CRAWFORD LAMPTON GETS TURKEY

Crawford Lampton of Magnolia recently harvested a large eastern wild turkey not far from Magnolia in Tangipahoa Parish, LA. The gobbler, which weighed more than 20 pounds, was a hefty bird with an 11.5 inch beard and large inch-long spurs. Beards and spurs are generally considered characteristics in males. The eastern wild turkey male or gobbler, also called a tom, exhibits the characteristic red, white, and blue head, the black-tipped breast feathers, and copper/bronze iridescence. The eastern wild turkey inhabits roughly the eastern half of the country, and it can be found in the hardwood and mixed forests from southern Canada to Texas and even Minnesota. In Louisiana and Mississippi, Turkey season runs from late March through the end of April. In Mississippi beginning this spring, a Mississippi Wild Turkey Stamp is required to hunt and is dedicated to habitat conservation.