# EUREKA!!! (Turkey ID Help Please)



## Kevin

My neighbor caught the first turkey on camera either of us has ever seen around here. One of my other neighbors has seen some over the years but rarely. and he lives back in the bush behind me. I told y'all about my knifemaker buddy that lives in town and saw what he said was at least 60 way out in a pasture near the golf course but that not close to my place - this turkey was a couple hundred yards from my shop at most. 

My turkey ID skills are non existent. Is this an Eastern or Rio? Jake or hen? My guess is Eastern jake but as you can see if it has a little beard it is not in the image because the lower half cut off so cannot see if it has spurs.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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## Kevin

The clearing in the background in the picture above is the same one in the yellow circle below where I said I wanted to set my decoys up in my decoy thread, and was advised by a couple members not to do so . . . .


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## CWS

Looks like a decoy to me.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Kevin

I wouldn't put it past him haha but no it ain't a decoy! 

@JR Custom Calls what is this? I figured you turkey guys would have this solved by now.


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## Wildthings

Looks like a Rio hen to me. Hens can have beards also

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## ripjack13

I think it looks more like an eastern hen...

Edit...pasted wrong name.


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## Kevin

ripjack13 said:


> osceola hen



WTF is a osceola?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Wildthings

Osceola is a subspecies of the wild turkey from Florida

Grand Slam
Merriams
Gould's
Osceola
Eastern
Rio

Super Slam would include the Oscellated from Mexico

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## ripjack13

Sorry Kevin. I cut n pasted the wrong name. But they're another type of turkey...mostly in Florida and that SE range...

Reactions: Like 2


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## ripjack13

Wildthings said:


> Osceola is a subspecies of the wild turkey from Florida
> 
> Grand Slam
> Merriams
> Gould's
> Osceola
> Eastern
> Rio
> 
> Super Slam would include the Oscellated from Mexico



I had all those opened to look n see which one it could be...


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## ripjack13

Kevin said:


> WTF is a osceola?



Osceola turkey's range is from Georgia to Louisiana, it is native to Florida.


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## Wildthings



Reactions: Informative 1 | Useful 1


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## Kevin

ripjack13 said:


> Osceola turkey's range is from Georgia to Louisiana, it is native to Florida.



Well then if I have a oscilea that sum buck is more confused than Tony looking for a barbershop.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## Wildthings

Kevin said:


> WTF is a osceola?



You should be saying "WTF is a Oscellated?"

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 1


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## ripjack13

Yep....


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## Kevin

Wildthings said:


>




Which ones taste the best - are they like ducks where one tends to be more fun to eat than another? I know with ducks the divers generally taste bad (although I never minded canvasback) but turkeys all eat the same stuff right?


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## ripjack13

The ones up here, they are good for breasting em out, the rest is stew material...

Reactions: Informative 1


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## DKMD

I prefer Wild Turkey in a bottle and Butterball on my plate.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 3


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## Kevin

DKMD said:


> I prefer Wild Turkey in a bottle and Butterball on my plate.



I figured you were going to say you preferred Wild Ball and Buttered Turkey......


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## ripjack13

Well...thats better than turkey balls and wild butter...


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## DKMD

Kevin said:


> I figured you were going to say you preferred Wild Ball and Buttered Turkey......



Beggers can't be choosers in my case...


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## Wildthings

ripjack13 said:


> The ones up here, they are good for breasting em out, the rest is stew material...


I've only had Rios but can't believe the others are much different. Chicken fried wild turkey breast. OMG good

Reactions: Agree 2


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## JR Custom Calls

It's hard to tell from the pic. Looks to be a hen for sure, but could be a rio, eastern, or a hybrid of the two (not abnormal in areas that have both... although, Texas almost exclusively has rio's from what I know).

My favorite way to cook them is to breast them out, then cut in small chunks, roll in seasoned flour, and fry. You can cook the legs and thighs in the crock pot or pressure cooker, but they're so dang tough, it takes a long time.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Wildthings

Here's a pretty good map of turkey distribution from the NWTF site

Reactions: Informative 3


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## Kevin

Just as in plants and weather, it appears I live in a convergence zone.


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## robert flynt

Your not going to shoot that hen are you?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin

robert flynt said:


> Your not going to shoot that hen are you?



No we are not starving lol. Where did you get the idea I was going to shoot that hen?


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## robert flynt

Kevin said:


> No we are not starving lol. Where did you get the idea I was going to shoot that hen?


First thing that goes through my mine when I see one is, deep fried turkey, soooo!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Kevin

robert flynt said:


> First thing that goes through my mine when I see one is, deep fried turkey, soooo!



Even when the Spring season opens here Apr 15th all we can take is one gobbler.


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## ripjack13

Wildthings said:


> Here's a pretty good map of turkey distribution from the NWTF site



Looks like the Turkey's don't care for Canada...

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kenbo

ripjack13 said:


> Looks like the Turkey's don't care for Canada...




I can say that turkeys LOVE Canada. They must because our government is full of them.

Reactions: Great Post 1 | Funny 8


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## robert flynt

Kevin said:


> Even when the Spring season opens here Apr 15th all we can take is one gobbler.


Our spring season starts march 15th with a limit of three gobblers but our one month fall season starts Oct.15 and allows two of either sex.


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## Kevin

I figure one of the ways they determine limits is by species population. Just a guess but I'll wager it is one of the determining metrics used to come up with limits for sustainable management.


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## frankp

It's all about management. Here you get three tags that are good for either sex in the fall. If you have any tags left for spring, it's gobblers only until you're out of tags.


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## Blueglass

The poster with pics was pretty sweet, thanks. I see the Osceolas all the time. There was a neighbor by my wife's shop that would end up having the wild turkeys impregnate his domestics. Sucks he moved I'd be harrassing them with my BigDrowdy call.


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## robert flynt

Saw 4 or 5 turkey on the shoulder of the road of the road when we left the house to go to church this morning and one for sure was a gobbler.


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## Wildthings

robert flynt said:


> Saw 4 or 5 turkey on the shoulder of the road of the road when we left the house to go to church this morning and one for sure was a gobbler.


What do you think they put that bumper on the car for?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## robert flynt

Wildthings said:


> What do you think they put that bumper on the car for?


Funny you said that! I did kill one with my company van one time. Was going to a paper mill one time and the sun was in my eyes when I was going up a hill. All of a sudden it sounded like someone had dropped a sand bag on my van right above my head and just about scared the crap out of me. When I looked in the rear view mirror I saw feathers coming off the van. I stopped to see what the devil had happened I found dead hen turkey wedged between my work ladder, the ladder rack and top of the van. The best thing about was, it was two days before Thanksgiving. The guys at the mill got a good laugh out of my scare, gutted it for me and put it in the refrigerator for me until I headed home.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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