1. Spurs
2. Beard
3. Weight
The main thing I wants is 2. I like a big old grey/black paintbrush. :drool:
I look for any legal turkey
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
A challenge enough to keep me excited enough to have them on the brain all year long like I do. Spring Jakes get a pass from me though.
I am a beard guy, as well. Not that I don't like spurs, but it is a rare gobbler that I get to take a good look at its spurs before pulling the trigger. Bottom line for me is that, if two or more gobblers come to the call at the same time, my decision on which to shoot is made solely on beard length (1st) and beard thickness (2nd). Of course, this is assuming I have the option of choosing any one bird out of a group.
I think some folks will shoot the primary strutter when given multiple options thinking that it will be the dominant, and probably oldest, gobbler and therefore be most likely to have good spurs. If you are a spur guy, that is probably the wisest choice and best bet.
For me personally, though, the best beard is gonna be my target in most situations.
One that works good.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 08, 2020, 02:22:30 PM
I am a beard guy, as well. Not that I don't like spurs, but it is a rare gobbler that I get to take a good look at its spurs before pulling the trigger. Bottom line for me is that, if two or more gobblers come to the call at the same time, my decision on which to shoot is made solely on beard length (1st) and beard thickness (2nd). Of course, this is assuming I have the option of choosing any one bird out of a group.
I think some folks will shoot the primary strutter when given multiple options thinking that it will be the dominant, and probably oldest, gobbler and therefore be most likely to have good spurs. If you are a spur guy, that is probably the wisest choice and best bet.
For me personally, though, the best beard is gonna be my target in most situations.
That's about exactly what I do as well
My goal is the dominant bird, regardless how big or if his beard is a paint brush, i just feel he's the hardest one to kill of the flock and usually he's the oldest... Smarter the bird and the older bird is the most fulfilling of all the hunts.
It depends on the hunt. If I'm hunting with my kids, I want a tom that has put on a little bit of a show (some gobbling, strutting, etc) and has a full tail fan. On those hunts I'm more worried about getting my kids excited and putting hands on a bird than anything else. I try to get friends that haven't hunted much out with me for turkeys, and the same applies those hunts as well. If there are multiple Toms in range I'll go with beard length or fullness.
If I'm on my own and have some time, I want the dominant tom, whatever he looks like. However, most of my hunts the last few years have been with my kids or new hunters and I don't think I've targeted a specific bird in the last 5 years or so.
If more than one Tom comes in I try to take the dominant bird judging by which struts and seems to be the boss. The next criteria for me is the biggest, then best beard. I have never seen the spurs on one before I shot it so that hasn't been a factor.
Gobbling Tom's with Full fans get shot, long spurs and thick beards are a bonus. Probably spurs over thick beards but either one is pretty cool.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
If he's not a Jake he dies!
I'm a spur guy but really don't care, come in gobbling is my preference, which is everyone's I would guess!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Swinging beard, full fan, even coverts or long Spurs is all I need to see. Swinging beard or full fan is usually the easiest to identify.
I need to see one of those plastic push button things that pop up out of the breast when they are done cooking
If I can't see that sticking up thru the breast feathers at 40 yds he gets a free pass.
I was told when I first started hunting turkeys, you can kill Jake's until you kill your first Gobbler. Once you kill that first Gobbler, you couldn't go back across that line EVER. I've stuck to that Rule. My first bird was a Gobbler so..... it's a FULL fan or nothing. By the way, Bearded Hens are off limits too.
Full fan.
The one that gives the best challenge working to the gun (Jakes excluded).
Mature (full fan) and in range!
Yep, full fan...
BB's
First thing I look for is a full fan, then I start looking for a hole in the trees in the direction he's heading where I'll get my best shot, I also hope to see a swinging beard. Next, I like to see him cartwheel from the shot.
Jim
Low turkey IQ
A GOBBLE, anything else is gravy.
RW
The thrill of the hunt.....a gobbler that makes you reposition 10 times, plays hard to get, gobbles but reluctant to commit, shuts up, then lights up again when I clam up and finally, a hunt that lasts for over an hour and stays in our mind for ever. Be safe
All the above. Mostly MEAT. I haven't ate commercially raised Turkey in 20 years
Quote from: Tom007 on March 08, 2020, 07:24:10 PM
The thrill of the hunt.....a gobbler that makes you reposition 10 times, plays hard to get, gobbles but reluctant to commit, shuts up, then lights up again when I clam up and finally, a hunt that lasts for over an hour and stays in our mind for ever. Be safe
I had one last year gobble quite a bit for about 4 hours, I believe. I kept moving closer, closer, and then finally let him move the rest of the way in. I don't know if I ever have had one gobble for so long, I am not sure I would remember anyway, lol.
I look for a big bright head to shoot... as long as it's a legal male turkey.
Great answers...
Any legal bird that works. Gobble like a man die like a man I say.
A full fan and a decent beard.
