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General Discussion => General Forum => Topic started by: alloutdoors on May 22, 2014, 03:21:31 PM

Title: Never seen this before...
Post by: alloutdoors on May 22, 2014, 03:21:31 PM
I was cleaning my turkey from this morning and noticed he had a couple odd feathers in his fan. The two central tail feathers have banding at the base that looks like a wing feather. Pretty sure I've never seen that before.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/alloutdoors/_Q7Q8129_zps51e030e6.jpg)
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: J. Adams on May 22, 2014, 03:36:34 PM
dont know how common I think I have around 50 fans here and present on prob half of them, sometimes it goes all the way up to the top or near the top of the fan tip, I don't think I have ever read where anyone could say exactly why some are like that, pretty cool though.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: Gooserbat on May 22, 2014, 03:42:19 PM
I've killed several like that.  I know at least two of the six I got this year was that way.  I got a buddy who calls it "wild feathers"
Title: Never seen this before...
Post by: alloutdoors on May 22, 2014, 03:45:18 PM
Interesting, wonder if it's more prevalent in certain populations. I don't think I've ever shot one like that before.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: THattaway on May 22, 2014, 03:50:40 PM
I've killed a few like that here in SC and a few that extended with the white/black banding up into the tips, visible as they came in. Oddities like that and other variations on turkeys are fascinating to me. Always interested in seeing those things. Never seemed to have killed two that were exactly the same.
Title: Never seen this before...
Post by: alloutdoors on May 22, 2014, 03:59:48 PM
Yeah, the thing I see from time to time here is birds with a couple solid black primaries.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: WNY Bowhunter on May 22, 2014, 04:17:09 PM
I've seen birds with the white coloration in the middle tail feathers in my area of NY. Your Schoharie birds may be different...
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: alloutdoors on May 22, 2014, 04:32:37 PM
Could be. This one is actually from Otsego county. I notice differences between those birds though and the ones I grew up hunting in Schoharie, and it's only a 40 minute drive between the two areas. For example, bearded hens are way more common where I hunt in Otsego.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: WV TURKEY THUG on May 22, 2014, 05:15:31 PM
shot one in wv that had some white in the tail feathers about in the middle of it
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: snapper1982 on May 22, 2014, 05:39:56 PM
have killed a few that way
Title: Never seen this before...
Post by: mudhen on May 22, 2014, 07:20:27 PM
Pretty common for me, maybe 1 in 15 have a funny tail feather or two?...

mudhen
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: DirtNap647 on May 22, 2014, 07:22:30 PM
pretty common
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: va wingbone on May 22, 2014, 11:20:53 PM
I with John, probably half the birds ive killed have tail feathers like this.  Still kinda neat though

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Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: captin_hook on May 22, 2014, 11:33:05 PM
I've killed a couple like that in PA. I mentioned this before when the topic has been brought up...... A old timer told me once that that means its a old bird. I have no idea how true that is.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: tomstopper on May 23, 2014, 06:46:16 PM
Wow. I didn't know that this was that common....
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: savduck on May 23, 2014, 09:22:21 PM
Ive got a couple like that.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: BoWhoop on May 24, 2014, 12:42:45 AM
I've killed a lot like that, up and down the East Coast.  Doesn't seem to have anything to do with age as 2 year olds and older have it.
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: zelmo1 on May 27, 2014, 05:42:55 PM
Saw my first 2 like that this year in Maine
Title: Re: Never seen this before...
Post by: neal on May 27, 2014, 07:04:19 PM
I've killed countless like this and seen several this year alone like that. Almost seems to be getting more common.

Congrats on the bird!