Jewelry?

Hookspur

Button Buck
All those pictures of hooks has got me thinking hard about turkey hunting, and the upcoming spring season. I had 10 longbeards walk under my deer stand Sunday afternoon, and that didn't help, either. Has anyone on here ever shot a bird sporting "Bling?" I have been most-fortunate to do so 5 times. Totally pure and unadulterated luck, except for a double-banded tom that I saw in Delaware one year, and shot the following morning. My first were a pair of banded birds killed in Oklahoma on consecutive mornings, followed a couple of years later by another in the same place, but by far the highlight of all was an Osceola tom which also sported red wing tags and a radio pack on his back. Killing a long-spurred Swamp Gobbler is special any time it happens, but that sure added a bit of excitement to the day!!!


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Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
Nope, never seen or killed a banded one. Not sure Ive ever known anyone that has around here.....
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I know some southeastetn states been banding some due to trying to understand declining numbers I know Alabama was one doing it think Ark and west Tenn as well
 

Hookspur

Button Buck
Like I said, I am incredibly lucky in the band department. I actually found a dead banded pheasant the same day that I shot one of my banded Oklahoma toms, and several years ago I shot a banded dove in Kentucky. I do quite a bit of duck hunting too, and there are 5 duck bands and 9 goose bands on my call lanyard. I know folks just as serious about waterfowling as I am, who have none. I also have another buddy that actually sees bands on duck's legs while they're in flight, and his lanyard is loaded with jewelry because of it. I am NOT like that....all of mine have been total, unadulterated luck.
 
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Hookspur

Button Buck
"Did you get any info from DNR on them"

Yes. Oklahoma used to trap excess and/or nuisance birds on private land and release them on public properties. They might still do that, but I haven't hunted there in years. All 3 banded Oklahoma toms were transplanted within a year of when I killed them. The Delaware bird was part of a study that was in its second year when I lucked upon him, and the Florida tom was also part of a large study that was being done. I believe it involved about 25 gobblers and 80-some hens. A couple of interesting asides of the bejeweled Osceola was that he was blind in one eye (it was totally white and glazed-over), and he'd somehow gotten tangled up in bailing twine and still had strands of it tightly wrapped around each of his legs. His radio antennae had also broken off over a year before I shot him, so the Game & Fish Department was really happy that I brought him in to the check station. First; they got their radio back, and second; his manner of death was able to be recorded for their study. Without his cause of mortality, he was just a lost bird with incomplete data. I shot him about 7 miles from where he'd been captured and tagged. I'd also seen a hen wearing white wing tags the previous year on that same WMA, but had no idea the tom I killed was anything special until I walked up and saw his radio pack.
 

Hookspur

Button Buck
The FL study traced movement patterns and habitat usage at various times of the year, along with mortality rate and causes, etc. Only a portion of the turkeys tagged wore radios, as they are expensive. They all wore various colors of wing tags so it was easy to tell hens from jakes from gobblers at a glance. I've got the complete study filed away someplace, but danged if I know where!! Same with the Delaware bird....I requested and received a copy of the study results from the grad student conducting it.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
"Did you get any info from DNR on them"

Yes. Oklahoma used to trap excess and/or nuisance birds on private land and release them on public properties. They might still do that, but I haven't hunted there in years. All 3 banded Oklahoma toms were transplanted within a year of when I killed them. The Delaware bird was part of a study that was in its second year when I lucked upon him, and the Florida tom was also part of a large study that was being done. I believe it involved about 25 gobblers and 80-some hens. A couple of interesting asides of the bejeweled Osceola was that he was blind in one eye (it was totally white and glazed-over), and he'd somehow gotten tangled up in bailing twine and still had strands of it tightly wrapped around each of his legs. His radio antennae had also broken off over a year before I shot him, so the Game & Fish Department was really happy that I brought him in to the check station. First; they got their radio back, and second; his manner of death was able to be recorded for their study. Without his cause of mortality, he was just a lost bird with incomplete data. I shot him about 7 miles from where he'd been captured and tagged. I'd also seen a hen wearing white wing tags the previous year on that same WMA, but had no idea the tom I killed was anything special until I walked up and saw his radio pack.

That is very cool.
 
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