white turkeys
 

hello, to all im new on this site, and really enjoy reading all the post.. but i have a question about white turkeys, on my pawpaws farm where we hunt every year here in kentucky. i noticed what time i was deer hunting down there this year, two different flocks of wild turkeys came under my stand and each flock had one snow ball white turkey in it.. how rare is this are there any records on albino turkeys. give me any info on this because im going to see about tring to get me one, this fall season.. looking foward from hearing something on this tanks for your time to read and respond..[&:]

RE: white turkeys
 

Of over the 200 turkeys that comes through my land and my neighbors, I have had more than 14 white turkeys. It is an trait that is usually not wanted by traditionalist hunters, and fish and game, since the white turkeys tend to keep the predators right at their feet, not to mention people who drive by slam on their brakes and cause an accident because they haven't seen a white wild turkey( it has happened several times, and the only thing I do is shake my head). Fish and game in California in the past, would come out and thin the availability of white turkeys appearing. Records, I am not sure of, but generally the whites here are regarded as sore thumbs for the coyotes and bobcats, so I am happy to take some through the year to help with that. I took one some years back at weighed a hefty 21 pounds.....and good eating if you prepare it well...Deep fryer all the way over here in Cali...

RE: white turkeys
 

thank you for the reply it all make sence of what you said. i didnt know if it was a rare thing or not but im going to try to get me one it would look good in my hunting room. thanks again

RE: white turkeys
 

my friend shot a white hen this year in SD. he is getting it mounted i saw pics and its really cool looking

RE: white turkeys
 

You sure it was'nt someones pet?:D

RE: white turkeys
 

I think that the solidwhites are a product of cross breeding with a domestic somewhere. Now I have seen several turkeys in Indiana that were pie-bald. I am starting to see alot of copper fase colors also. Like mentioned alot of hunters will remove these birds from the flock, If I had a shot at oneI would take it. LAst spring i saw a huge pie-bald tom that had, i bet a 13 inch beard. I would love to have him mounted.

RE: white turkeys
 

Yeah, that's possible!

RE: white turkeys
 

I have never seen a white turkey in the wild, but I know a few years ago here in Missouri there was a turkey taken by a guy that would have been the state record for weight, but it ended up the turkey had a little to much white on it and I guess with DNA testing the MDC decided it was a domestic and wid turkey mix. The turkey was not allowed to be therecord.

RE: white turkeys
 

My guess is that the majority of the white turkeys are (former) domestics. Which, of course is all the more reason to take them out when you get a chance.

RE: white turkeys
 

last year turkey & turkey hunting mag. had an artical about these turkeys. i wish i could find it. but i know they said it had nothing to do w/ domestic breeding.

RE: white turkeys
 

I don't know where the "domesticated turkey guessing" came from, but out here in the west, it is a recessive gene. In the canyons of the central coast of California, you can definately tell that the "whites" to not resemble the stature of domesticated birds. Maybe out in south Dakota where CJ and others reside there might be a cross breeding, but out in the west, its an common anomaly.

RE: white turkeys
 

Thought this was a pretty cool pic!!Looks wild enough to me standin next to his brother.....;)

RE: white turkeys
 

A friend hunted a white tom last season. He saw it on the roost; white with a black beard. He didn'tget the gobbler last year, but will try again this season. The white gobbler is roosting in nearly the same treeas last year. It'll make a nice mount.

RE: white turkeys
 

There have been many articles published by the NWTF on this subject.

Although you cannot ever rule out people interbreeding domestic turkeys with a wild bird and the like, there is a well documented and genetically proven color phase of the wild turkey. It's called the 'smoke' phase. Seen much more frequently in the southern states and pockets out west, it is definately there.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/v...a=466&q=152421

An article from the PA Game Commission including an excerpt about the color phases.

Article on NWTF website. Look under the 'Feathers' heading.

RE: white turkeys
 

This month's issue (Lovett Williams) said the same thing.

Hal

RE: white turkeys
 

That does look cool. Sorry - the 'white' ones I was referring to don't look like that. The ones I've seen aren't white/smoke colored with dark accents/feather tips; they're white, with pinkish features. Some have some dark 'blotches' which gives a coloring similar to Paint horses. Pretty sure those are crossed and not a phase like the one in this picture.

RE: white turkeys
 

I found this picture on a Photographer's site, but I cannot seem to find a picture of atrue albino WILD turkey. So they MUST be very rare! Anyway, I've never seenany white WILD turkey in Florida or Alabama. If I did my first thought would be that it had been cross-bred, but, the domestic turkey has noticably shorter legs than a Wild Turkey. And the ones I've seen are fat.

Just my 2 cents,
Trae

RE: white turkeys
 

Awesome! In over 50yrs in the field, have never seen a Turkey like this one!

RE: white turkeys
 

I found a good picture of a Domestic Turkey. There is NOTHING in this bird that even faintly resembles a Wild Turkey!

I mean, yea, they look alike, but noticethe attitude, the healthly verses unhealthy, the spirit, the short legs verses the longer ones.

I think whoever domesticated any turkey should be hunted down and shot. That domestic bird looks depressed, and even suicidal. Look in his eyes, he's asking you to cut his head off! I don't think we should refer to that as a turkey at all.

RE: white turkeys
 

:D:D:D:D:D:D:DIt looks tasty to the dogs!

RE: white turkeys
 

Here is a wild albino I took this season, 2 days ago.

RE: white turkeys
 

Took a pic of this bird in the Black Hills last spring.

RE: white turkeys
 

i seen a albino peacock but not a turkey

RE: white turkeys
 

coyotestalker thats a sweet bird are you going to get it mounted. And what state did you shoot it in.

RE: white turkeys
 

Just the fan, beard, spurs, and some wing feathers will be mounted by myself. And I shot it in Cali.