I prefer the birds that are ready and willing to die. They are getting harder to find!
Any mature Tom that wants to play the game for me. More about the overall hunt but when I do get one, I love flipping him over and checking out them hooks too
Here in North Ga almost anything is an accomplishment. I dont worry much about crazy beard size but at this point in my turkey hunter evolution I'll pass on a jake.
That said I dont fault anyone if they want to take whatever is legal.
This stuff can be much harder than most think . It can take an enormous of amount of time and yes money.
All that can make any turkey a prize.
I am looking for some of this.. (https://i.imgur.com/uniJYen.jpg)
All depends on the hunt, my Learn to Hunts, Youth Hunts, and Newbies "legal" works. Never going to tell them to pass on a jake because it's a Jake.
Now to others that I hunt with/call for. We hunt for a full fan once we see that it's game on.
For me I hunt the Dominant Bird (Alpha) he is my hunt, now I work a bird in and have that opportunity I'll squeeze a trigger. But when multiples work in I'm going to the boss, or I get a bird who has "beaten" us before I get focused on him, might be that week, might be in a few weeks but I'm back in on him.
So in the details I'm a Spur Guy, I'll note some "Long" beards and Heavy birds but Spurs are #1.
Are You Hook'd!
MK M GOBL
I only shoot 4 yr old birds! I age them quickly and let them pass if they dont meet the criteria!
JK
Full fan... its going down!
Jake's and bearded hens get a pass. If I start off hot and kill 2 Tom's pretty quick I then hold my remaining tags looking for something older or bigger than average. Near the end of season I may lower my standards a bit but it still needs to be a mature bird. I really dont care if I tag out anymore. I do want to be able to hunt the entire season. I tend to slack off the actual personal hunting a bit in the middle of season and try to help a friend or two get a bird and that helps as well.
To me a Tom is a Tom as long as he's coming and gives me a shot. After he's down I like big hooks over a big beard.
Might sound simple but I just want one to come into range and display for a while so I can watch and enjoy. I have had 3 within a foot off me, I have had a pair with hens display a couple of hundred yards out and man was it pretty the way the sunlight shown through their tail feathers, I have had the two in shooting range last year that I took one of and I have had one land next to my head once but I have never been able to watch one display and dance up close and I think I would really enjoy that.
If more than one gobbler, the one with the longest thickest beard, other wise a mature full fan gobbler.
Full fans and a long, 9+ inch, beard. If multiple come in then I try to take the more dominant of the two. Long sharp spurs are my favorite and the spurs are typically the only "trophy" I keep on the birds now. Although I will say 99% percent of the time I don't know what his spurs are until I go and pick him up. I've tried to look and see what one's spurs were several times in the field but usually the grass to too tall or I just can't get a good look.
A bit off topic, but funny
https://www.facebook.com/WhaleTalesArcheryWI/videos/1284101014978058/
Spurs are where it's at for me. A thick paintbrush beard comes second. Considering you rarely see spurs prior to shooting, I have to use other criteria. First thing I'm looking for is a swinging beard. Next, full fan if I can get the bird to strut. Usually I can tell by the sound of the gobble if it's a Jake coming in, although there are a few exceptions that hit puberty a little early. If there are multiple birds, I'm watching body language amongst them to determine which is the dominant bird, and he's the one I take. In the end it's simple. If he has a full fan and gobbles like a man, he better run while he can; because I'm about to dust him. All jakes get a pass from me. However, two year old and up better watch themselves. As far as body weight, I honestly could care less. Far as I'm concerned he could have the body size of a barnyard rooster, with his ten inch beard dragging between his feet and his spurs poking him in the rear when he walks. He's grown as big as he's gonna live to be at that point.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
2 years or older tom turkey, preferably gobbles and comes to my call
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
A game, an interesting game. Win or lose.
I agree full tail fan ! Tells me all I need to know
I like ones that give me a story to tell.
There aren't many that don't leave me with a story to tell. In fact, I can't remember the last gobbler that left this world wholly anonymously. Sometimes it's the way they come in, or the way they show up unexpectedly. If I don't know a lot about them individually, I know something about the gobbler that was their granddaddy or their great granddaddy. That is a story in and of itself.
If given a choice it always the strutter, and if he is gobbleing coming in thats the iceing on the cake. There all trophies in my eyes.
One that gobbles all the way to gun and has a full fan.
Full fan and/or long beard. If it's two or more I'll go for the strutter. On a couple of occasions I've shot the looker because I had a prior history with him, picked me off and blew the deal previously. Sorta had a grudge to settle.
I look for a) mature bird
b) accessability
c) huntability
I believe any mature turkey is a trophy. The memories made hunting them are what I need. :z-twocents: Al Baker
I want gobbling I'm sure I've killed a few silent birds but those memories must be the quickest to fade away as I seem to more vividly recall the hunts where they can in screaming with drumming you can feel in your chest.
