Turkey aging

[ncturkey]

Cool trophy for sure.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Any turkey enthusiast or biologist who knows enough only puts three age groups on a gobbler. One year old, two years old and mature adults, that's it.

I thought of a fourth age group:  As old as he's going to get!!!    

[WildTigerTrout]

Any turkey enthusiast or biologist who knows enough only puts three age groups on a gobbler. One year old, two years old and mature adults, that's it.

I thought of a fourth age group:  As old as he's going to get!!!    

Now that's a good one. true though.

[gobbler336]

a game warden in sc told me of a study they did with a banded bird that was tagged and had 3/4'' spurs at the time, nine years later he had 7/8'' spurs.  and the joker that killed him thought he had "just another two year old".

if you can't see the amber in the end of the beard he is past two that's about the only true thing i have heard. 

[lunghit]

Great info here. You should be very proud of that bird. Thanks for sharing.

[WiLL B]

The more I have studied them the least I know about aging them.

[NYbassman]

How accurate is the "amber tips on a two YO beard" way of aging? I have always been under the impression that this was a surefire way to tell a 2 YO, even though spurs will typically tell you that. So here is one for you.

Killed one this morning. a thick 10" beard, spurs 15/16" and 1" but blunt. I would have said two YO, but the beard lacks the amber tips. What say you? Small 3 YO?

[WNY Bowhunter]

Killed one this morning. a thick 10" beard, spurs 15/16" and 1" but blunt. I would have said two YO, but the beard lacks the amber tips. What say you? Small 3 YO?

Personally, I would have to say that he was at least a three year old.

I rely on the "amber tip" method to determine whether a gobbler is a 2 year old or if he's older than two...



On the left is bird #2 from this season...spurs were 1" & 3/4" (broken tip), beard was 10 3/8" with lots of orange/amber coloration.  On the right is a bird from 2011...spurs were 1 1/4", beard was 10.5" with pitch black tips.

Based on the obvious contrast here, I have no problem with calling this year's gobbler a two year old.

[TRKYHTR]

Killed one this morning. a thick 10" beard, spurs 15/16" and 1" but blunt. I would have said two YO, but the beard lacks the amber tips. What say you? Small 3 YO?

Personally, I would have to say that he was at least a three year old.

I rely on the "amber tip" method to determine whether a gobbler is a 2 year old or if he's older than two...



On the left is bird #2 from this season...spurs were 1" & 3/4" (broken tip), beard was 10 3/8" with lots of orange/amber coloration.  On the right is a bird from 2011...spurs were 1 1/4", beard was 10.5" with pitch black tips.

Based on the obvious contrast here, I have no problem with calling this year's gobbler a two year old.

WNY I agree with your amber colored tips being a 2 year old. One thing you have to watch out for is if the turkey has had "beard rot" or a mellinin deficiency during that time of the beard growth. Most of the 2 year old amber color is real short, like 1/8"-1/4" long amber color. When it's "beard rot"( I don't like that saying because the beard is not rotting) the amber color can be longer, even up to 2" long.

TRKYHTR