Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris, otherwise known as the eastern wild turkey is the most abundant, widely distributed, and most hunted variety of the five distinct subspecies found in the United States. Inhabiting roughly the eastern half of the country, its range extends from northern points stretching from New England westward to Minnesota including portions of lower Canada, to southern points stretching from the northern parts of Florida, westward to Texas. It has also been successfully transplanted in states outside of its original range including: California, Oregon and Washington....

Flourishing over such a large and varied area, it is easy to see why the Eastern can be found in almost any habitat including but not limited to hardwood, mixed, and softwood forests, as well as open pastures, and agricultural fields.


The adult male Eastern, called a longbeard, gobbler or tom, may stand up to 4 feet tall at maturity and weigh more than 20 pounds. Easterns are the heaviest of the 5 subspecies, and those found in the northern parts of the U.S. can really tip the scales. Some of the corn fed gobblers in the upper mid-west (Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri) have body weights over 30 pounds. It is not consider uncommon to harvest a Gobbler over 25 pounds in those regions.


The head of the gobbler is nearly featherless, and is brightly colored with hues of red, blue, and white. In the spring during the breeding season these colors of the can change in a matter of seconds.


Male turkey also have spurs, these are bone-like spike that protrudes from the rear of their reddish orange feet. These are used as weapons for defense and in establishing dominance. Spurs can grow up to 2 inches in length with the longest on record being 2.25 inches.


The gobbler’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 The tail of the eastern is exquisite when fully fanned, the tail coverts (smaller feathers which cover up larger ones) are chestnut brown with some small black banding, while the tail feathers themselves are tipped with a dark buff or chocolate brown.


The beard, though occurring on about 10 to 20 percent of hens is almost always associated with the tom. Consisting of tufts of coarse filaments, or bristle-like feathers, growing out from the chest, the beard grows an average of roughly three to four inches a year to an average length of about nine inches (though they can grow much longer). Thickness varies by bird and some birds sport multiple beards.


The adult female, also known as a hen, may be nearly as tall as a gobbler, but will usually lighter, sporting a slimmer and more petite physique she will generally weigh in between eight and twelve pounds. The coloration of a hen is similar to that of the tom, but much less brilliant, she is designed for stealth and concealment. The feathers of the hen's breast, flanks and sides are tipped with brown rather than the black and white tips of the male. The head of the hen is grey-blue and has feathering for increased camouflage.

Watch for our next segment on the Rio Grande sub species coming shortly, this bird is often considered the most vocal of all the sub species and definitely provides some very exciting hunting opportunities......