My 112.375 point 4 beard gobbler this year would smash the state record of 99 and be 31 in the national Merriam's records. I've had a couple others in the last 20 years that would be high in the state record book. One of them would be number 2. I've never entered any of them but am rethinking that now. It would be fun to have the #1 state bird. Unfortunately, I didn't even weigh it and I would have had to have a witness anyway. Maybe I'll enter the next good one I get. Have you ever entered a turkey in your state's records? Why or why not? If you did, what was the score and where did it place?
I've entered one. Still ranks #2 in Alabama. I actually tried to have it entered without my name attached to it, but the N"WTF" wouldn't allow it without a hunters name. I feel any recognition should be for the animal and not the hunter. It's strickly luck of the draw for the hunter and nothing more. I think that hunter recognition can lead some folks to do things they shouldn't do. But now with Facebook and other social media sites, the look at me crowd has multiple outlets. So now a record book probably doesn't cause any more shortcuts than any other recognition source.
That bird scored 156 and some change.
It's all up to you. I've killed some good ones and wished. Had entered them but I didn't. The great bow hunter Paul Shafer was once congratulated on one of his trophies and he replied to the tune of "why are you congratulating me", and pointing to the animal in question he said "he grew it".
I had the KS record archery Reo at one time. Last I looked it was 2nd. I also have a archery hen with a beard 9 7/8 in. long. Those are the only two I bothered to score out of a hundred plus archery birds. The hunts are why I scored them. My buddy wouldn't let me shoot a bearded hen,that he shot. The boss Reo came in after he shot the hen. I was laughing the whole time. My bearded hen came in during a fall hunt. I though it was a gobbler at first glance. I doubled on two hens,which filled my MO. turkey tags.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
I have never scored any of my birds. Usually I don't even weigh them to be able to score them. I've never really been that worried about how big a tom I get. As long as its an exciting hunt is all I'm after.
I haven't scored one since the contest here last year. Other than the friendly competition like that I've never really cared to score one.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Thanks for the good replies. IMO, getting a gobbler that will score real well is just luck. Other than trying for a bird with a long beard there's not much you can do. Can't see the spurs, pretty hard to tell if it's 21 lbs. or 24 lbs., I know I can't. Beard length, I can't tell if it's 10 inches or 10.75 inches. Of the 3 gobblers I've got with multiple beards, I never knew there were more than one beard until he was dead. It's not like judging a deer, elk, bear or bighorn sheep, which some guys can be very accurate at. So I don't feel I've earned any special recognition for getting lucky on a high scoring turkey but next time I get one that is a new state record I think I'll enter it just for the fun of it. It will give my hunting buddies something to kid me about when I blow it somehow calling in a turkey.
Quote from: guesswho on May 11, 2018, 09:34:26 PM
I've entered one. Still ranks #2 in Alabama. I actually tried to have it entered without my name attached to it, but the N"WTF" wouldn't allow it without a hunters name. I feel any recognition should be for the animal and not the hunter. It's strickly luck of the draw for the hunter and nothing more. I think that hunter recognition can lead some folks to do things they shouldn't do. But now with Facebook and other social media sites, the look at me crowd has multiple outlets. So now a record book probably doesn't cause any more shortcuts than any other recognition source.
That bird scored 156 and some change.
Heard from a friend just the other day about a guy here in N.J. who claims to be a turkey "guide."
As the story was told to me, he actually hunts over corn and apparently the "hunters" are o.k. with that although it's illegal here.
This "guide" claims he's killed three 28 lb. turkeys which is pretty much an impossibility in this State. The turkeys are entered in NWTF records and apparently, NWTF accepts his claim. Now, here in N.J., when you check your bird, at most check stations, you weigh and measure your own bird, so you can claim it weighed anything you want.
So, NWTF records, in that case, are subject to fraudulent claims. Anyone who has a legitimate record, is shut out because of dishonest guys like the "guide..."
Yes, make a system that can be jacked and it will be jacked. It's just human nature to cheat. It apparently means that much to people like the "guide" and his "hunters" to be "honored", that they're willing to cheat to get it...
I enter nothing because the little ones don't count. LOL!
Sent from my SM-J727VPP using Tapatalk
Contests have no place in what should be a personal sport. Whatever.
Quote from: sixbird on May 17, 2018, 09:17:22 PM
Quote from: guesswho on May 11, 2018, 09:34:26 PM
I've entered one. Still ranks #2 in Alabama. I actually tried to have it entered without my name attached to it, but the N"WTF" wouldn't allow it without a hunters name. I feel any recognition should be for the animal and not the hunter. It's strickly luck of the draw for the hunter and nothing more. I think that hunter recognition can lead some folks to do things they shouldn't do. But now with Facebook and other social media sites, the look at me crowd has multiple outlets. So now a record book probably doesn't cause any more shortcuts than any other recognition source.
That bird scored 156 and some change.
Heard from a friend just the other day about a guy here in N.J. who claims to be a turkey "guide."
As the story was told to me, he actually hunts over corn and apparently the "hunters" are o.k. with that although it's illegal here.
This "guide" claims he's killed three 28 lb. turkeys which is pretty much an impossibility in this State. The turkeys are entered in NWTF records and apparently, NWTF accepts his claim. Now, here in N.J., when you check your bird, at most check stations, you weigh and measure your own bird, so you can claim it weighed anything you want.
So, NWTF records, in that case, are subject to fraudulent claims. Anyone who has a legitimate record, is shut out because of dishonest guys like the "guide..."
Yes, make a system that can be jacked and it will be jacked. It's just human nature to cheat. It apparently means that much to people like the "guide" and his "hunters" to be "honored", that they're willing to cheat to get it...
