Short spurs

[dzsmith]

as what others have said. most harvested birds you see are probably 2 years old. however, the area you hunt "terrain, genetics, stress, etc." probably play a big role in it. I see so many people post 1.5" spurs on facebook its unreal...ive never killed one, nor has there been one killed with spurs like that on any of the private land I hunt which is rough terrain. We kill some with better than 1" ,  but anything over 1.25 is very rare. seems like most birds that aren't blatant 2 year olds rarely have more than 1 1/8 spurs. this is just where I hunt. I know plenty of people who have killed big hooked birds, and I have as well but not in my neck of the woods.

[dublelung]

I think location and genetics play the largest role in spurs. I know folks who kill 1.25" spurs regularly in their areas and they're rare where I hunt locally. When I hunt KY or MO I kill longer spurred gobblers than I do in MS.

[Longbeard33]

I hunt a property here in Iowa, and have been for 12 years, that just doesn't produce long spurred gobblers often.  It is a anomaly compared to the other farms I hunt in the same county, surrounding counties and other areas of the state where I help people kill birds. The terrain isn't the issue in this case. It's agricultural broke up by wood lots/wooded ravines and connected by fence lines. Typical Iowa stuff.  Being able to gain some age isn't an issue either as I have the sole rights to hunting it and we take 2 or 3 longbeards a year. Most of the beards we take are not 2 yr olds based on the sharpness of the spurs.  This property's spur length, I believe, is genetically driven.