What species is this?

[ek_buckmaster]

I was wondering if you could help me out. I called this one in for my dad this morning and it almost seems to me that this is a merriams turkey. I hunt in WI. Is this a merriams or an eastern with really light colored tips? Thanks for the help!

[Adrian J Hare]

Eastern with very light color phase. I've seen this even whiter in Ontario and my guess is that it comes from High bread transplant back years ago...

[JW]

Does make it look like a Rio tho!

The inner buff color on the inner ring of feathers!

But one can run into a few oddities!

JW

[Turkey Fife]

Nice Bird no matter if its a chicken cross...)

[cuda67]

Looks eastern to me. Nice bird.

[ksfowler]

I think it looks like a Rio.

[superstrutter]

It does resemble a Rio, but the base of the tail on a Rio is more buff colored. Plus, if this bird was killed in Wisconsin, it's not a Rio. I have killed a couple of buffed colored Easterns, but not quite like this one.

[ek_buckmaster]

Yeah this bird never gobbled once and we saw him for literally 30 seconds before my dad shot. And this was the reddest i have ever seen a turkies head, it was almost a reddish-orange when it was sneaking up behind pretty boy. My dad didn't let him get that far tho haha
He weighed in at 25lbs, 1 5/8 spurs, and 11 inch beard.

[SJAdventures]

Eastern with some lighter tips.

[BigBuck95]

I've never seen an eastern with tips even close to that light...I would say a Rio or a Merriams....But it would be odd to say it's a rio, however....HMMMM......
BigBuck95