[Bowkil]

i bought a dvd and this guy shot a big tom, he picked him up and said "hes 3 years old." then on another hunt that guy picked up his bird and said "hes 2 years." how do you age them? their spurs or something?

 

[hunter7x]

The spur length or on the Jakes the tail feathers are not all the same size

 

[riverbottomhunter]

Yep spurs.

 

[Gamegetter]

Spurs, help give you an educated guess, but not an exact science.

 

[Bowkil]

so like a 3 year old gobbler has inch spurs?

 

[FiremanBrad]

Spurs grow around one quarter of an inch per year....according to what I've read in NWTF literature, and other sources....

 

[buckbuster14]

So do turkeys down size like some deer do?

 

[Gamegetter]

They can break off, not sure about the down sizing. If I remember right, it went something along the lines of... nub to 1/2 an inch (and notched feathers, short beard) = jake (one yr. old). @5/8" - @3/4" = 2 yr. old. @7/8" - 1 1/8" = 3 yr. old. More than 1 1/4" plus = grand daddy. 1 1/2" plus = Freakin old.

 

[riverbottomhunter]

Originally posted by buckbuster14
So do turkeys down size like some deer do?

Don't know if the spurs do but sometimes the beards do.

 

[Bowkil]

cool!!!
i cant wait til monday!
:wink4:

 

[JackJr]

Beards can suffer damage form bitterly cold winters and spurs can be rubbed down or broken off. Basically you shoot a turkey with 1 1/2" spurs he's getting up there and he he was pretty smart too. The weight of a bird doesn't say a whole lot about that bird at all. Big Toms that breed heavily can lose quite a bit of weight during the rut if they devote all their time to breeding and little time for feeding.

Jack

 

[BIG OL AL]

To age a turkey, look at the two outer most feathers on the wing. Juveniles have pointed primary tips. Adults have rounded tips.

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunt/deer/deertuk/four.htm