25 lb 3 oz. on digital fish scales
Heaviest Bird
- Thread starter RoyalPrudent
- Start date
Me and a buddy of mine had a good string of three years in a row where the smallest we killed was just over 26 pounds. This was in SW Indiana though and the limit was one per year. Some of the best turkey habitat I have ever seen and back then hardly anyone hunted them.
The biggest birds are usually killed at the very beginning of the season. They generally lose weight as the season progresses.
Hymie3
Well-Known Member
Uncle Jesse
Well-Known Member
27 pound from Lincoln CO. The Lady at the store weighed him on the same scales they weighed the deli meat
The next year I killed one at AEDC that weighed 24 pound. He was weighed at the Checking Station
Been hunting close to home for around 10 years now and ain't seen one over 20 around here.
The next year I killed one at AEDC that weighed 24 pound. He was weighed at the Checking Station
Been hunting close to home for around 10 years now and ain't seen one over 20 around here.
26lbs is mine. body weight doesn't mean any thing to me. he just had a good winter, hasn't been running a lot of hens. Spurs is what its all about.
OldFussNFeathers
Well-Known Member
24lbs with a double beard. 1 being 12" and the other 11". Both beards were a little on the thin side. Spurs I think we're 1 7/8. Scott Co bird. Reluctant to tell the story because of what happened this day but maybe I'm just telling a tall tale. 2nd day of turkey season in 1994 sitting next to my dad after a fruitless hunt Saturday at the Big South Fork with my cousins. Dad was on these gobblers on Saturday and I tagged along on Sunday before church. Sitting beside him he said if they both came in he would take the one on the left and I would take the one on the right. Both came in on an old logging road with the left one slightly behind the right one. 1,2,3 shoot! Both turkeys hit the ground. Ran up to the gobblers and after all the flopping stopped, he said you killed both of these. I thought he was joking until he ejected 3 unshot shells. Don't think I've ever have been nor ever will be that excited. In the end, what I will never forget, is after the turkeys were loaded up and we had driven down the road a bit, he said we forgot something. We both got out of the truck and hit our knees and gave thanks. You see, even before the first "hoot" of the morning, we always prayed. I guess we were both excited that morning and just forgot. The second one was 22lbs with a 10" paintbrush.
triple threat
Well-Known Member
I thought weighing the bird, measuring the beard length and spurs were a part of the checking in process?
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
It is. And accurate information submitted can provide a wealth of biological information for those who make decisions regarding age structure of what is actually killed. Unfortunately, due to inaccurate info entered at checkin, I'm not sure any of that mound of data is worth anything in real world application other than jake vs adult bird.
triple threat
Well-Known Member
I carry measuring tape and set of scales in my hunting bag on every hunt.
medic
Well-Known Member
26.5 lbs with 11 inch beard, I watched him during deer season and went after him when turkey season opened.
Actually the weight is optional when checking one in.
Have killed 4 26lb and one 28lb all opening day birds in east tn, the 28lb came off a steer feeding farm so he had been in the troughs for four years
One incredible hunt it was! You need to get back out here and we will do it again!!
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Agree with this; the data is anecdotal at best.
I've had a few weighed at LBL when I checked them in, but never weighed any myself until a big Stewart Co bird.
I saw him strutting with hens on up on opening morning. I had another bird located in an easier spot. I'd get whipped by that one, and then head to the other end of the lease to fool with the big bird. He was living down in a hole that wasn't a lot of fun to get into or out of. He would answer, but always had hens with him and just wouldn't leave them. I was there before daylight a couple of times, but, he always flew down with hens.
Finally, on my fifth trip down into the "hole", I got him to answer about 8:30. Again, he wouldn't come. I decided to wait him out that day as it was later in the season and I figured the hens might be heading to nest mid-morning. He finally answered again around 10:30 and came on in to get shot. Packing him out up that hill he felt really heavy. So, out of curiosity, I weighed him when I got him home. He weighed over 25#s. That is a big bird for over there.
I saw him strutting with hens on up on opening morning. I had another bird located in an easier spot. I'd get whipped by that one, and then head to the other end of the lease to fool with the big bird. He was living down in a hole that wasn't a lot of fun to get into or out of. He would answer, but always had hens with him and just wouldn't leave them. I was there before daylight a couple of times, but, he always flew down with hens.
Finally, on my fifth trip down into the "hole", I got him to answer about 8:30. Again, he wouldn't come. I decided to wait him out that day as it was later in the season and I figured the hens might be heading to nest mid-morning. He finally answered again around 10:30 and came on in to get shot. Packing him out up that hill he felt really heavy. So, out of curiosity, I weighed him when I got him home. He weighed over 25#s. That is a big bird for over there.
