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4 major wild turkey subspecies...; The Grand Slam...
Topic Started: Jul 16 2006, 01:59 PM (783 Views)
Renegade
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Atikokan, Ontario
Eastern Subspecies: 5.1 to 5.3 million wild turkeys

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The eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris( is the most widely distributed, abundant and hunted subspecies of the five distinct subspecies found in the United States. It inhabits roughly the eastern half of the country.

The eastern wild turkey is found in hardwood and mixed forests from New England and southern Canada and northern Florida in the east to Texas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota in the west. It has also been successfully transplanted in states outside of its orginal range including: California, Oregon and Washington.

L.J.P. Vieillot first described and named the eastern subspecies in
1817 using the word silvestris,
meaning "forest" turkey.

The eastern wild turkey ranges the farthest north and individuals can grow to be among the largest of any of the subspecies. The adult male, called a gobbler or tom, may measure up to 4 feet tall at maturity and weigh more than 20 pounds. Its upper tail coverts, which cover the base of the long tail feathers, are tipped with chestnut brown and its tail feathers are tipped with dark buff or chocolate brown. In contrast, its breast feathers are tipped in black. Rich, metallic, and copper/bronze iridescence characterize other body feathers.

The primary wing feathers have white and black bars that extend from the outer edge of each all the way to the shaft. Secondary wing feathers have prominent white bars and are edged in white, producing a whitish triangular area on each side of the back when the wings are folded on the back.

A mature female, called a hen, may be nearly as tall but is usually lighter, weighing between eight and twelve pounds. Females are similar in color to the males but more brown, and the metallic reflections are less brilliant. Feathers of the hen's breast, flanks and sides are tipped with brown rather than the black and white tips of the male.


Osceola (Florida) Subspecies: 80,00 to 100,000 wild turkeys
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The Florida wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola), also referred to as the Osceola, is found only on the peninsula of Florida. W.E.D. Scott, who named it for the famous Seminole Chief, Osceola, first described this particular subspecies in 1890. It was Chief Osceola who led his tribe against the Americans in a 20-year war beginning in 1835.

It's similar to the eastern wild turkey, but is smaller and darker in color with less white veining in the wing quills. The white bars in these feathers are narrow, irregular, broken and do not extend all the way to the feather shaft. The black bars predominate the feather. Secondary wing feathers are also dark. When the wings are folded on the back, there are no whitish triangular patches as seen on the eastern.

Feathers of the Florida turkey show more iridescent green and red colors, with less bronze than the eastern. The dark color of the tail coverts and the large tail feathers tipped in brown are similar to the eastern, but unlike the lighter colors of the three western subspecies. Its colorations and behavior are ideal for the flat pine woods, oak and palmetto hammocks and swamp habitats of Florida. Adult females, or hens, are similar to the males but duller and lighter colored throughout, except wing feathers, which are darker.

The reproductive cycle for the Florida wild turkey begins only slightly earlier than for the eastern wild turkey in other southern states. However, in southern Florida, turkeys gobble during warm spells in January, several weeks before actual mating. Egg laying is mainly in April with the cycle complete with peak hatching occurring in May.


Rio Grande Subspecies: 1,022,700 to 1,025,700 wild turkeys

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The Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) is native to the central plains states and got its common name from the area in which it is found - the life giving water supply which borders the brushy scrub, arid country of the southern Great Plains, western Texas and northeastern Mexico. This subspecies was first described by George B. Sennett in 1879 who said it was intermediate in appearance between the eastern and western subspecies, hence its scientific name.

It is similar in general appearance to the other subspecies of the wild turkey and similar in body size to the Florida Turkey, about four feet tall, but with disproportionately long legs. The Rio Grande turkeys are comparatively pale and copper colored. They are distinguished from the eastern and Florida subspecies by having tail feathers and tail/rump coverts tipped with yellowish-buff or tan color rather than medium or dark brown. Although there has been more variation in the shade of buff/brown in the tail feathers among Rio specimens, the color is consistently lighter than in the eastern or Florida birds and darker than the same feathers in the Merriam's or Gould's subspecies.

Adult females, called hens, are smaller in size compared to the males, called gobblers, and similar in color but duller. Hens average 8 to 12 pounds while gobblers may weigh around 20 pounds at maturity. Feathers of the breast, sides and flanks are tipped with pale pinkish buff.

The Rio inhabits brush areas near streams and rivers or mesquite, pine and scrub oak forests. It may be found up to 6,000 feet elevation and generally favors country that is more open than the wooded habitat favored by its eastern cousins. The Rio Grande is considered gregarious and, nomadic in some areas, having distinct summer and winter ranges. They may form large flocks of several hundred birds during the winter period. It has been known to travel distances of 10 or more miles from traditional winter roost sites to its nesting areas
.

