NWTF "scoring"

[OJR]

I have had a few scored in friendly pools on hunting trips.
Had a Rio near Coleman, TX back in 2009, that was a good one. He won me enough for gas money home! But I never thought to have one entered.

[Dougas]

Living on the Oregon central coast, my brother and I have taken many black tailed deer and Roosevelt's elk. Several of our deer officially scored higher than the the minimum and my brother's first elk official score would have made it #19 in Pope and Young. We never entered any of them. We just wanted to know the score. Then when I became a full time taxidermist, I learned how to score them for my personal use and for customers, so that they would know if they should get it officially scored.  Same with turkeys. I retired from the taxidermy trade, but still score my turkeys just for my personal use. Personall i feel no need to enter them.

[eggshell]

I don't think a trophy score signifies a trophy turkey in any way. It's only a measure of physical parameters that are solely genetic and food related. Just because a gobbler is big bodied and has long spurs and beard doesn't mean anything about how hard he was to outsmart. Look around at all animals, especially people. Is a man smarter and wiser just because he is 6'5", 275, and muscled up? Secondly I think trophy recognition only brings the worse out in people. I understand the desire to recognize genetic exceptions as exceptional examples of physical traits, but it means squat about the survival skills of the animal. I doubt I will ever register an animal. I just believe trophy hunting brings out the worse in our communities.

[joey46]

I have always cringed at "big buck" and "heaviest turkey" contest that were pretty common in Ohio, at a local level, when I started out.  When all was said and done it was alleged a whole lot of cheating took place.  Competition can bring out the worst in some.

[albrubacker]

I only ever had one scored, mainly to honor the bird. Had some history with it.

[eggshell]

Your right Joey, They have a contest locally here and I done it the first year just as a favor to my buddy (it was a a team thing) and regretted it. It changed the whole season for me and I have never done it again. When I was younger the local NWTF chapter had a contest and I always entered. It was just for chapter members and for fun, no prizes except a local maker made a call trophy for the winner. I play in this OG contest and enjoy it because it is just for fun and comradery. I have made some new friends through it. It's absolutely not about the trophy here but the people. I am glad OG set it up this way.

[bbcoach]

Maybe if I had a bird with 2 inch spurs and 5 beards I might but other than that NO.  A bird like that would be newsworthy and I would have to have it mounted.

[jhoward11]

Only score to compete with my hunting buddies.

[RutnNStrutn]

Never have and never will.

[Dr Juice]

Never have and never will.

Same here.

[mookyj]

Having said all of the above, the Harbour scoring system, to my knowledge, is the only one in use for scoring (and comparing) wild turkeys. I don't think enough people care enough about scoring turkeys to come up with something better, so we are "stuck" with this one. ...But if someone wants to get in the record book, more power to them...go for it (just make sure you submit the proper dollars for it)...     

An alternate weighted system, been around for more than two decades, around 2003. Emphasis on spurs. Fun geeky numbers stuff.

https://turkey-talk.com/scoresbpmeasure.html

[richard black]

Never have and probably never will. Never have felt the need for recognition or bragging rights. As others have stated, it's about the hunt, not how big the bird is.

[ScottTaulbee]

Other than the team contest here, and my kids first birds, for note taking purposes for them, I don't even measure them at home. If I got excited and done my part well enough to take him, that's score and trophy enough. I haven't weighed or measured any in probably 13 or so years other than mentioned above.


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