In past years the gobblers on my property have had really wide thick beards. You stated in an article that beard length/size is genetic. This year I have killed two gobblers, one with 0.5" (pointed not blunt) spurs and one with 1.25" spurs each have approximately 10.25" beards. These two birds had long skinny beards (not even half the width) opposite from gobblers that I killed the past, do you know why this is? Why would the 0.5" spur turkey have a beard as long as the 1.25" spur turkey?
After a gobbler lives maybe 3 or 4 or 5 years does the beard weaken or have a tendency to have a melanin deficiency? I hunt in northwest fl.
Is there a food source to plant for turkeys that increases melanin and reduces "beard rot"?
I have 3 white or white/gray hens on my property, what is the likelihood of a white gobbler?
