WEST SIDE BIRDS?

[HEADSHOT]

ANYONE WHACK ANY BIRDS ON THE WEST SIDE YET? WHEN AND WHERE OR PHOTOS?

[Smokepole]

I heard about new turkey populations sprouting up near Mount Vernon and other areas around Puget Sound.  I've been seeing more and more.  I'm also wondering if anybody is finding huntable populations up this way yet.  I ran into these turkeys not far from my house.  Makes me think I should check the regs and put together a hunt.

[HEADSHOT]

nice birds! we got them down here in pacific county as well but very much few n far between...

[fc2038]

Cool pic!

[Tom Tamer]

It's not the greatest picture but this is my Dad's first Eastern....taken near Johnson Creek.

Jake,3" beard...His first bird in over five years.Note the fan though buff tipped?? But has the definit Eastern wing bars though.

[bucklucky]

Nice job!

[Tokul]

Congrats! 

[dawei]

It's not the greatest picture but this is my Dad's first Eastern....taken near Johnson Creek.

Jake,3" beard...His first bird in over five years. Note the fan though buff tipped?? But has the definite Eastern wing bars though.

I've hunted Easterns all my life & that looks like no Eastern I've ever seen. Is it a Rio or Merriam, or, a R/M cross w/a Eastern?

[Wacenturion]

It's not the greatest picture but this is my Dad's first Eastern....taken near Johnson Creek.

Jake,3" beard...His first bird in over five years. Note the fan though buff tipped?? But has the definite Eastern wing bars though.

I've hunted Easterns all my life & that looks like no Eastern I've ever seen. Is it a Rio or Merriam, or, a R/M cross w/a Eastern?

Here a quote from another board and a photo to put everything in the right context.....

"These Easterns were taken in Missouri in 2007. They both have buff tips and the one has buff tips on the secondary tail feathers. For years they have had chestnut tips there and it's a long way from Rio or Merriams territory. They were both two year olds so I don't think it has anything to do with age, just genetics."

[Wacenturion]

Some back east say that older Easterns sometimes get that buff tip.....here's another photo of a jake taken during the youth season in North Carolina....Eastern country

[Wacenturion]

Tom Tamer.....congratulate your Dad for me.  Great feat he accomplished there.....great photo of him and his bird.  Not an easy task as we all know.

[Wacenturion]

You can even see variation in this first photo posted above.........to sum it all up there is sometimes a range of color variations throughout the different subspecies.....genetics, location, and so forth.  Not generally the norm, but it does occur enough to give rise to all sorts of speculation... 

[Tom Tamer]

Tom Tamer.....congratulate your Dad for me.  Great feat he accomplished there.....great photo of him and his bird.  Not an easy task as we all know.

Thanks, and I knew the qustion concerning the fan, that's why I made reference to the wing bars, the one hen we watched for a couple hours on Saturday also had the buff tail. Ya at first Dad while happy was saying" It's just a Jake" I quickly reminded him how many more of these birds will be shot this year......that changed his tune.

 Oh and another note Wacent....from the other forum, I have met the" Toad" saw him at 150 yards with hens He is absolutely a spectacluar bird, beard running around 11-12 inches, has the run on the whole place. I watched as a Jake tried to strut when I called and when he got about half way out Toad would cluck at the Jake and he'd fold like a cheap tent I'll spend the weekend down there again, he's well worth the time.

[Wacenturion]

Good luck on "Toad"......and I know you will eventually figure him out....and when you do....it will be priceless!

[Huntmossberg8]

Tom tamer, that is a cool picture, congrats to your father. taking an eastern in western washington is not an easy task. The picture resembles a road i believe i know all to well, haha. but maybe not....

As for us we have gotten an eastern every year for the past 5 years. When i say us i mean my family / hunting group of 4. I am headed out tomorrow morning, I have 2 Gobblers roosted, should be an interesting adventure. Good luck to all and goodnight.