# white/gray turkeys?



## mich buckmaster (Nov 20, 2001)

Has anyone done any research on the white, gray colored turkeys. I hear they call them smoke turkeys, but I saw two of them this week. They were both hens, in a flock of about 50. Has anyone else seen whitish gray turkeys?


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## Ebowhunter (Apr 5, 2000)

Yep.

I can point you to a white one and a mottled one in the same flock. Not sure if they were carrying beards or not.


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## BOSSTOM (Oct 23, 2001)

The turkeys with the plumage I think you're referring to are still Eastern Wild Turkeys. Within each subspecies, there are different color phases. Most of these are so minor that you wouldn't notice the difference between the birds unless they are side by side. For instance, Eastern Wild Turkeys in PA and slightly darker than those found here in MI. The coloration of birds found in MO are also a little different. However, the smokey gray phase is vastly different than the others and considered to be quite a prize. The smokies are legal birds.


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

I video taped a white/grey hen while hunting 2 yrs ago. She was 75% white. In speaking with the local DNR biologist, he indicated this white color trait occurs more often in the Iowa strain of birds that was part of the stock initially introduced in southern Michigan. I assume the white domesticated turkeys out there got that way through selective breeding of white phase wild birds many many years ago. I have yet to see white phase gobbler that was more then 50% white.


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## buttrunt (Jun 11, 2002)

This is part of the strain that camefrom Iowa and them parts. saginaw county has several of these birds and 90-95% of the time they are hens.


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## tdduckman (Jan 17, 2001)

I have 4-6 that I see regularly on my farm out of about 50 or so turkeys. there is a good sized group in the waterloo rec area also.
Of those I see most are hens


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## Dangler (Mar 24, 2000)

There used to be 4 or 5 of them, all hens, in the flock of about 30 where I hunt near Mason. The last few years there's only been 1. The gobblers follow her around so much that I painted one of my decoys mostly white to match her markings. It works. She led a 5-bearded gobbler to his demise last May.

I know of 1 smokey grey gobbler killed near Dansville a few years ago, and Larry of Larry's Taxidermy in Pleasant Lake did a full mount of a smokey grey gobbler that he took 2nd place with in the national competition last year.

They seem to be more prevalent around here than in most areas, based on what I have heard from some biologists.


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## BOSSTOM (Oct 23, 2001)

Dangler

What were the individual lengths of each of the beards? You may have shot a state record. If you include the lengths in a reply I can do a quick calc for you and also provide infor on how to get it registered if you decide.


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## Dangler (Mar 24, 2000)

BOSSTOM, my lovely wife killed that bird last May. I was with her, and it was the highlight of my hunting career. CBM measurer John Knevel scored it at 19.06, and he told me over the phone that it is currently #2 multi-beard in Ingham County, #1 by a woman. The longest beard was about 10", the rest ranged from 4 1/4" to 1 1/8". The spurs were very short & didn't add much to the score. Far from a state record but a trophy none the less. It was her 2nd turkey in 3 years of hunting.

Thank you for your very generous offer.


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## Randy Kidd (Apr 21, 2001)

Where I deer hunt on State land in Livingston County, I have seen two different groups of birds, The biggest group of about 11 has a gray and two whites, One is almost totally white. First time I saw it I thought it might have been a domestic that got in with the flocks until I did some research. The second group of about 7 has one gray and one white, she is about 50% white. They were all hens. I keep trying to draw a tag for this area, But in 4 years of trying no luck yet. Maybe this year.


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## GH (Dec 8, 2000)

This month's Woods and Water News has a hunter on the
cover with a "grey" phase bird w/ 10" beard - it's a hen.


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## Dangler (Mar 24, 2000)

I saw that issue while in line at the Meijer gas station. Was there an article that said where he got it?


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## Camera-Man (Jan 31, 2003)

I have at least one grey hen and one grey bearded gobbler in my area. (southern Jackson County) I had a shot at the gobbler last fall but my arrow only got feathers. Sure hope to see that same bird again this spring.

Dan W.


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## GH (Dec 8, 2000)

Dangler,
It was on private land near Dansville State Game area.


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