Your Best Bird

[davisd9]

Trying to pass time until turkey season.  I have pretty much lost all interest in deer hunting now and trying to past the months to Spring.  To do this I thought it would be fun to talk about the best bird you have killed, according to NWTF score or if you are not sure by that than whichever you think is your best.  Talk about your heaviest, longest spurs, longest bird, or all the above.

My best bird, NWTF Score wise, was the bird I scored for the team last year.  This bird is also my bird with the longest beard and spurs.  Shot him at 4:00 pm and he came running to the call 10 minutes after I sat down.  Came in silent, but running.  Weighed 19 lbs, with a 11.5" beard, and 1.25" spurs.







Heaviest bird I ever killed was my first long beard.  Weighed in at 20 lbs.  Scored 62.  Shot him at 10-12 yards with a Remington 870 20 ga with Remington Nitro #5s.  Flew right off the limb to me and shot him where he landed, greatest moment in my hunting career of any game.  Had a 11" beard and 1" spurs.

[dirt road ninja]

Last year was the first time I ever scored one, so I guess it would be the biggest one from last spring. The best bird I've killed was the 2nd weekend of the season in 94. I shot a toad with my back to a property line tree. I struck a gobble just before lunch and the bird was below me in a bottom. Not ten yards in front me was Natchez State Park and there was no hunting allowed in there. I sat against the nearest tree and faced the bird, then yelped  again and he was closer. I put my box down and got ready, a few minutes latter I was picking up my bird. When I shot him I had not killed many before and I knew he was bigger than most. His beard was about a foot long and thick, his spurs were long and sharp, but I didn't put a tape on them. After I carried him to my bike I knew I had to weigh him, so I took him to a small grocery that had a scale to weigh cold cuts. He was 21 + pounds with his head and tail on the counter. I went back to my little camp and cleaned him up. I nailed the fan to my camp and threw the beard on my dash board. I didn't keep spurs then, so they went off to the trash pile. By now its like 1:30 in the afternoon and I was hungry, so I jumped back in the truck and picked up Wendy's in town. I hit the drive thru and went back to my camp for a nap(even in my teens I liked naps during turkey season). I don't like tomatoes and my burger had some on it, so I threw them in the bag, ate the burger and a few fries crumpled up the bag and drove back to the camp. I went to roost birds latter that evening then went to bed shortly after supper. The next day I wake up and go jump in my truck to hunt and a black cat jumps out the truck. It had been in there eating my tomato and fries. Needless to say he scared the poop out of me and it took me a few minutes to realize the cat chewed my trophy beard from the day before. All I had were long black hairs all over my seat and pieces of a Wendy's bag everywhere. I was heartbroken, but got over it and learn to keep my windows up.

[WNY Bowhunter]

It's a tie between these two...

2011 bird:  overall nicest based on NWTF score...22 lbs, 10 3/4" beard, 1 1/4" spurs





2012 bird:  last year's contest entry

This guy had 30 mm spurs (1 3/16") and had a little over a 10" beard when banded in February of 2007. Based on this, the lady at Penn State said that he was probably 9 years old and is the oldest reported bird in the tri-state banding study. Also, it's the oldest bird on record in NY.  He was surprising hefty as old as he was @ 22 lb 6 oz, had a busted spur and 2/3 of his beard had "frozen" off but what an old warrior of a gobbler!!! 

[davisd9]

Last year's bird was a trophy regardless but the band and learning the history behind that bad boy was awesome!  Would love to experience that myself.

[JVA54]

  My best bird was the first one. I started turkey hunting with a bow, four year later I shot this one.  Can't remember what year it was, it sucks getting old.  But as you can see I was a lot younger.
He was 22.5 lbs  12 3/4 in beard  1 1/8 spurs  scored 70.5

[davisd9]

That is a great bird Mr. John, and with a bow to boot!  That beard is a paintbrush!

[dirt road ninja]

Mr. John,

It's been awhile, but your bow looks to be a HC Supreme or Royal Hunter. Do you know remember which model it was? My first deer with a bow was with a HC and owned at least 10 to 15 of them. I worked at an achery shop for awhile and just about lived there. We sold a ton of HC back in the early and mid 90's. Then along came Mathews and the rest is history. Great pic thanks for posting it.

[dirt road ninja]

Mr. John,

When I saw the above picture I got the feeling that you looked familar, but I couldn't place where I knew you from. Then it hit me - You looked a lot like Bruno Kirby in the movie City Slicker in that pic. LOL.

[JVA54]

Mr. John,

It's been awhile, but your bow looks to be a HC Supreme or Royal Hunter. Do you know remember which model it was? My first deer with a bow was with a HC and owned at least 10 to 15 of them. I worked at an achery shop for awhile and just about lived there. We sold a ton of HC back in the early and mid 90's. Then along came Mathews and the rest is history. Great pic thanks for posting it.
[/quote
    I think that was a Excalibur, love that bow shot it for years. untill i got a bowtech Allegiance