Species / Wild Turkey / Eastern Wild Turkey
Eastern Wild Turkey
Subspecies of Wild Turkey · Meleagris gallopavo
Eastern United States and southern Canada — from Maine and Quebec south to Florida, west to the Great Plains states
Male weight
16–24 lbs
Female weight
8–12 lbs
Overview
Meleagris gallopavo silvestris is the turkey of the eastern hardwood forest — a large, wary, and behaviorally sophisticated bird. Mature Eastern gobblers display iridescent bronze, green, and copper plumage with chestnut-brown tail tip banding.
Identifying Features
Chestnut-brown tail tip banding; largest body size of all subspecies; bronze-green iridescent plumage; most call-sophisticated and pressured subspecies
Hunting This Subspecies
Spring season runs March–May in most states, with peak breeding and gobbling activity in April in the northern states and March in the South.