Turkey Hunting Grand Slam:
In order to complete your Turkey Hunting Slam, you'll
need to bag all 4 of the US Turkey species: Osceola,
Eastern, Rio Grande and Merriam Turkey. After you get
those 4, you can also get the Gould's Turkey native to
Mexico. In Florida, you can hunt the Eastern Wild
Turkey and the Osceola Wild Turkey.
 The
Eastern Wild Turkey is found in eastern states
including Florida. The Eastern Turkey has chestnut
brown-tipped tail coverts (smaller feathers which cover up
larger ones) and dark-buff or chocolate-brown tail tips
characterize the most abundant and most widely hunted
turkey, the Eastern Wild Turkey. The tom turkey’s breast
feathers are tipped in black, while other body feathers are
colored with copper or bronze metallic iridescence. The
primary wing feathers have white and black bars that extend
to the feather shaft, while the secondary wing feathers
mainly have prominent white bars. This results in a white
triangular area on each side of the back when the wings are
folded backward. Hens are browner with less brilliant
iridescence and the breast feathers are tipped in buff or
chestnut. The Eastern Turkey can weigh from 8 to 25 pounds
and grow as tall as four feet!
 The
Osceola Wild Turkey is located in central and
southern Florida. This turkey is smaller and darker in
color than the eastern wild turkey and has less white
veining on the quills. The average adult bird weighs from 6
to 16 pounds. The Osceola Turkey prefers to swamplands and
a moist, marshy habitat.
Florida Turkey Hunting Methods:
Turkeys can be hunted with the shotgun,
bow and arrow or black powder. Rifles are also allowed in
some states, but not so often used. Hunters use a wide
variety of calls to attract and ‘romance’ the gobbler into
range. Turkey calling is truly a well-practiced art and
you’ll find many competitions if you check into it. Along
with sounding like a hen, you’ll also need to sound like an
owl to wake those birds up and get them off the trees.
Turkey have excellent eyesight and
hearing, and they are constantly aware of their
surroundings. You’ll have to don your best camo and
practice being very still and quiet to bag a nice trophy
bird! Wild Turkey are also very mobile. Turkey can run at
speeds up to 25 mph, and they can fly up to 55 mph.
Trophy birds are judged by three things: Body size, spur
size and length of the beard. Only the Tom Turkey has a
beard and spurs.
When mating season arrives, anywhere from February to April,
courtship usually begins while turkeys are still flocked together
in wintering areas. After mating, the hens begin searching for a
nest site and laying eggs. In most areas, nests can be found in a
shallow dirt depression, surrounded by moderately woody vegetation
that conceals the nest.
Hens will lay a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs during a two-week period,
usually laying one egg per day. She will incubate her eggs for
about 28 days, occasionally turning and rearranging them, until
they are ready to hatch.
A newly-hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12 to
24 hours to feed. Poults eat mostly insects because they need the
protein, while
adults will eat anything from acorns and berries to insects and
small reptiles. Turkeys usually feed in early morning and in the
afternoon.
Wild turkeys like open areas for feeding, mating and habitat,
which makes them easier to hunt. They
use forested areas as cover from predators and for roosting in
trees at night. A varied habitat of both open and covered area is
essential for wild turkey survival.
Our friends at the National Wild Turkey
Federation have been working hard to keep Turkey Hunting a
safe and valued tradition in our country. They offer a
helpful guide to assist in turkey hunting safety and
success.
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