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Post by swampdog on Mar 8, 2024 16:45:02 GMT -5
It’s all in the advertising and promoting. Once the bird is counted for a “grandslammoru”, that’s all the great turkey killers of the world care about. Once they find out the real prize is a rare bearded hen Osceola, the turkey guides and grand poobas will be able to charge a lot more…
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Post by johnnybandit on Mar 8, 2024 18:03:43 GMT -5
just my opinion but no way triple n ranch or fort drum are true osceolas and people from all over the country are paying top dollar to hunt what they think are osceolas north of 60. if i knew how to post pictures i could show you a gobbler killed last year in polk county vs 1 killed in big cypress. 2 totally different looking birds. IF you want, email me the photos... I will post them for you....
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Post by One Man Gang on Mar 8, 2024 18:04:04 GMT -5
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Post by One Man Gang on Mar 8, 2024 18:10:10 GMT -5
These were wet Hendry County birds.
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Post by 4ward on Mar 8, 2024 18:19:58 GMT -5
These came with my mortgage 😁. Osceola, Eastern or hybrid? BwaHaHa… taste like turkey!
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Post by 4ward on Mar 8, 2024 18:34:34 GMT -5
It’s all in the advertising and promoting. Once the bird is counted for a “grandslammoru”, that’s all the great turkey killers of the world care about. Once they find out the real prize is a rare bearded hen Osceola, the turkey guides and grand poobas will be able to charge a lot more… My kid got a bearded hen on camera this morning. I’m sure he would be willing to take some bids. Spread the word swamp, he is saving up for a new boat. LOL
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Post by Stumpy on Mar 8, 2024 18:41:36 GMT -5
2 birds killed at the same time (2 hunters) in the north end of the so called Osceola zone. They appeared to be the same age and more than likely they were from the same hatch. The bird on the left only weighed 14 lbs, was longer (you can see the difference in the photo) and had the black wings. The bird on the right weighed 17½ lbs, was shorter and had white wing bars. I guess what I'm saying is that turkey hunting up here is the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. I do remember a photo that OMG posted a while back (maybe the old forum) of a strutting bird with a lot of white in the wings. I assumed it was a South FL bird, maybe y'all are getting integrated down there. Sorry to break the news to you but those birds are not eastern turkeys. Look at the primary wing feathers. The primary feathers are a typical florida turkey, narrow and broken white baring. You are looking at the secondary wing feathers that are light in color. A eastern has primary wing feathers that have heavy white baring. Take into account I have not call those turkeys Osceola.
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Post by Crkr 23 on Mar 8, 2024 19:02:53 GMT -5
The bird on the right has unbroken white bars. The other hunter was a wildlife biologist. As far as I'm concerned it really doesn't matter, I can't tell a difference in the taste or the hunt.
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Post by Crkr 23 on Mar 8, 2024 19:09:27 GMT -5
That strutting bird looks like he's on some of the places I've hunted on Camps Canal, beautiful and some very dark wings.
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Post by 4ward on Mar 8, 2024 19:19:47 GMT -5
Close enough 😉
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Post by Stumpy on Mar 8, 2024 19:57:58 GMT -5
The bird on the right has unbroken white bars. The other hunter was a wildlife biologist. As far as I'm concerned it really doesn't matter, I can't tell a difference in the taste or the hunt. I'm sorry i am wrong. was looking at the wing on top or left bird.
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Post by johnnybandit on Mar 8, 2024 20:07:06 GMT -5
I will add this.... Last April I spent about 5 days with my wife in Western Tennessee.... We stayed at an airBnB on top of a mountain near Sevierville..... IT was supposed to be an anniversary trip.... But our Anniversary is in early March.... I convinced her to push the trip back 6 weeks because I was concerned the bears would not be out yet. Scared the shit out of my wife... it was rainy the entire time and most of the way up the mountain was single lane and gravel..... Zero guard rails....
We spent our days driving around the country roads and up and down the mountains.... Wears Valley, Cades Cove.... Etc...
I have seen a zillion turkeys that should be pure easterns.... But those Western Tennessee birds were massive... Not so much the hens... But the toms were HUGE...
And they liked to sit on fence posts on small farms
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Post by Crkr 23 on Mar 24, 2024 5:47:33 GMT -5
Just a little observation from this turkey season, I'm not seeing near as many black-winged birds this year up in N Central FL. Normally I would say 1 in 4 would have black wings, this year zero. I'm including dead birds that I've actually seen and pictures that I've examined. Not that means much or matters, just an observation.
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Post by JS84 on Mar 25, 2024 10:38:50 GMT -5
I let a Jake walk opening morning in Dixie that was so black he looked like a turkey vulture. Didn't see a beard swinging as he passed through so the safety stayed on
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