We all want to shoot a big ole Tom with curved spurs and a paint brush, me included. I am blessed to have permission to hunt a ridiculously good farm with no competition, the wife and I are the only ones with permission. Here is the dilemma. There is a flock of 10 gobblers on the farm, 2 are big uns. One is markedly bigger with very nice spurs for around here. My compulsive personality tells me to hunt that one bird and he is worth not punching a tag. My rational brain says shoot a mature Tom and let the obsessive behavior go. No wrong answers here, just curious to see where people are at. God Bless, Z
I think it all depends on how much time you have or are planning on hunting. If you can hunt a lot I would hunt the boss, if you don't have that kind of time then I would take what comes. A filled tag beats an empty freezer. Best of luck! :turkey2:
I like the hunt / accomplishment, so I would try to kill the bigger gobbler.. IMO
I have no plan. I find a gobbling turkey and go try to kill him. As long as he has a full fan and I beat him on my terms, am fine with pulling the trigger. It doesn't mean I will, but I feel like I won regardless.
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I agree with Massey, If You hadn't killed many birds or there was a lot of hunting pressure on that property then my mind set might be different .
If Mr. Longspurs is readily identifiable in the woods or field, then go for it.
The area I hunt is not conducive for seeing spurs before the shot. I have targeted specific birds. But not by spur length.
I can honestly say I've never passed on a mature gobbler that offered a clean shot. 1 in hand worth 2 in the bush :z-twocents:
I had a place like that I hunted and often targeted a bird. As the days of the season grew closer to final, my pickiness waned and a few years I took what I could get.
I'll wait on the strutter sometimes. But I don't make a habit of passing long beards.
As I age Z, (67 years old), I find myself in the EAT A TAG or 2, mentality. I have killed my share of birds, and deer as well, and will let both critters WALK if they don't measure up to my Standards. If I were in your shoes, had land to hunt that held birds of the caliber you say, and the wife and I were the only ones hunting that property, I would try to match wits and hunt the Mature Birds that are there. For me, it's about EXPERIENCING the HUNT not the KILL. If he WINS then, I'll look forward to another Time and Place and eat a tag or 2.
Hunting for me is about the challenge, When we find the certain prey that gets you excited, we give chase. As seasons get closer too closing, I will take what's presented and gets blood pumping, have eaten my share of tags.
I would call it in and let Mrs. Z shoot the big one. :fud:
Whatever turns your crank, while I love big spurs I have never hunted specific birds, I did hunt the three amigo's one year, but shot the first one that got in the way!
I am all about the first willing participant, but I also travel a lot and like to move on when possible!
I think Tombo is probably the closest. She shoots the one I tell her to, but maybe this year I pull the old " bait and switch " :OGturkeyhead: z
I think going for the big one right off the bat and as the season winds down and the freezer needs to have voids filled, going for a lesser one would be in order. If you are not fond of turkey meat, then hold out till the last hour of the last day.
For me, I don't care about the trophy value nearly as much as eating turkey meat, so, since I will have 3 tags, I would use the first 2 on getting meat and the last one for the big one until it got down to the wire, then the freezer takes trump over trophy.
I see Mrs. Z killing a big turkey this spring...and Mr. Z..well..he's gonna whine about that costing his team the championship.
I would take the mature bird, but that is just me.
Hunted 1 old boy for 19 mornings before everything came together.
Certainly one of the most memorable seasons.
Had that joker in range 4 times on day 2, but didn't feel good about the shot or he is 15 yds with no shot.
Potato patch was his name. 1.5" spurs on that devil.
Good luck!!
How many birds you gonna' harvest (yourself) off the property?
If it is one, I would probably pass a few times if birds are amenable to be called in... If it is 3, I would probably take em' as they come at first. If you are coming to the last third of the season, without opportunity, I would take what you get...
I have gone after specific birds for a season, and been successful... Which is extremely gratifying. I have also gone after specific birds and ended with an empty tag due to holding out... Which is somewhat disappointing.
I assume you only have one tag or limited time.
If that's the case, take a mature tom. If you've got plenty of time, see what happens.
If you've got just one tag it'll be hard to pass up any mature gobbler.
I was told by a land owner once he had a huge beard on his farm. I got lucky and got him on my first trip there. But when I shot him I was calling in another bird and he just showed up drumming. And I didn't realize it was the farms big beard when I shot him. I saw a strutter with a full fan...but when I got to him I realized. Biggest bird I've ever killed to this day.
Main thing...have fun. And do what's best for you.
Hold out for Grampus👍
Let your finger do the talking when the time is right.
Enjoy your hunts.
Z, you shoot a regular turkey or two, and tag out. You've been there and done that many times. So now all you're thinking about all summer long is the big guy. :smiley-char092:
Too many variables. But not a bad predicament to be in. However.. I'd have to ask myself, how big is the farm, how many tags do I have and how many days will I'll be able to get after them.
Personally for my liking.. it really wouldn't matter. I would just love to be out on a great hunt. If they want to play on the day you two are out and he's a gobbling fool with a full fan... I'm happy, tickled pink for that matter. I'm filling the tag.
ORrrrrrr, I should say... My wife fills the tag. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: arkrem870 on March 08, 2025, 01:22:05 PMI'll wait on the strutter sometimes. But I don't make a habit of passing long beards.
Same here!
Id shoot a satellite tom and let him continue the breeding.
Quote from: WV Flopper on March 08, 2025, 07:16:33 PMLet your finger do the talking when the time is right.
Enjoy your hunts.
