If you have never scored a bird for our contest before, make sure you completely understand how to do it before your season starts.
There are 3 items that you will need in order to score your bird: a reliable scale, a tape measure and a digital camera.
There are 3 things that are measured for scoring a bird: Weight, beard length and the length of each individual spur.
Weight: Weigh him and take a photo of the results. Many scales will show the weight in pounds and ounces. You will need to convert the ounces to portion of a pound in a decimal form. Here's how to do it. Take the number of ounces and multiply that number by .0625. Example: Your turkey weighs in at 17 lbs. 11.5 ounces --> 11.5 x .0625 = .71875 --> Weight for scoring this bird is 17.71875 lbs.
Note: If you do not take a photograph of the scales with the bird's actual weight, your longbeard will be given a default weight of 14 lbs. If it is a Jake, it will receive a default weight of 10 lbs.
Beard length: Lay one end of the tape measure at the middle of the spot where the beard joins the skin at the breast, hold the tape measure tight to the beard, stretch it out and read the length of the longest strand. Take a photograph of the longest strand on the tape measure. Most tape measures read in increments of 1/16th of an inch. You will need to convert the fraction of an inch reading into a decimal form. Here's how: Take the number of hash marks and multiply by .0625. Example: Your beard measures 10-7/16" long --> 7/16 --> 7 x .0625 = .4375. The beard length for scoring in this case is 10.4375". BTW, if you take a multiple bearded bird, photograph the beard where it joins the skin at the breast to show that it is clearly a multiple, then measure each beard cluster in the same way you would a single beard, and add the lengths together for a total length.
Spur lengths: The method of correctly measuring the spurs needs to be completely understood and followed. Lay the end of the tape measure at the base of the outside curve of the spur where it joins the leg and pull the tape measure along that outside curve. Take a photograph. Repeat for the other spur. Scoring is the same way as for the beard. Keep the two spur scores separate. Example: Right spur measures 15/16" --> 15 x .0625 = .9375" and left spur measures 1-1/16" -->1 x .0625 = .0625. The left spur measures 1.0625"
Final Tally: The weight of the bird has no multiplier. Beard score is x2. Spur score is x10. Example: Weight - 17.71875, Beard score is 10.4375 x 2 = 20.875, Spur scores are .9375 x 10 = 9.375 (rt spur) and 1.0625 x 10 (lt spur) = 10.0625 for total scorefor the spurs of 19.4375. Add these up: 17.71875 + 20.875 + 19.4375 = 58.03125. This is the total score for your gobbler. Write these scores on a piece of paper with your name, team name and date of kill. Take a photograph of the paper, the bird and you all together if possible. Post these 5 photos in the Kill Folder. I will post all of the total scores on another thread and update it as the results change throughout the contest.
There is a post with a link to the Gobblermatic scoring calculator on our team board to make the scoring easier if you have access to a computer. Score every bird that you take and post it on the Kill Board folder. We will use the highest scoring bird from 9 separate team members to come up with the team final score. This contest can be won by very narrow margins, so it's very important that you enter every bird, even a Jake, as this ultimately could be the difference between winning and whatever that other disgraceful thing is called. There will also be a folder for the stories behind each bird. I, for one, never get tired of seeing dead birds, and hearing the stories about how they were outwitted, especially from my Roaring 20's brothers!
If you have any questions about the steps to correctly score your bird, please feel free to ask. Let's have a safe and successful season hunting this magnificent opponent. We're getting close!
FullChoke
