7th Species of turkeys?

[Hooksfan]

Very interesting conversation.  I'm in the camp that I don't quite buy into a subspecies distinction between the Eastern and Osceola, but I do also realize there are absolute differences between the birds I chase in Missouri and the Osceola. Kind of like the smaller bodied, dark  chocolate racked bucks in South Texas compared to the midwestern Missouri .....yet both still Whitetails.
I will also throw this in to muddy up the waters further. The birds I grew up hunting in SE Louisiana have characteristics much more consistent with the Osceola than the Eastern. My brother made a trip to South Florida this year and his opinion was that they were the same bird we had back home. Heaviest bird I ever killed down there was 18 pounds. I have seen Jake's in Missouri that vxx heavy.

[guesswho]

Back in the early 70's, pre N"WTF", I personally saw 10-15 boxes in the back of a GFWFC truck with Osceolas in them.   This was in the AVPBR.   The game warden told me and my Dad they were headed to Tennessee.   They had traded them to TN for deer.   If that's not where they were headed it's the Game Wardens lie and not mine.   He also told us they traded some from Fisheating Creek in the same deal.   So if that's true there were some pure strain Osceola's relocated to somewhere in TN back in the day.

[GobbleNut]

Back in the early 70's, pre N"WTF", I personally saw 10-15 boxes in the back of a GFWFC truck with Osceolas in them.   This was in the AVPBR.   The game warden told me and my Dad they were headed to Tennessee.   They had traded them to TN for deer.   If that's not where they were headed it's the Game Wardens lie and not mine.   He also told us they traded some from Fisheating Creek in the same deal.   So if that's true there were some pure strain Osceola's relocated to somewhere in TN back in the day.

Interesting.  No telling how much of that sort of thing went on prior to the explosion of interest in wild turkey management in the 60's/70's.  ...Could also explain why the genetic studies have come up with the results they have.  Depending on where they got their "samples", they could have been comparing hybrid birds all along.  Based on that graph that Mike (rapscallion vermillion) put up, there are obviously a bunch of "lineages" of wild turkeys going in all directions.

You must have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night, North of Dade County. 

Nah,...it was a Motel 6,...and they apparently didn't leave the lights on for me.... 

[Rockhound]

There is a definite difference between a florida Osceola turkey and an Eastern turkey....Osceola's generally are lighter in weight, longer in the beard and sharper in the spur but the primary wings are the most distinguishing factor..true osceolas have darker bands compared to other turkeys.
as far as the occelated goes even though they may resemble a peacock to some they are no doubt a turkey once in hand,,,

Younger seen an eastern from south Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana? 90% of them have the characteristics you just described, especially the dark wings

[TauntoHawk]

I like hunting turkeys and love to go learn and see new places. Sometimes the turkeys look a bit different in those places but I don't really care about their subspecies or a slam

There was so much relocation years back and now with populations spread to the far reaches of their habitat Types massive hybridization the lines and distinctions need pretty much based on looks of each individual bird.

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