How Many ??

[Yoder409]

Single bearded ??   I'm guessing no more than 2 or 3.

I say that because there is a mounted 75.25 point bird in the garage.  It was my younger daughter's first-ever longbeard at 12 years old. 

I've only ever killed a couple single beards that would (maybe) top it.  I really only started measuring gobblers a few years back for the Old Gobbler Contest.

[Sixes]

I've never even weighed one nor even thought of a score.  I didn't think people really kept score with turkeys

[Hook hanger]

There were numerous turkey contests around in the late 80s-90s around me some at factories and some just small town general store contests. We also had to go to a check station where they weighed and measured  spurs and beards. One town contest in particular they just went off weight and you had too be real close to 30lb to win it every  year. There are some really big birds in that area 28lb was very common for a big bird to weigh in at.

[Kylongspur88]

I've only ever scored one bird and he had 3 beards so not the norm. I've killed several over the 25 pound mark but never scored them

[TrackeySauresRex]

The "other" bottom line is that the real "trophy" in turkey hunting is not what a gobbler scores, it is all about the hunt and all that it encompasses.  Any gobbler taken "fair and square" is a trophy equal to any other...   

^^^^^
Right on!

[eggshell]

There were numerous turkey contests around in the late 80s-90s around me some at factories and some just small town general store contests. We also had to go to a check station where they weighed and measured  spurs and beards. One town contest in particular they just went off weight and you had too be real close to 30lb to win it every  year. There are some really big birds in that area 28lb was very common for a big bird to weigh in at.

That's a good point. I ran a check station for years and we weighed every bird and recorded if it had over 1" spurs or more than an 8" beard. This was to determine the ratio of adults to juveniles. Most hunters wanted us to go ahead and record the total beard length and spurs. If they wanted to register their bird we would copy the check slip for them. I checked one of the world record eastern gobblers at that station, sometime in the late 80s. That hunter used the check slip for official verification. So yes in some areas scoring was initiated by the state.

[Turkeyman]

Only one I can think of and that's due to 1.625" spurs. Very difficult without good spurs.

[Cowboy]

Of all the gobblers I have called up and killed, I have never once felt the need to "score" one. I'm proud to state that.

Absolutely my way too. I didn't realize it made the difference. 

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[mlee3553]

Only one that I can think of, the overall hunt was the single best turkey hunt I  have ever had, fun story I'll have to tell some time.

[TauntoHawk]

I really dislike having to score birds for the contest here, I only participate because I enjoy having a group to txt with all hunting season that care about turkey hunting.

One of my favorite reasons for enjoying turkey hunting more than deer is there's so much less stigma and importance placed on the "trophy" aspect. 

Some of the most enjoyable turkeys have been exceptionally unimpressive in any stats department. Wading an icy stream barefoot in the castkills to watch 6 tom pitch 300yds to land in front of me. Taking my first afternoon gobbler after a 14 mile day on a solo out of state. I once spent 4 days of cat and mouse to catch up with a bird that had 1 spur, beard rot and 2 broken tail fans but boy was he a quirky one that loved to gobble but never commit.

I do however have a bird mounted that I'm sure meets that criteria, if I recall his stats correctly he'd score around 74. Most of the areas I hunt would never produce a bird that size, all of my highest scores were visits to more farm environments.

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[eggshell]

I would agree with several of the comments here about scoring turkeys. It probably is much less significant of a measure with turkeys than most other trophy animals. Let's just spit it out on the floor for all to see the ugliness of trophy categorization. It's a who has the biggest D#!* ego fest and was created by those that wanted to make money off it. For turkeys the system was created by the NWTF and they charged for it. I have always said a true trophy, records the score without cost. If you set a record in baseball do they send you a bill? It has absolutely ruined many areas of hunting. Living in an area that is known for trophy deer it has cost me a lot of hunting ground. I am pretty sure all these people coming from other states and paying big bucks to lease land wouldn't be as willing to pay if there was not a trophy system. If all they could shoot were 100 pound does, they'd never come. Now a turkey hunter comes to hunt turkeys with no expectation of the trophy status. The people who gain most by scoring turkeys are the people making money off it, namely the NWTF. Just another bone I have to pick with them. Oh I confess I have fallen into the trap more then once and I usually hate what it does to me. I imagine this might rub some wrong but it's just my personal opinion and worth nothing, so I hope it won't get me into too much hot water.

[High plains drifter]

25 pounds is my best.10 inch beard.He was a huge bird I called in.

[zelmo1]

This was just a way to keep my tiny brain busy for a few minutes guys. If I fool any tom into range, I am taking the shot. Broken spurs, tailfeathers, limping, blind and deaf, BANG, lol. I think, not speaking for anyone but me, that most of us live for the game. Some hunt meat, some glory. If you do your thing and do it "right for you" then you are a winner. No high horse here, I ride a pony and am proud of it. I dont want to ruffle any feathers here. Maybe a goat mane  or 2, but all in good fun. Z

[High plains drifter]

I've called in some smallish gobblers, and let them walk.