Merriam's Subspecies: 334,460 to 344,460 wild turkeys
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The Merriam's wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) is found primarily in the ponderosa pine, western mountain regions of the United States. It was named by Dr. E.W. Nelson in 1900 in honor of C. Hart Merriam, the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey.

Within its suspected historic range in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, the Merriam's was relatively isolated from the other subspecies of wild turkey. Current evidence supports the hypothesis that it was a relative newcomer to western American wildlife when the Europeans discovered it.

The Merriam's wild turkey has been successfully stocked beyond its suspected natural range in the Rocky Mountains and outside of the mountains into Nebraska, Washington, California Oregon and other areas.

Merriam's are found in some habitat areas that, if altered by timber harvesting overgrazing or development, populations may be lost. Their normal range receives annual rainfall amounts averaging between 15 and 23 inches.

Adult males are clearly distinguished from the eastern, Florida and Rio Grande by the nearly white feathers on the lower back and tail feather margins. Merriam's closely resemble the Gould's turkey, but its tail margin is not usually quite as pure white nor is the lighter margin of the tail tip quite as wide.

Its size is comparable to the eastern turkey, but has a blacker appearance with blue, purple and bronze reflections. The Merriam's appears to have a white rump due to its pinkish, buff or whitish tail coverts and tips. These tail feather tips are very conspicuous when the strutting gobbler appears against a dark background. The males exhibit black-tipped breast feathers, while the females, or hens, have buff-tipped breast feathers. The white areas on her wings are more extensive giving a whiter appearance to the folded wing.


Pictures and information from NWTF website... :D


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Interesting read, thanks for the post Renegade. I didn't know any of this.
Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority,and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a bowel movement by the clean end

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Now.....would these turkeys be able to bred between the sub-species? I assume this is the same as with Caribou (woodland vs tundra) etc......am I wrong?
Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority,and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a bowel movement by the clean end

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Renegade
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Atikokan, Ontario
No expert but i do believe they interbreed to some extent. There are a couple other subspecies called Gould's and occelated. Plus a hybrid in California. Adrian would have the answers to all this and more.....
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Thanks Renegade....maybe I'll pm Adrian.
Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority,and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a bowel movement by the clean end

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Posted Image OntGobbler
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There is hybrids in overlap states. No issues in breeding between subspecies. The only reason you wouldn't see it all the time is because of the physical distances.

Texas has done some trap and transfer with Easterns. There has developed some hybrids between these and the rio's.
You have Merriam/Rio in very limited cases in places like Colorodo, New Mexico from what "they" say and Merriam Eastern hybrids as well in other areas..Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and California, as mentioned, all have pure hybrids of these subspecies. Had to check the states but that's what I found.

Turkey love parts are the same. Just different genetics strains in them.
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Renegade
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Atikokan, Ontario
Thanks Ontario Gobbler, I guess you would have many of the answers too! :D
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Posted Image OntGobbler
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Better to get that from someone who has slung some of these hybrids over thier shoulders.

You're going to have to plan a hybrid hunt for your next trip after you do your slam next year in Florida. Add in a world slam and your have a few years of turkey hunting trips planned ;) :D

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Renegade
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Atikokan, Ontario
I like that idea! Going after some different birds is a great way to see new country and Deb loves to travel too! I think I would like to go after Gould's turkey someday! I put in for preference points in Arizona for turkey in hopes they open up a season there for Gould's which are doing well.

I'd be happy to just hunt Easterns every year but I have a minimum of about 8 hrs of driving to get into turkeys........ :(
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Extreme
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Interesting,thanks for the read rene.
I thought I was wrong once,But I was mistaken
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:allright: good read,wish you luck Rene :allright:
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Renegade
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Atikokan, Ontario
Me and Deb managed our slams over 3 years. :cheers:
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Posted Image Chris Kittleson
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If you're looking for a Gould's hunt try Mexico..................Arizona will be decades before you will ever get a chance to hunt them there (if ever).

And yes there are hybrids in many states that have multiple sub species in close proximity.

Also there are states in the pacific northwest that have three different sub species in one state so 3/4 of the slam is possible in just one state :cheers:
Bowhunter4ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Dead Ringer
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If there was no potential to interbreed because of geography (on an island, far away from other breed), mechanics (I don't think I'll draw a picture), or genetics, then they are different species. In this case, they are classified as subspecies because of the above mentioned hybridization in overlapping territories.

Now don't ask me how mallards, black ducks and mottled ducks are all considered seperate species.
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