I guess if he feeds them enough corn he might get them up to 28 lbs. You could shove a bunch of lead sinkers down their throats, too. That would help.
I don't think I would ever enter one. There is to much of a desire for personal recognition and fame. This is especially prevalent in deer hunting but it's started carrying over to turkeys. I have nothing against recognizing an amazing bird but with all the baiting and extracurricular activities people perform to achieve recognition will always make things suspect in my mind to the point that I no longer pay attention to any of it. The old gobbler contest is the only reason I measure anything and that is just for fun. The bird already met my personal standards if I pulled the trigger on it and is a trophy to me. A contest for fun doesn't change my standards or methods of hunting. I hunt mountain birds that wouldn't know a cornfield if it fell on them. Anything that scores above 50 is a good bird and 60 is exeptional. But you earn every one of them if you hunt them straight-up and they are in my mind one of the hardest challenges in turkey hunting. A tape measure doesn't tell that tale.
My oldest son has killed a couple dandy birds. The best one has a 12"3/4 and 10"1/2 beards with 1.25 spurs and 25 lbs The other one has identical measurements but the beards were 11.5 and 8.5.
I would have the #1 overall scoring typical bird in the state of MO that I shot when I was 15 had it been entered. My little sister shot a Tom when she was 10 that would have the #1 spur length record in MO and be 3rd place nationally also had it been entered.
They weren't entered by my father, part because you had to be a member of NWTF to have them registered, and also for many reasons that have already been said. It's more about the hunt, the memories, and having a personal level of respect for the animal, whether he's a trophy by your standards or the record books standards.
I still haven't entered my grand slam in the NWTF record books yet and never have scored a bird for sure. Don't know why, after I finished the slam it, just didn't seem as important to document it. Maybe if I finish the world slam I will, but for now that's just a pipe dream.
I have recorded two, I think. Both easterns. I did it because I'd like to harvest a grand slam and, to do that, you have to register them. Neither was huge but, like someone else said, they're all trophies in one way or another.
I guess as long as it doesn't get to the level of bass tournaments, it's o.k. I hate to degrade a turkey by making it some sort of symbol of one's ego. Just doesn't seem right to me...
I love the fact when I say I killed a turkey the first question isn't "what did he score" like with deer.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Historically speaking, the record keeping system was the brain-child of Col. Dave Harbour back in the late 70's/early 80's.. His intent was noble,...to recognize exceptional wild turkeys (and I suppose to some degree, the hunter involved) based on the three parameters that were considered to be "important" to turkey hunters. He and his wife kept the records for a few years before the NWTF took it over. If I was to guess, I think that transfer occurred due to the fact that keeping the records was becoming too much of a burden on an elderly couple.
I'm not sure just how much thought Dave put into the scoring system, but I personally do not believe he really truly contemplated all of the factors and their relative importance. Really, does "the weight, plus two times the beard length, plus ten times the spur length" actually fit in terms of relevance? Seems pretty simplistic to me.
The flaws in the scoring method aside, the accepted system at least gives us a method of comparing turkeys,...both in terms of subspecies characteristics as well as regional variations within individual subspecies. That, in itself, has some value to both turkey hunters that might be interested in such things and to wildlife professionals, as well.
There is no doubt that the NWTF has turned the record-keeping system into a money-making mechanism. Does anybody really believe they have to validate their turkey by paying the NWTF twenty-five bucks (or whatever it is now) to "register" it?
Having said all of that, I do believe there is merit in having truly exceptional turkeys noted in some recorded form. If nothing else, it gives us a method of comparing a gobbler we might have shot with the very best specimens from a subspecies and/or region. I have submitted one such gobbler to the record book,...for his recognition, not mine.
I never have, and never will. The scoring system, to me, is subjective. The best bird (in my book) I've ever killed sported a 1" beard. Both spurs were over 1 1/2 inches. To me, that's a trophy bird.
Never have and never will. I just don't see the point in making turkey hunting in to a pecker measuring Contest like deer hunting has done. For me I just like to hunt and call for my kids and friends.
I have never registered a bird with the NWTF. I have thought about entering one of each species. I do not care about get recognition for the a record bird. I just want the pins you get for each bird.
QuoteI guess if he feeds them enough corn he might get them up to 28 lbs. You could shove a bunch of lead sinkers down their throats, too. That would help.
I actually knew a guy who shoved shotgun shells down their throats. He always had heavy birds when I ran our local check station. one day I grabbed his bird by the throat and felt a lump move, I kept squeezing and out popped a shell from the birds mouth. After that I would never record weights from his birds.
I have never registered any....I'm not paying $25.00 to get my name on a list that means nothing. I killed one bird that would be no. 6 over all and someone else tried to claim him, he asked me for a picture and a copy of the check slip and I later found out he claimed he killed it....
I could be in the top 20 and my grandson could be in the top 10 in Texas if we had registered birds. I've compared a few really nice birds to those in the record book, but I've never registered one with the NWTF.
:gobble:I just started entering mine so that it will show once I get a grand slam, royal, world.
Quote from: ncturkey on January 04, 2019, 01:30:32 PM
I have never registered a bird with the NWTF. I have thought about entering one of each species. I do not care about get recognition for the a record bird. I just want the pins you get for each bird.
I just like nuturkey did it for the pins, I have three other Grand Slams not registered. This past year I did registered a double Single year Grand Slam. My only personal regret is that I didn't have enough time to shoot my second Easter Turkey on public land. Seven Birds were taken on Public Land and my last one on my own private land. Some thing a lot of people could accomplish if given the time off to keep hunting.
I have registered one in each state I have killed in. I am chasing the super slam which started after killing a grand slam. I have never done it to kill the biggest and get bragging rights or whatever. I eventually plan to do me some type of display with the pins that they send you.