Smoke Phase Gobbler

[Double B]

I have seen one in my life, on a hillside on the way to my kid's grade school probably 10 years ago.  He was an emu like bird, just huge looking.   The color was like a barn pigeon, and he was feeding in a hillside probably 80 yards uphill in a big woods hillside.   I took a gobbler that only weighed 18 lbs in a neighbor county and had 2 gobblers and 5 hens, including a gorgeous smoke phase hen. Had them at 30 putting on a show for what seemed 5 minutes but picked my bird and got him.  Sure wish she had a few jakes but have never seen another.   Any smoke stories out there? 

[turkeywhisperer935]

Not a smoke but saw a silver hen once and some albino gobblers. I bet smoke is gorgeous.

[Double B]

Thanks 935, and just to be clear, my little 18 lb bird had some hooks but it was normal color, and I think he was an older bird in decline?   Or just a scrappy 3 year old former runt?   Anyway, I have seen a few smokey hens over the years but had the one such hen doing the dance in front of me.   I could sit here wishing the gobbler was smokey, but I can't much improve on the images in my mind for that particular hunt.   I set up for a buddy to get his first,  off public of course, and they came in wrong.    I know THAT never happens to anyone else right?   I was 35 yds away, he was 55.   Probably helped me hold off for the 5 minute show, but in the end we both got the smoke phase show and had a gobbler to walk out with.   I think I have seen a really pretty smoke phase Merriam in someone's avatar.........TGIF everybody!

[MK M GOBL]

No "Smokes" but have had a buddy kill an "erythristic color phase" red/white jake and I have seen a hen in our area with same coloring.

MK M GOBL

[eorlando]

Here is the one I shot 6 years ago.  John Beard from TN  mounted the bird for me and actually took second in the masters division at the NWTF taxidermy competition that year.  It was the first turkey I had ever shot.  I actually thought I had shot a domestic turkey at first. Little did I know it would be a once in a lifetime bird!  Realizing how few gobblers there are out there and Osceola's at that make it even more special. In all my searches online in the past this is the only smoke phase Osceola i have seen.  Sorry to those of you who have already seen this bird. I just can't resist showing it off when I get the chance!!!

Silver Phase Turkey by e_orlando, on Flickr

turkey4 by e_orlando, on Flickr

Turkey Mount 3 by e_orlando, on Flickr

[dirt road ninja]

Cool bird!

[Hooksfan]

Wow!!! Glad you decided to show it off again.  That is a beautiful bird.  A smoke grey would be my dream bird. 

[kyturkeyhunter4]

Awesome looking bird,for sure.

[possum58]

Beautiful birds! I have saw 2 in my life, 1 in Pa. 10 or so years ago while scouting for deer. and 1 last summer in WV while driving down the highway.

[USMC0331]

Beautiful bird!!!

[hookedspur]

Nice

[Gobble!]

Nice! Can''t beat that for a first bird.

[WNCTracker]

Not the best quality but snapped this pic of a hen while hunting.

[OldSchool]

I've never seen one in person, but I'd love to. I heard about one of the local guys killing a white bird a bunch of years ago, but it turned out to be an escapee from a farm.

That's an awesome looking bird eorlando, thanks for the pic.

Bob

[slwayne]

The first three years that I turkey hunted I had access to a 40 acre parcel of private property in SE Michigan.  Every year I saw the same smokey gray gobbler multiple times during the season.  The eastern part of the property was unhuntable because it was a safety zone (within 450 feet of neighboring houses) and every time I saw that bird he was either on that side of the property or up on a wide-open flat where it was impossible to get close.  I hunted that bird hard for those three years and never got an opportunity.  I took a gobbler each year but not the one I wanted.  Also saw a number of smokey hens during that time.  After three years the property was sold to a developer and I lost my access.