Lot's of guys do a lot of talking with their fingers on the phone but then when season starts and mr tom comes in range their fingers tells another story haha
Here are my personal parameters:
Private property, lots of birds, single tag, and a long season...I am holding out for a good one.
Private property or limited permits, lots of birds, multiple tags...shoot the first mature gobbler and then hold out for a whopper (for a while).
Public property, few birds, lots of hunters...shoot whatever mature bird comes along.
Public property, lots of birds, multiple tags, long season...shoot first mature gobbler then maybe hold out for a whopper (or maybe not, depending on my attitude)
I usually hunt one (or more) of each type every spring. My attitude about pulling the trigger changes with each one. In addition, since I rarely hunt where I have any chance of evaluating spurs prior to pulling the trigger, my personal definition of a "whopper' gobbler is strictly a function of beard length, whether the bird is a strutter or not.
@YoungGobbler: Not quite what I meant but I'd bet you are 100% correct!
One of the best posts I've seen in a while. I first started on a farm like this and have my farms like this now. Seeing and watching distinctive toms over the years is fun in its self. I've had the opportunity to do what this topic asks many times. I've been rewarded over the years on these types of senerios but its the memories I've made on these type of farms that really stand out. One of my favorites was watching 18 long beards strutting in same 60ac field that hunt was one of the best father/son doubles in my memories. We weren't picky that morning but killed a couple decent birds 25lb 1.25" spur and a 23.5lb 1.125" spur bird. We both talked about which of the big ones we were going after next. And yes we both got picky both successful later in season picking out birds that had distinct features. Long spurs, heavy weight birds, extremely long beards, and multiple bearded birds were always targeted on that farm well before trail cameras were available. It was just perfectly set up to be close to watch these birds and see them regularly throughout the year. Some of the good ones over the years stats were 27lb bird 1.75" spurred bird 12.5" bearded bird numerous multi-beard birds multiple spurred bird just to name a few most of these stats came from when birds had to be brought to a check-in station back in the day.
If the big one comes in with the others I'll try for him. Otherwise I'm taking the first mature bird that I can.
If I know that there is a monster Tom in the area that I am hunting, I will target him and him alone. The days of the season will be spent learning everything that I can catalogue about his habits, roosts, strut zones, preferences and become intimately familiar with the terrain where he calls his kingdom. I have amassed a few tricks through the years that I may feel obligated to turn loose on him when the time seems right. Outsmarting old birds like that are completely worth the patience spent.
FC
I will be making myself available to him as often as possible. This will give him the opportunity to report for pic and grill duties. :funnyturkey: Z
My philosophy is the same as Elmer Fud's :fud: :OGani: , "I'm hunting turkeys, it's turkey season". I have almost exclusive access to 1200 acres of good turkey hunting ( cousin's grand-kids hunt two days ) and know of a couple big old gobblers, but i shoot the first bird that comes to my call, typically a mature bird, but I wouldn't rule out a jake if he worked good. After 50 plus years and a boat load of birds, all I want is a fun hunt. The heck with the biggest or oldest trophy bird. Now if I get a chance to chase one of those old legends, I certainly will give him a go and be proud of him, but it's not worth eating a tag over. For many years I have passed jakes as future seed and I have killed all mature birds. However, if it's the last three or four days of season and a fat jake appears he is going home with me. Of course that hasn't happened in a long time. I actually believe we should leave the big old dominate birds alone. I have one I think is a exceptional bird and I only hunted him a couple times in three years. You can see him out in my cousin's field almost everyday, but I just stop and glass him and move on. If I get a chance I will shoot him, but I prefer to let him sow his seeds.
This discussion about shooting "dominant" gobblers reminded me of a story from a couple of decades ago. We have a cabin in the mountains and, back then, we would have LOTS of hunters stay there during the spring season. We had an old gobbler that roosted within earshot of the place all season long...and had done so for several years (yes, he had some identifying characteristics such that we knew it was the same gobbler).
He was there every spring, and every spring a number of hunters would give him a go...myself included a few times...but I had long since decided it was good to have him hanging around nearby for, if nothing else, entertainment purposes. We had one steadfast rule about him..."you can't just set up, not call, and ambush him. If you are going to try to kill him, you have to try to call him in."
One year, towards the end of the season after several of our local guys had attempted to kill him, we had a couple of "high-falootin'" sorts come to the place to hunt with us...one of which had actually won a national-level calling contest a couple of years before. Both of them were excellent callers, for sure.
One evening, we were discussing this gobbler and the fact that nobody could call him and that all of us had given up hope of doing so. Our two guests were listening in and stated matter-of-factly..."We will go out in the morning and kill that gobbler for you guys". ...We just chuckled and said..."Have at it, fellers".
The next morning, he obliged them by gobbling his azz off, like he did every morning...and they set up near his roost, confident they would show us how it was done. Late morning, they came straggling in "gobblerless", tuckered out from chasing the old gobbler all over the mountain side. They said..."the last we heard of him, he was gobbling at every call we made...going over the biggest mountain in the country away from us. No matter what move we made or how we called, he moved away from us at every call. Never ever hunted a turkey like that before."
Again, all of us "local boys" just chuckled...and with a sly wink at each other.
I cant remember ever looking at a birds spurs to make sure he was big enough. A longbeard is a longbeard in my opinion. The experience is the trophy of a successful turkey hunt and some of the unsuccessful ones too.
Hunt hard but more importantly have fun ! Are you letting a mature long beard walk because it's not the big one ? I'm not. I have killed one or two I'd swear was a two year old until I picked them up .