Okay, lets get down to some general infomation about the North American Wild Turkey and all of it's sub-species.

Vision:  Many wildlife biologists believe that birds, especially the Wild Turkey, see in trichromatic color like humans, and that many birds actually see four colors. It is also believed that the wild turkey see ultraviolet light as a different color than any of the three primary colors of red, yellow and blue seen by humans. They detect ultraviolet light in low light conditions that humans cannot. 

Because turkeys are a prey species their eyes are located on the sides of their heads, giving them a wide field of vision. But, because of their wide spaced eyes, turkeys sacrifice depth perception; they see very little in front of them with both eyes at the same time. As turkeys walk, their heads move back and forth, giving them two different angles of an object, which helps them determine the distance of the object. Because of their poor depth perception, turkeys have difficulty determining the relative size of objects.

Hearing:  The wild turkey’s ears are also located on the sides of their heads, and because they have no outer ear with a cup to enhance the sound in one direction, they hear sounds all the way around them. Sound received by one ear but not by the other ear helps the birds determine which direction the sounds originated from, but not the distance of the sound. Loud sounds generally come from closer range than quieter sounds, and this is what causes turkeys to become alert.

The very placement of their eyes and ears will cause the turkey to give an alarm signal first, often try to verify the danger with both their eyes and ears, and then flee. If they don't know which direction the danger came from, they need to verify the danger and direction, before fleeing; or they may actually flee into, rather than away from danger.

Smell:  Prey species such as deer and elk have a highly developed sense of smell and can determine the direction of danger by scent and wind direction. They generally flee down or crosswind, knowing they are fleeing away from danger, not toward it. Because turkeys have a poor sense of smell they need to rely heavily on both their eyes and ears to determine the direction of danger before they flee from it.

 As many have said “If a Wild Turkey could smell you then no one would ever kill one”.

 Now let’s talk a little about all the sub-species of Wild Turkey that occur in North America.  There are six sub-species of wild turkey in North America (including small portions of Central America). Each of the turkey subspecies are specific to a certain region and may have color and size variations, but all are wild turkeys. The sub-species of wild turkey found are:

Eastern Wild Turkey:  The eastern wild turkey was the turkey species first encountered in the wild by the Pilgrims. The range of this species covers the entire eastern half of the United States, extending into South Eastern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Eastern turkey populations number from 5.1 to 5.3 million birds, the most numerous of any turkey subspecies. They were first named forest turkey in 1817, and can grow up to 4 feet tall. The upper tail coverts are tipped with chestnut brown and appear darker than many other turkey subspecies. The eastern wild turkey is heavily hunted in the eastern US and is the most hunted wild turkey subspecies!

Rio Grande:  The Rio Grande turkey ranges through Texas to Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, and central and western California, as well as parts of a few northeastern states where they have been stocked. Rio Grande turkeys were also introduced to Hawaii in the late 1950s. Population estimates for this subspecies range from 1,022,700 to 1,025,700. This sub-species is native to the central plain states. They were first described in 1879 and have longer legs when compared to their body size. The Rio Grande turkey’s body feathers often have a green-coppery sheen to them. The tips of the tail and lower back feathers are a buff-very light tan color. This turkey’s habitats are brush areas of rolling terrain with mesquite, pine, and scrub oak forests interspersed with streams, creeks, and rivers. This is the only turkey subspecies to be found at elevations up to 6,000 feet in elevation. Rio Grande turkeys tend to flock and roost together throughout much of the year.

Merriam’s:  The Merriam’s turkey ranges from the Rocky Mountains and neighboring prairies of Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota as well as much of the high mesa country in New Mexico. Their population numbers from 334,460 to 344,460 birds and they live in ponderosa pine and mountain regions. The subspecies was named in 1900 in honor of Clinton Hart Merriam, the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey. The tail and lower back feathers of the Merriam’s turkey have white tips and the bird’s overall color has purple and bronze reflections.

Osceola of Florida:  The Osceola turkey is found only on the Florida peninsula, but their population still fluctuates between 80,000 to 100,000 birds. This turkey is named for the famous Seminole Chief Osceola and was first described in 1980. It is smaller and even darker than the eastern turkey. The wing feathers are very dark with smaller amounts of the white barring seen on other sub-species. The Osceola turkey’s overall body feathers are an iridescent green-purple color.

