Osceolas in SE Georgia?
 

Can anyone tell me if this rumor is true? Just moved down here in St. Marys, GA and the rumor is that we have Osceolas and a Hybrid (cross between an Eastern and Osceola) down here.

Yes they are, I seen some in Macon.
Of course they were probably turned lose sometime ago.

Would definitely be a possibility. Had an outfitter in the Palatka FL area that had signed letters from FL fish & game biologist through DNA testing that verified the turkeys he was offering hunts for in that area were pure strain Osceola's. That was a couple of years back so they could have easily gotten into SE GA.

Well I was out deer hunting the other day and found a wing feather that definitely wasn't an eastern's wing. Was smaller, darker and the white lines were thinner. Who knows maybe I will knock one down this spring and be suprised!

There's probably some mixing of Osceolas and Easterns along the border where they occur. I've seen 2-3 birds from S Louisiana/Miss border area that hade some very "Osceola" looking primary wing feathers. I have shot a Rio Grande with a fan that is indistuinguishable from an Eastern, and another that looks an awful lot like a Merriam's.

Turkey coloration varies withing some defined norms. Along the borders between two different subspecies, or in the presence of feral birds, hybridization will occur. For example, Easterns from PA and KS compared side by side may look very different.

In an attempt to keep the records of Grand Slams as clean as possible, the NWTF will not recognize a bird as an Osceola unless it's taken from a county, below a line from just south of the NE corner of the state running something like 45deg to the Gulf of Mexico.

Good info man! Yeah I will be interested to see what comes to call this spring. I am literally on the border of NE Florida. About 1000 yards to be exact! I will keep you guys posted on more findings.

Mack

I would for one would not trust that info at all. It very well may be a transplant but why one should ask.

I suspect more so, because of the price a hunt like that can bring.

I would only trust taking a bird from the line drawn bewteen Orlando to Tampa to be a honest true Osceola.

JW

If I was to go and hunt an Osceola - that is the area I would hunt and go no further north! If I was ever so lucky to go after a Osceola - I would ensure myself it was a true Osceola.

But the fact is for an out of stater like me to hunt there - well I can find other turkeys far less expensive so hunting an Osceola will probably never happen.

JW

True Osceolas are found in South Florida in the Florida Everglades , specially the west coast By Naples Ft. Myers.
The Picayu Management area Holds A lot Of Osceolas with little pressure hunting.

Very interesting... I'm going after Eastern & Rio this spring then I have my sights on an Osceola! :) Any helpful tips are a BLESSING!!!


Kim :)