Chief44
Well-Known Member
Let me start this conversation by saying that I believe any ethically killed gobbler is a good bird and something to be proud of. With that said, my question is this. What do you consider to be the best characteristic or feature that makes a gobbler a "trophy" in your book. To me and everyone in my hunting circles it's always been spur length. However, I run into guys from time to time who are talking about a bird they killed and have no idea how long the spurs were, they only seem to be focused on the beard and some believe that beard length is an indication of age. I've killed a number gobblers with long thick beards that had spurs indicating they were 2 year olds. I've also killed 3-4 year old birds that had thin 8"-9" beards. I'm not looking to start a big debate on what makes a good gobbler because they are all good. Just wondering everyone's opinion. And while we are at it. What is your longest spur length. My daughter killed a bird with 1"1/2 spurs a few years ago and I got a couple just shy of that but I can't seem to break that mark.