Decent, but skinny, bird this morning.

[RoyalPrudent]

Interesting bird this morning. He gobbled from sunup till 9 almost non-stop. His spurs make me think he's probably a three year-old, but the beard is thin, shows signs of rot and only measures nine inches. The bird has no visible wounds or illness, but he weighed 18.2 lbs. Side note: the spurs were right an inch. Didn't mean to make them look any longer.

I've got no complaints, but that may be one of the lightest long-beards I've ever killed. Sorry the pics aren't better but I had no photographer today.

As for tactics, I didn't know where he was roosted pre-dawn and set up in the wrong spot. I had to relocate twice to find an area he was willing to come to. Light yelps and leaf scratches did the trick. He came in tall and cautious and closed to 20 yards.

 

[ROVERBOY]

Congratulations, I killed one several years ago that had 1 1/8" spurs and weighed 17 1/2 lbs. My brother killed one years ago that had 1 1/16" spurs, and a 10" beard and weighed 15 1/4 lbs. Weird.

 

[megalomaniac]

congrats!

my longest spurred bird was only 19lbs. He was subdominant and never fought, so he never wore his spurs down. Normal adult toms on my places are 21-22lbs.

 

[Setterman]

Congrats! My biggest bird weighed just under 16 pounds and 1 3/4" spurs

 

[thirdwilliam]

congrats

 

[Turkeychaser]

Congratulations!

 

[Plateau Hunter]

View attachment 225680View attachment 225681


Interesting bird this morning. He gobbled from sunup till 9 almost non-stop. His spurs make me think he's probably a three year-old, but the beard is thin, shows signs of rot and only measures nine inches. The bird has no visible wounds or illness, but he weighed 18.2 lbs. Side note: the spurs were right an inch. Didn't mean to make them look any longer.

I've got no complaints, but that may be one of the lightest long-beards I've ever killed. Sorry the pics aren't better but I had no photographer today.

As for tactics, I didn't know where he was roosted pre-dawn and set up in the wrong spot. I had to relocate twice to find an area he was willing to come to. Light yelps and leaf scratches did the trick. He came in tall and cautious and closed to 20 yards.

Hey, very nice gobbler!

 

[Huntaholic]

Way back yonder in the early years of my adventure as a turkey hunter, I called up a longbeard at Catoosa and let my uncle in law shoot it at Catoosa. It weighed 13 lbs and was healthy, just light.

 

[Wrangler95]

Great going,congrats!!

 

[Gravey]

My 2 birds this year were 17 and 21 lbs. The 17 had longer spurs at over an inch and the 21 had both under an inch but beard 10" vs 8 1/2". It is what it is. Congrats on a nice bird!

 

[Shag]

Weight isn't an exact correlation to age. IMHO, they are just like people, deer, dogs, whatever. Some are just bigger than others…be it genetics, growth rate, metabolism, or stress/lack of food at the right or wrong times. Second heaviest deer I ever killed was just 2.5 years old…but he was long bodied and built like a tank. Hell, I'm 40 and 5'8"…I know 15 year old kids that are 6'3" and 230 pounds. Doesn't make them older or smarter just because they are bigger. Granted, I know turkeys don't vary THAT much…but it's the same principle.

 

[tickweed]

Been breeding hens

 

[Union Co. Boy]

Highest scoring bird I have ever killed weighed a paltry 19 lbs. He was fighting when I shot him and had old and new spur wounds to spare. He was the boss, but worked himself skinny maintaining that status and breeding. 32.5 inches of length in 4 beards and some great spurs. Just stretched thin like a buck toward the end of rut. Killed that bird the day before season closed that year.

 

[ROVERBOY]

There's nothing wrong with a skinny one. I like good spurs and beards. The 17 1/2 lb. bird I killed was a 3 morning deal. He would gobble on the roost several times, and when he hit the ground he was gone. I ambushed him on the 3rd morning.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Nothing wrong with that bird, congrats.