Well, my Kansas trip was a success for all three of us. I smoked a nice double beard that had the biggest fan I have EVER seen. When he began strutting towards me, all I could think was, "Man, either he has the smallest body I've ever seen, or the biggest fan!" Well he was 22lbs, so it wasn't the body! We hunted at Hickory Creek Outfitters in Sedan, KS, and MAN does he have the birds! Winter Storm Achilles met us there, but we still heard a good bit of gobbling given the conditions. He had 1 3/16" and 1 1/4" spurs, 10 1/2" and 7 5/8" beards, and a shade under 22 lbs (I think around a score of 82). He didn't score as high as the other, so no upgrade. This has been my best year, taking 5 birds in Bama, 3 birds in Mississippi, and this double beard in Kansas. I watched several others die this year as well. Now I have a debate....... I have a double bearded merriams mounted, a 5 bearded eastern mounted, and my first eastern mounted (12" beard, 1 3/8" spurs). I would like to have this Rio mounted so I have three subspecies with multiple beards and good spurs mounted, but I also killed that bird this year with 2 10 1/2" beards and 1 1/2" and 1 3/8" spurs........ Would you mount both of them? And if so, how?
Would you mount this one too? I need some help before I go broke!!
