One lucky hunter in Hardin County, Tennessee, recently harvested a once-in-lifetime gobbler.
Turkey hunting season is in full swing in many parts of the country and many hunters are having success. But 74-year-old Eddie Smith bagged a bird that’ll likely have many other hunters green with envy.
Smith’s gobbler is a rare gray or “smoke” color variation. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency posted pictures of the awesome-looking tom on their Facebook page.
The TRWA says this harvest is even more notable because 95 percent of turkeys with this color variation are hens. They also say gray turkeys are a natural variation found in the wild, much like an albino. It isn’t a result of cross-breeding with a domestic animal.
“They do occur naturally in the wild as a genetic anomaly from recessive genes or mutations. Wild turkeys come in four color variations other than the standard color which includes a smoke phase, erythristic (red colored), melanistic (all black) and true albino. The smoke gray phase is the most commonly seen color variation in Tennessee,” the post reads.
One thing is for sure, Smith has what is likely a once-in-a-lifetime harvest with this bird. Congratulations to Eddie on taking such an awesome-looking turkey!
NEXT: RARE WHITE TURKEY SHOT BY 14-YEAR-OLD MISSOURI GIRL
The post Smoke-Phase Turkey Harvested in Tennessee appeared first on Wide Open Spaces.
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