I would shoot a white gobbler should I encounter one in the wild.  I have never seen one personally, so I couldn't say for sure,...but if it happened, I would always be questioning that bird's bloodlines.   ...But that's just me...not trying to push any viewpoint upon anybody else... 

[spaightlabs]

I believe that those all white birds are released by area taxidermists knowing that that there is a high dollar full-body mount that will be coming in the door.   

[Marc]

Interesting looking bird for sure...

Very well could be a wild bird with some sort of color phase, but does not look albino (which would be seen in the eyes if open), and does not look like any leucistic color phase I know of either.  I was under the impression that leucistic birds/animals were not so pure white?

And while it could have been the angle of that photo, that bird looks gigantic.  Frankly, (to me) it looks like a domestic turkey.  If so, likely a ferral bird, and still a unique bird to take home in the field.

[PalmettoRon]

One was in NC and one in SC for sure. Yes, I misspoke re:albino.

[ChesterCopperpot]

As much as I absolutely love turkeys and hunting them, this one does absolutely nothing for me. The fact he had to hunt it so hard is the only appealing part of the story for me. Otherwise I don't think I'd much care to shoot one all white. Other color phases really interest me, though. If I was to ever see a real reddish gold cinnamon gobbler, KATY BAR THE DOOR!


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[bwhana]

This article covers his and the one in SC.  In sad reality, this rarity is probably really due to all of the chemicals the furniture factories have dumped in Western NC over the years.

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/wild-turkey/hunter-tags-extremely-rare-gobbler-after-3-year-chase

[Sir-diealot]

Unique gobbler,...only problem with shooting one of those is that there will always be doubt in some folks minds as to whether this was a true, wild turkey or if it somehow was a domestic bird,...or had domestic turkey bloodlines.  Now, I'm not suggesting that this is not a true, wild bird,...just noting that there will always be doubters. 

I have had discussions with some folks about whether I would shoot a white gobbler should I encounter one in the wild.  I have never seen one personally, so I couldn't say for sure,...but if it happened, I would always be questioning that bird's bloodlines.   ...But that's just me...not trying to push any viewpoint upon anybody else... 

I knew that would come up when I posted it. From the article "Mark Hatfield, the National Director of Conservation Services for the National Wild Turkey Federation, tells F&S that Cornett's bird appears to be a wild turkey with a recessive genetic condition called leucism—which results in abnormal pigmentation because of inhibited melanin. Leucitic birds can appear patchy, piebald, or all white." I honestly believe that many people that claim they doubt it are often just jealous that it was not them. I do not think that is you just to clarify that right off. Others are going to be those that just choose not to read and learn about the different color phases of turkey or simply do not know. I did not know anything about them until I read Mr. Lovett Williams "Book of the Wild Turkey" It is a very interesting book and very educational as are his other books.

I believe that those all white birds are released by area taxidermists knowing that that there is a high dollar full-body mount that will be coming in the door.   

Some industrious dudes right there!

Interesting looking bird for sure...

Very well could be a wild bird with some sort of color phase, but does not look albino (which would be seen in the eyes if open), and does not look like any leucistic color phase I know of either.  I was under the impression that leucistic birds/animals were not so pure white?

And while it could have been the angle of that photo, that bird looks gigantic.  Frankly, (to me) it looks like a domestic turkey.  If so, likely a ferral bird, and still a unique bird to take home in the field.

If you read the article it says it is not and albino and shows a picture with it's eyes open and says that is why it is not and albino. They can be white indeed as stated in the article and once again I bring up Mr. Lovett Williams who covered the different phases in his "Book of the Wild Turkey". I THINK jet black is the rarest of all color phases but please do no hold me to that, Mr. Lovett Williams goes into that in his book as well.

Now I do agree that the bird is huge and as a photographer I know that often a person will sit a little further back from an animal or an object to make it appear bigger and I wonder if that may be what was done here? The other thing is that the color itself may make it look bigger.

One was in NC and one in SC for sure. Yes, I misspoke re:albino.

Thanks, I will look that up.

As much as I absolutely love turkeys and hunting them, this one does absolutely nothing for me. The fact he had to hunt it so hard is the only appealing part of the story for me. Otherwise I don't think I'd much care to shoot one all white. Other color phases really interest me, though. If I was to ever see a real reddish gold cinnamon gobbler, KATY BAR THE DOOR!


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As to wanting to shoot one I was thinking on that after I posted this, around here we have the piebald white deer which some people treat like a religious icon, I have always said I would not mind taking one of them so I guess I would take the turkey as well, though for some reason I think it would bother me more than taking a white deer, though I have no reason why, perhaps it is because of all the respect I have for the animal. I think I would rather take that real reddish gold cinnamon gobbler you mention of more so the smokey phase I think is so very pretty.

This article covers his and the one in SC.  In sad reality, this rarity is probably really due to all of the chemicals the furniture factories have dumped in Western NC over the years.

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/wild-turkey/hunter-tags-extremely-rare-gobbler-after-3-year-chase

Thank you for the article, but in all honesty I can not agree with your assessment at all, they are found elsewhere and have been for centuries, there is Native American lore and settlers papers that have talked about this many moons ago.

[bwhana]

@Sir-diealot that was a local joke, we blame them everything abnormal or wrong here.  Btw, I live just a few miles from where he took the bird and it has been rumored for several seasons.

[Marc]

If you read the article it says it is not and albino and shows a picture with it's eyes open and says that is why it is not and albino. They can be white indeed as stated in the article and once again I bring up Mr. Lovett Williams who covered the different phases in his "Book of the Wild Turkey". I THINK jet black is the rarest of all color phases but please do no hold me to that, Mr. Lovett Williams goes into that in his book as well.

Now I do agree that the bird is huge and as a photographer I know that often a person will sit a little further back from an animal or an object to make it appear bigger and I wonder if that may be what was done here? The other thing is that the color itself may make it look bigger.

Very well could be a leucistic turkey...   Coloration is not typical of leucism I have seen (or heard of).  Genetic testing would likely be the only means to give a more definitive answer, and I see no where in the article where any genetic testing was preformed?

Were I a bettin' man, I would put some money down, that if (accurate) genetic testing were preformed, there would be at least some genetic contribution from a domestic gene pool.

Still an unusual bird and a cool story.

[Sasha and Abby]

I have one on a trail camera...  can't find him when I am there for all the other normal gobblers... 

[Zobo]

I never saw a white one but I once called in a really interesting looking smoke phase gobbler. I didn't shoot it though because for some reason it had no beard even though it was a mature gobbler. And to be honest I was sort of taken aback and amazed by the sight of it.