Once dead I enjoy the surprise factor of the spurs you never really know what you have until you pick him up. But a barrel chest and swinging paint brush does raise the pulse when he's on his way in.
Ultimately if they didn't gobble I probably wouldnt hunt them so thats it for me.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
I look for a full fan. Most of the time you can't see spurs because of the grass. If more than one bird comes in, I look for the one with the bigger body and better beard. The dominant strutter is not always the best scoring bird.
Quote from: tomstopper on March 08, 2020, 09:03:13 PM
Any mature Tom that wants to play the game for me. More about the overall hunt but when I do get one, I love flipping him over and checking out them hooks too
^^ I second this
I look for different recipes to use after I kill them,I am a beard guy but I like a stubborn gobbler to hunt now and then.
A six inch beard or a full fan.
A full fan!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A sneaky one . Goes quiet and comes in behind or to the sides and hammers at 20 yards or so
I prefer a mature gobble and the sight of the tip of a full fan cresting a ridgetop...but I also enjoy eating wild turkey more than I enjoy tag soup so if it's a legal bird and he's curious, he's probably gonna die.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Range... How far away he is... :toothy12:
Most of the time I look at the beards, as it is rare I can see the spurs. Were I able to see spurs, I would probably take hooked spurs over a longer beard though.
Most of my birds are in tall grass... Sometimes a full-fanned bird gets shot if I can see any part of a beard...
Full fan
Quote from: TauntoHawk on March 09, 2020, 04:54:19 PM
I want gobbling I'm sure I've killed a few silent birds but those memories must be the quickest to fade away as I seem to more vividly recall the hunts where they can in screaming with drumming you can feel in your chest.
Once dead I enjoy the surprise factor of the spurs you never really know what you have until you pick him up. But a barrel chest and swinging paint brush does raise the pulse when he's on his way in.
Ultimately if they didn't gobble I probably wouldnt hunt them so thats it for me.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using
Great response. I've killed some with no spurs and some with scrawny beards. Makes me no difference as long as they put on a show and raise my heart rate. With that said, no jakes even though I've had some put on a show and had full gobbles
Spurs.
has to be a good listener
willing to try new things
easy on the eyes, comely even
two big ol' breast
Floppage
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
if I can get my hand around his neck..... He's a good one .. Seriously I like to see a long shiny beard
A long, wide bodacious beard. And a well endowed waddle :drool:
Quote from: bigriverbum on March 10, 2020, 08:10:34 AM
has to be a good listener
willing to try new things
easy on the eyes, comely even
two big ol' breast
LOL! Now that was just plain FUNNY right there! I am still laughing out loud! (my emoji thingy isn't working or you would be getting a whole lot of smiley faces)
Sorry can say things like " I won't kill him if he doesn't gobble to my calls... or " he's gotta be a limb hanger" or any of those other silver spoon gobbler sayings... I'm a public land turkey hunter and they don't come on a string very often maybe once every 10 years... I hear gobble I see beard BANG!!!!
If it's a mature tom, I'm shooting it. I prefer to pass on jakes. As far as my favorite, I love a tom that gobbles a bunch and comes in to the call hard and fast!
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 10, 2020, 09:20:32 AM
Quote from: bigriverbum on March 10, 2020, 08:10:34 AM
has to be a good listener
willing to try new things
easy on the eyes, comely even
two big ol' breast
LOL! Now that was just plain FUNNY right there! I am still laughing out loud! (my emoji thingy isn't working or you would be getting a whole lot of smiley faces)
i'm a simple man. what can i say? :drool:
Depends on the hunt....
I've taken 1 jake in my life because it had a double beard, so I got two first there. I would like one more jake but mostly for a fan on my decoy. I use a hen's fan currently that works good to keep my decoy size down and less antimidating but I'd like that jake fan characteristic. Can't use the one I shot already because its on the Slam wall for first Idaho bird. So states I've hunted before, looking for one jake this year.
Otherwise it's simple, a Tom. I don't get hyped on spurs or beard (we have a lot of breakage/rot from snow). I already have some big birds with big hooks and long beards. Still have 40+ years of hunting left in me so I can't say I wont incidentally break my already personal best in all accounts by happen stance.
So for me its a Tom that wants to take a nap that day.
A tasty turkey meal.
I look for the pounding in my heart, shaking hands, shortness of breath and a full fan. Never weighed or measured anything on a turkey.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Beard. Spurs, weight.
I've never shot a Jake, not saying that I wouldn't depending on circumstances. I have passed some full fanned gobblers with 5-6" beards and regretted it. But not too much. I think it's up to the individual on what legal bird he or she wants to harvest. My criteria is set at the moment I choose to squeeze or not squeeze. But if he struts up there, gobbling, spitting and drumming, with a full fan, he is most likely to catch some lead in the face.
A bird that plays the game with a full fan and gobbles to the gun is mainly what I'm after. In terms of trophy perspective, I like a big thick beard over spurs and weight.