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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: tippit on May 15, 2015, 08:40:00 AM

Title: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: tippit on May 15, 2015, 08:40:00 AM
I was driving a back road to my farm yesterday here in Aiken, SC when I saw two strutting Toms right beside the road with either 3 or 4 hens or jakes.  To my shock, one Tom had an all White tail, brown chest, and a thick 6+ inch beard.  The other Tom had less white and more mottled.  I was so amazed I never got a look at the other birds.  They are definitely wild birds and I know where I'll be next spring...tippit
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: zipper bowss on May 15, 2015, 08:59:00 AM
Very cool!!
We call them smoke phase up here. There are not a lot of them around our area.
Bill
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: SELFBOW19953 on May 15, 2015, 09:52:00 AM
I keep hoping to see a smoke phase tom, all I've seen are hens.  With my luck, I'll have a whole flock come by me this fall-Delaware's only turkey season is the spring gobbler season.
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Nantahala Nut on May 15, 2015, 10:12:00 AM
I saw a hen here in western nc a couple years ago that was odd.  Had a light orange/brown coloring to her. Haven't seen her or the big flock she was a part of since then.  Used to run with 22 other hens.
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: on May 15, 2015, 10:19:00 AM
It's not piebald. It is called "smokey grey color phase". I saw a couple this year also. They are really neat. If I ever get the chance to take one, it will get mounted.

  http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10958_10969-276708--,00.html  

  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=622255&mode=2  

Bisch
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Whip on May 15, 2015, 10:28:00 AM
If there aren't pictures it didn't happen.   :p    :biglaugh:
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Over&Under on May 15, 2015, 10:47:00 AM
There were a few in the flock I hunted this year and managed to get one:)

   (http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/Wapiti1/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-04/E337E1C2-C43E-4F03-AB1A-658E1B3B0E08.jpg)
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: FerretWYO on May 15, 2015, 11:13:00 AM
Awesome Jake
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: dhermon85 on May 15, 2015, 12:52:00 PM
Very cool
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Keith Zimmerman on May 15, 2015, 01:01:00 PM
And I got the wings:)
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: MO Bow on May 15, 2015, 01:02:00 PM
what you don't see is the barn full of Butterballs-to-be behind the cameraman!

i kid!

very, very cool.  that would make an awesome tail mount!
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Whitetail Addict on May 15, 2015, 01:12:00 PM
Cool bird O/U, thanks for sharing. Never seen one personally. I do notice quite a difference at times, in the  color variations of our eastern birds here. Nothing drastic, but differences. I saw a hen not long ago, that didn't appear to have any white in her primary wing feathers.

The bird I posted pictures of in the New york Turkey Hunting Thread had some lighter colored feathers than usual in his fan, with very light baring on them

I guess birds and animals are like people. We're all the same, but a little different at the same time. Though my girlfriend tells me that I'm a little more different than most, lol. Thanks again.

Bob
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: on May 15, 2015, 01:28:00 PM
There are some different turkeys showing up around small farm groves twenty miles away from any woods that have core flocks in Iowa.  I asked one farmer that had about 8 birds behind his grove if they were his. He said, "they are now". Then I asked if they were wild.  He said, "Depends what side of the barn they're on."  Since then I have had a number of farmers tell me that they are seeing turkeys in the groves and waterways.
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Duckbutt on May 15, 2015, 02:24:00 PM
Jeff,

Those are escapees from the local turkey farm....

I owe you a phone call.  Will try you this weekend.

J
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: SELFBOW19953 on May 15, 2015, 02:48:00 PM
Here are a few shots of smoke gray mutants I caught on a trail cam.

  (http://i509.photobucket.com/albums/s331/selfbow19953/MDGC0355R.jpg) (http://s509.photobucket.com/user/selfbow19953/media/MDGC0355R.jpg.html)
  (http://i509.photobucket.com/albums/s331/selfbow19953/TURKEY/MFDC0123.jpg) (http://s509.photobucket.com/user/selfbow19953/media/TURKEY/MFDC0123.jpg.html)
  (http://i509.photobucket.com/albums/s331/selfbow19953/TURKEY/MFDC0020.jpg) (http://s509.photobucket.com/user/selfbow19953/media/TURKEY/MFDC0020.jpg.html)
  (http://i509.photobucket.com/albums/s331/selfbow19953/TURKEY/MFDC0221.jpg) (http://s509.photobucket.com/user/selfbow19953/media/TURKEY/MFDC0221.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: Over&Under on May 15, 2015, 03:17:00 PM
Thanks guys...pretty strange to see a grey/white one in a group of a bunch of dark brown ones, they stand out like a sore thumb:). They do eat well though:)
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: tippit on May 15, 2015, 03:31:00 PM
Thanks for letting me know what they are.  We live about 30 minutes from the NWTF in Edgefield, SC.  I did see a few Smokes mounts up there but to see a few live was really dramatic!  It was the one time that I almost thought about running off the road to hit one.  I'm going to try and locate them as I have permission to hunt that area.
Title: Re: Pieball Turkeys
Post by: akaboomer on May 15, 2015, 09:29:00 PM
I have only seen one bird that was a different color phase. It was a mature Tom in a fall group of mature toms. The parts that are normally dark were butterscotch to copper colored.  Very striking image feeding in a sunny hay field. Unfortunately we don't have a fall season and I couldn't try to capitalize on the close encounter.

Chris