Florida Guides Passed Off Pen-Raised Turkeys as Wild Osceolas to Unsuspecting Hunters, Officials Say

A group of Florida hunting guides and one taxidermist in Hardee and Charlotte counties were charged Wednesday with a handful of felonies for selling pen-raised turkey hunts to clients who thought they were hunting wild Osceola turkeys. The farmed birds were bred to look like Osceolas, but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used forensic testing and expert analysis to reveal the scam.

Razzor Ranch Blanket Hunting Preserve operator Larry Collins allegedly “advertised, promoted, and scheduled” hunts for wild Osceolas, accepted money for the hunts, and then coordinated with guides David Mills and Paul Beckham to take the hunters to locations in Hardee and Charlotte counties to shoot the pen-raised birds, a FWC press release says. Mills also ran a game farm in Charlotte County where the specially-bred birds were hatched and raised.

A fourth suspect, Vernon Flowers, did all the taxidermy work for the fake Osceola hunts through his business, Skins and Scales Taxidermy. He paid Collins a 10-percent kickback on the cash value of the taxidermy work for sending business his way.

According to an affidavit acquired by Outdoor Life, the guides and taxidermist defrauded 10 clients out of a total of $25,362 from March 2020 through March 2022. The Razzor Ranch had been subject to multiple FWC investigations due to licensing issues starting in 2019. But on March 10, 2021, one of the defrauded hunters complained to FWC after taking what he thought was a wild Osceola to his own taxidermist, instead of Flowers. His taxidermist quickly realized the carcass was much fattier than that of a standard wild bird, and that the feathers in the fan did not match the colors of an Osceola turkey. The legs were also shorter and the feet were “large and deformed like a domestic breed.”

Investigators sent the turkey in question to the FWC DNA lab in Gainesville, where a geneticist conducted tests to determine the bird was more genetically “similar to a domestic turkey and a Bronze turkey” (another type of domestic turkey) than an Osceola. These results aligned with Collins’ financial records, which showed evidence of a purchase from Allison Farms, which breeds, hatches, and raises non-wild “hybrid Osceola turkeys.” 

Mills’ game farm, known as “Jurassic Ranch,” was the focus of multiple inspections in 2021. (Even though the property belonged to Mills, Collins had paid for the game bird operation license applications and his address was listed as the business shipping address.) A 2021 permit renewal for the game bird operation listed just 20 turkeys on the property. But when an FWC inspector showed up in September — months after Mills and Collins had already been ticketed for illegal possession of a zebra on the property — she saw an estimated 200 turkeys instead. 

The inspector’s body cam recorded a conversation with Collins. In reference to his clients, he said, “If they come out and go hunting, they may hunt for 2.5 days and not get a bird … then they resort to the ‘other bird’ … Three thousand a pop…you’re gonna make sure they get a bird.”

According to the affidavit, Razzor Ranch was charging between $1,995 and $2,995 for three tiers of Osceola hunts. (One of the victims paid in “bartered dental work.”) During this exchange, Collins also lied to the investigator about not yet releasing birds at the Razzor Ranch.

One former guide, who was not implicated in this investigation, told investigators he did not agree with releasing turkeys and hogs at Razzor Ranch. “He remembered a specific incident at Razzor Ranch when he was instructed to take a dog crate that had a live turkey in it to the back of the Razzor Ranch property and release it … within the high fence area,” reads the affidavit. “The canned hunts for turkeys were one of the reasons he left employment with Razzor Ranch … he refused to guide for turkeys and thought it was morally wrong. ”

That guide primarily guided gator and deer hunting clients; Razzor Ranch also sells guided “hunts” for everything from elk to blackbuck. The Ranch’s website now acknowledges that they introduce pen-raised birds onto the preserve and they don’t specifically mention Osceolas, just “Florida turkey hunting.” But at the time of the investigation, the website did offer Osceola hunts, along with ample information about what makes Osceolas such a special harvest for hunters, according to screenshots included in the affidavit. Investigators allege that Collins and the other suspects changed the website language once they realized they were being investigated.

“Turkey’s [sic] are one of the most sought after game birds in Florida,” the website now reads. “We are a licensed hunting preserve and may release captive-reared game birds to restock the area for the season. These birds can be identified by leg or wing band. Not all of our hunts are on our preserve, and other turkey’s [sic] may be hunted there if requested.”

Osceola turkeys only live in peninsular Florida and have darker wings than Eastern turkeys, Florida’s other wild turkey species. This darker appearance comes from differences in the white barring on the wing feathers.

FWC investigators Camille Soverel and Erika Zimmerman led the investigation. The charges are as follows:

• Larry Collins, 58, Punta Gorda: Organized Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Organized Fraud, Cheating, Unlawful use of a Two-Way Communication Device
• David Mills, 57, Arcadia: Organized Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Organized Fraud
• Paul Beckham, 49, Punta Gorda: Organized Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Organized Fraud, Cheating, Unlawful use of a Two-Way Communication Device
• Vernon Flowers, 71, Naples: Organized Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Organized Fraud

According to Florida statute, committing organized fraud to acquire property valued at between $20,000 and $50,000 is a second degree felony and punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

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FWC is looking into other instances of this scam occurring around the state, according to the press release.

“This fraudulent scheme not only deceived hunters but also exploited a revered species of Florida’s wildlife,” Bowlin said in the press release. “We want public, private and tribal landowners to know that we are working diligently to ensure that captive raised, nonwild turkeys will not be released near their lands. Hunters can be reassured that the opportunity to hunt a wild Osceola turkey will remain, and legitimate outfitters will not have competition from unethical and fraudulent turkey guide services or outfitters.” 

In the meantime, Razzor Ranch’s website still promises, in flashing letters: “You will see birds on our hunts!”