Spur dilemma

[Old Timer]

How many of you folks keep your spurs? Back in the day I enjoyed cleaning them. As time went by I find myself with a good size bag of legs in the freezer. I have enough displays for a life time. Maybe I should make a winter project out of it.
Many have been in the freezer for years after defrosting them will natural color come back? Thanks

[BBR12]

I usually end up the same way. I have a band saw which makes quick work of them but I just cut them off the same length and blow the marrow out with air compressor. I usually let them dry overnight and I put the beard in the shell(with state and date with sharpie written on it)and attach that and the spurs on a string. If it's a state with a tag I put the tag on there also. I have done all kinds of different ones in the past but this is easy and I can easily just look at the shell or tag and it brings back the memories of that hunt.

[Old Timer]

Good idea!

[guesswho]

I cut most of mine off and throw in a bucket.  The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

[catman529]

I have turkey feet all over the place. I'd like to make a necklace someday. It's gonna be a lot of work getting all those cut and cleaned up. And it's only gonna get worse as the pile grows, but I'm not throwing em away.


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[HookedonHooks]

I usually end up the same way. I have a band saw which makes quick work of them but I just cut them off the same length and blow the marrow out with air compressor. I usually let them dry overnight and I put the beard in the shell(with state and date with sharpie written on it)and attach that and the spurs on a string. If it's a state with a tag I put the tag on there also. I have done all kinds of different ones in the past but this is easy and I can easily just look at the shell or tag and it brings back the memories of that hunt.

I do mine about the same, only no bandsaw so I use a dremel, just takes longer. I also use the little hang tags they use to price things at craft shows and put the date/state/and any very brief info about the hunt  to help bring those memories up as well. They hang nicely on deer antler skull cap mounts as a way to display both things.

[Turkeyman]

I do very similar to BBR12...although I've missed a few years.

[crow]

I cut most of mine off and throw in a bucket.  The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

I never put this on the forum because I like to keep some secrets for hard hunted public ground, but my biggest gobbler to date was rattled in to 25yds

[GobbleNut]

I cut most of mine off and throw in a bucket.  The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

I never put this on the forum because I like to keep some secrets for hard hunted public ground, but my biggest gobbler to date was rattled in to 25yds

Personally, I quit rattling them up years ago.  Not sporting.  Pretty much the same as using a fan or a gobbler deke,...but easier...     
Any more, I just carry about thirty spurs from last year's hunts in my vest as a snack for when I am carrying those forty pound gobblers out of the woods after hiking in twenty miles for a morning hunt before breakfast. 
...Alright, ya' got me,...I am exaggerating,....they usually only weigh about thirty-pounds and sometimes I only hike in fifteen miles....   

[turkeyfool]

Same boat. Use a bandsaw after each season just to cut down on the size on everything, if nothing else. If you shoot 4,5 birds in a year then do it after each season and spend a few hours removing the marrow and the skin. I've found this helps to stay on top of it, even if you don't actually build a necklace or add to it each year.

Another thing to keep in mind is that almost all of my legs/spurs are fine if left in the freezer for a few years. But I did have one that was only in there 2 years and it almost started to rot. Like the cap on the spur came off (no big deal). But the cap and the actual spur has a nasty smell to it.

[THattaway]

I cut most of mine off and throw in buckets.The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

Fixed that for you Sir. I've seen pictures.

[EZ]

I cut most of mine off and throw in a bucket.  The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

I never put this on the forum because I like to keep some secrets for hard hunted public ground, but my biggest gobbler to date was rattled in to 25yds

Good thing you didn't let out your "secret" of blowing through the big end of your wingbone....whoops!!!

[crow]

I cut most of mine off and throw in a bucket.  The larger ones I'll keep the legs intact and use them as rattling spurs.

I never put this on the forum because I like to keep some secrets for hard hunted public ground, but my biggest gobbler to date was rattled in to 25yds

Good thing you didn't let out your "secret" of blowing through the big end of your wingbone....whoops!!!

That was the original method in the development of perfecting the squealing hen sound.
Just when I have finally started to put behind me the embarrassment of having that stolen from me you have to bring it back up.
So, Thanks for that

[crow]

One thing I always thought was interesting about spurs,

In the old books by Simon Everett and Capt. Bogardus, both describe what they felt were the biggest gobblers they had shot.

Everett brought his in the house and laid it on the kitchen table, somebody put a picture of the Bogardus gobbler in the paper.

Both comment on weight, height, beard length and unique coloration feathers,
neither of them mentions the spurs.

[guesswho]

That was the original method in the development of perfecting the squealing hen sound.

Reverse engineering!   I like that approach