Turkey Hunting Guides and Outfitters – Trips and Guided Hunts

The turkey is a large game bird of North America that is related to the pheasants. Biologists know of two kinds of wild turkeys. One is the Osceola turkey of Yucatan and Guatemala, a brilliantly colored bird with eyelike spots on its tail. The other is the wild turkey of Mexico and the United States, which are hunted by many guides and outfitters in the few areas that offer Osceola turkey. At one time many wild turkeys lived as far north as Maine and southern Ontario. They were a favorite bird of the pioneers and turkey hunting along with other game animals was part of their daily lives.

Wild turkeys: This species of game bird gather in small flocks in the forests making it harder for hunting guides and outfitters to find them. They eat small nuts, seeds, insects, berries, and other small fruits. At night they rest in trees. They build their crude nests of dry leaves on the ground. Turkey eggs are about twice as large as ordinary chicken eggs. They have a pale creamy tan color, speckled with brown.

The adult male turkey is about 4 feet long, with a handsome plumage of metallic green, copper, and bronze. The body feathers have black tips. The tail and upper tail feathers of the wild turkey in eastern North America are deep reddish brown. The colors helps hide this game bird from outfitters and guides that are on guided hunts. Those of the Mexican wild turkey have white tips. A long tuft of bristle-like feathers hangs from the center of the male’s breast, and his legs have spurs. His head and neck have no feathers. A fleshy growth on the front of the head is called a snood, dewbill, or leader. The turkey has a pouch-like area at the front of his throat, called a wattle. Small reddish growths of skin at the base of the throat are called caruncles. The female is smaller than the male. Her feathers look duller and she has no bristles on her breast. Male turkeys are called toms, and females are called hens. The name for a young turkey is poult.

Other Varieties of Turkey: These birds include the Beltsville White, the Narragansett, the White Holland, the Bourbon Red, the Black, and the Slate turkey. All except the Beltsville White are about the same size. Adult males weigh as much as 33 pounds, and young hens weigh up to 14 pounds. The Beltsville White males weigh up to 23 pounds and the young females weigh as little as 11 pounds. The Beltsville White and the White Holland are all white. The Narragansett resembles the Bronze turkey, but does not have the red and green or bronze colors. The Bourbon Red is a brownish red with white wings. The Black turkey is all black, and the Slate turkey has slate-colored feathers. The popularity of this game bird is mostly for their meat and beards that are used as a trophy for hunters. The hunting outfitter or guide that you hire should be able to help you bag a turkey on your next hunting trip.

Turkey is more delicate then other types of game birds, especially when young. They are particularly susceptible to cold rains. The hen usually produces only one brood a year, unless she loses her first hatching. The male turkey often tries to break the hen’s eggs, and the females find hiding places for their nests.