Gould’s:  The Gould’s turkey is native to central and northern Mexico along with the southern-most parts of Arizona and New Mexico. This sub-species is heavily regulated, and has an extensive long-term turkey management plan in place. It was first described in 1856 and populations exist in small numbers, but are abundant in Northwestern portions of Mexico. In addition, a small population has been established in southern Arizona. Gould’s turkey is the largest of the five sub-species. They have longer legs, larger feet, and longer tail feathers. The overall color of the body feathers are copper and greenish-gold.

All of the above sub-species make up the “Grand Slam” of turkey hunting.  Avid turkey hunters “dream” of achieving a grand slam in turkey hunting by taking a Trophy Gobbler of each sub-species.  Then there is the sixth sub-species which I am sure some of you are not familiar with until you sit down for your Thanksgiving dinner…

South Mexican:  The south Mexican turkey is the dominate sub-species in the southern part of North America and and one of the few that is not found in the United States or Canada. The Aztecs domesticated the southern Mexican sub-species giving rise to the domesticated turkey which is a popular main dish for the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.  America’s first settlers of Massachusetts and Virginia brought farmed turkeys with them from England; descendants of the original Mexican domesticated turkeys introduced into Europe by the Spanish, not knowing that wild turkey were native to the Americas.

 Information from www.nwtf.com, www.turkeymanagement.com  and  www.wildturkeyzone.com ;  Pictures from www.photolab.com and www.nwtf.com and my personal photos in order of appearance:

By Luanne Bragg

TalkHunting Pro Staffer, Luanne "Beaglepup" Bragg, started hunting (going hunting) with her Grandfather in the fall of 1965.  He loved to squirrel hunt and would carry her into the woods and sit her on a rock and let her hold his prizes.  He took Luanne on her first Pheasant and Rabbit hunts when she was 7.  Shortly after that he had a massive stroke and was never able to return to the woods again.  When Luanne was 9 her Father, who was about to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years active duty, and Uncle decided that since she could shoot she could remove the ground hogs and crows from the farm fields.  Luanne spent the next few years watching all the wildlife and removing varmints from the farm.  She took herself deer hunting for the first time when she was 15 and took her first deer at 17.  There was a long time between Luanne's first deer and her next deer due to college and work and general life.  She did a lot of small game hunting with her ex-husband starting in 1985 and killed her next deer in 1988.  She has not missed a deer or turkey season since.  When not hunting she is fishing or working in her garden (when not WORKING...).

Luanne has raised, trained and field trialed Beagles in the UKC and ARHA formats for 20 years and has produced several Field and Show Champions and Grand Field and Show Champions.  There is usually at least one litter of puppies born on her place every year.

She holds a Real Estate License in Virginia and owns a Dog Boarding Kennel.  Luanne belongs to the National Association of Realtors, Central Virginia Beaglers Association, NRA, NWTF and Buckmasters.  She was born in East Liverpool, Ohio,  and started showing Appaloosa horses in 1969 and was the Pennsylvania Appaloosa Queen in 1980 and runner up to the National Queen Title the same year. When she gets the chance she still enjoys a long trail ride.  She graduated from Kent State University in Kent Ohio in 1982 with a degree in Applied Science. Luanne relocated from Ohio to Virginia in 1984.

Comments(5):

1. Wild Turkey

   Great article BP, I like the species explanation and the hearing,sight,smell.....really informative

   Saturday, March 05, 2011 David

2. the wild turkey

   BP really liked the info on UV sense as always suspected they had it but wasn't sure until now. thanks, and good article information on a great american game bird.

   Sunday, March 06, 2011 brad

3. The Wild Turkey

   Great info BP.. Super job!

   Monday, March 07, 2011 Dennis

4. The Wild Turkey

   Great information BP! It's always good to know your diferent species, especially here in Texas where we have areas where certain Turkeys cannot be taken but others can. Great article, thanks!

   Monday, March 07, 2011 Anthony

5. Learn something new every day...

   Great article Luanne. I didn't even know there was a South Mexican turkey!

   Wednesday, March 09, 2011 Duane