Never before have I seen a color phase turkey nor do I know anyone who has personally. I have only seen pics on the internet. Well, this year while hunting in KS the outfitter had 2 smoke phase hens which were shot last fall that he asked me to mount for him. I couldn't believe he had 2 of them! They are both smokes and not domestic royal palms or narragansets whick look very similar. I thought cool, I have 2 color phase birds to mount - first ones I've ever seen in person.

Well, last Friday I drove up to my relatives place in central WI and although turkey numbers are way down in their area and all the reports I've heard is that hunting has bad, I decided to still give it a try. Well, I'm glad I did. At 5:50 a.m. this Red Phase Tom came gobbling and running into my decoys. I didn't realize he was a color phase bird until after I pulled the trigger but the whole time he was coming in I kept saying to myself that he looks kinda funny. His secondary wing feathers had very little and very light red barring instead of bolder black/dark gray. His secondary tail feathers are red and his fan has a very light black band with red and buff colored tips. He also had light pink legs similar to a hens as well as reddish/pink and white spurs. He wasn't a big bird - only a 2 year old with 1/2" spurs, 8 1/2" beard and weighed only 18.9 lbs making him the smalles tom I have ever taken but he is the prettiest tom I have taken. I can't wait to mount him!