Did you keep a count of Long Beards taken?

[Notsoyoungturk]

I do for 2 reasons.  First, I am much newer to turkey hunting and haven't killed nearly as many as most of you.  Second, I also keep a journal that helps me remember and celebrate the wins and losses.

[JeffC]

I know I love hunting them and am thankful for every moment I get in the spring, behind the gun, or helping someone else.

This will come back to haunt you, better spend more time in gym! 

[JeffC]

Like eggshell said, most of us are older, I like to have something to remind me, have 1st Tom mounted and should have had my sons 1st mounted, but I cherish those 2 hunts more than anything, numbers dont matter.

[ruination]

The cool thing I see being revealed in this thread is most of us who are regular posters are older veteran hunters and are in the senior stages of being a sportsman. If this crowd was younger I suspect there would be a lot of numbers being posted. I would not be surprised if many of the youtubers could give you numbers right off the bat. As we mature in this sport we learn numbers are only relative to opportunity. If you travel a lot and have a lot of hunt time, your numbers will be better. For me it was a form of validation when I was younger and it kind of drove me. I have even confessed in some of my post that my family suffered from my obsession, missed birthdays and school events and so forth. I would give up every turkey to have some of that quality time back. For me, I had an epiphany one day and realized I had made my turkey hunting prowess an idol in my life. Yes this came after I became a Christian and a lot of things changed. I once had almost an entire wall in our basement covered with fans, spurs and beards. On the day I spoke of I bagged it all up and set it out for the garbage truck. My wife actually bet I would go get it before the truck came, but I didn't.

Do I count, not deliberately.  I have kept a photo album and each picture has bird stats on the back. I do enjoy looking through it and reminiscing, just like all you with journals. I think it's ok to count if you want, especially when your younger. Just don't be a jerk and braggart about it. Someone asked me once how many I have killed and my answer was this, "I don't keep a count and haven't for many years, if your still counting you ain't killed enough. You'll know when that day comes." That is still my answer. I hunt hard as I can stand anymore, but I am perfectly fine walking away from a gobbler and not putting one more notch in my turkey gun. A rare wildflower found will make my day.

Well, hop on Facebook and you will see plenty of old men thumping their chests and complaining about TSS.  Some people treat it as a competition or their whole identity, which is weird to me.   A lot of ego in the turkey game, and glad it isn't present heavily on these forums.

In the end they are just you before you had your epiphany.

Of course I have been a really bad turkey hunter for a really long time.  So I learned to just appreciate being around the woods pretty quickly.

[Hook hanger]

Yes I know how many,  if I would  count  all the spurs up .

[GobbleNut]

I know I love hunting them and am thankful for every moment I get in the spring, behind the gun, or helping someone else.

This will come back to haunt you, better spend more time in gym! 

  Yep,...if you mean what I think you mean, taking anybody out to your spots on public land will eventually bite you right in the behind.  Take it from somebody who did it way too much...and finally learned the lesson waayyy too late.  There is a BIG difference between taking other folks (kids or adults) on private land where you can control "matters" indefinitely.  It is a whole 'nother ball game to take them to your public land spots. 

As for the question, I have not kept track...probably could have made a count up until about 1990, but lots of turkeys have flown under the bridge since then.  I kind of wish I had kept better track after all these years.

The first ten or so years I spring gobbler hunted, I wrote full-length accounts of my hunts...and now wish I had continued to do so. For you newer hunters, it might be a good idea to jot down something on your hunts.  Don't do it as an "ego" thing...do it as a "memories" thing. After a few decades of doing this, you will be glad you did.   

[Dtrkyman]

I honestly have no clue, I had a bucket of spurs for years but pitched them when I moved, I was averaging around 10 per year for a while and that adds up pretty quick.

Have also guided countless hunts so I got to see a lot of birds shot by others as well, sure has been fun and can't wait to get after it here shortly!

[Old Swamper]

There are only a handful of people I will tell when I kill. I could have one in my truck bed, and be talking to you, if you are not one of those people, you would never know about it. Hell, I've had guys walk up to the truck and see a gobbler in the bed, and still deny killing one, even game wardens   That said, I've kept every beard and set of spurs, off every gobbler I have ever killed, this out of respect for them. Never once have I counted.

[Tribute Custom Calls]

When I was younger and could remember things better, I just knew how many but didn't actually keep count perse.
But back then, turkey hunting was a new thing in WI and I was quickly hooked. Like others have said, it's not about the count, it's about the experience and being in the outdoors. I have taken a lot of first time hunters out and the ones that only went that one time, still talk about the hunt as it is forever etched in there mind. To me that is more than worth it as they will forever have a better understanding of the outdoors and respect for those of us that live the outdoors.

[Neill_Prater]

I do. It's more than some, it's a lot less than many have killed, but I'm thankful for the experience of each and every one of those hunts.

I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping track of kills. We humans seem to view much of the world by the numbers. I don't think there's anything wrong with sharing those numbers with friends, though I rarely have. The total used to be important to me, not so much now that I am older. I'm guessing that's the case with virtually everyone. One's perspective changes with age.

I do wish I had kept a journal. There was a time, and not that long ago, when I could remember details about each and every bird I ever killed such as which way the bird was turned when I pulled the trigger. Not so much anymore. I've tried to forget every miss and screw up, but they tend to remain as vivid memories.

Remember and memorialize your time in the outdoors in any manner that gives you pleasure. That's what it's all about. If that means a room full of fans and beards, great. If it's a mind full of memories, that's great too.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[jhoward11]

I do not, I remember a lot of them, and some of the special ones,  but don't keep track.

[Sir-diealot]

Well for me this is easy, I have only gotten one. That said I don't think I need to keep track of any of the animals I have killed in order to prove to myself or anyone else that I am a man.

To me it is like a guy that sleeps with a lot of women and keeps track of how many, the only one it really impresses is himself. I knew a guy that had a wall of panties for all his conquests, actually felt sorry for the guy that that is all he thought relationships were about and I was still young then.

Edit: I have as some have mentioned tried to keep a journal, mostly what I have seen during the day turkey or visiting deer or birds as I find myself getting interested more and more in birds in general as well as just some thoughts during the day. I feel sorry for anyone trying to read it after I am dead and gone though, my handwriting is horrific. I have also as of late decided to shoot them more with the camera than the gun, if I am in to much pain to clean them then there is no sense shooting them but at least I will have a photographic memory as it were.

[Greg Massey]

If I had kept a journal, I would have several pages with just tears on the pages and I see no reason to go back and recollect why those tears are on all those pages. But for those of you who keep a journal that is still pretty cool...  Turkeys can make you hate yourself in just a matter of minutes ... LOL

[Tribute Custom Calls]

Man isn't that the truth.......A few of the unsuccessful hunts stick out more than the successful ones lol

[Happy]

I know I love hunting them and am thankful for every moment I get in the spring, behind the gun, or helping someone else.

This will come back to haunt you, better spend more time in gym! 

I think this his way of saying they are gonna whip us so badly that I am gonna hate turkey season. . Bold words, my friend. First off, I killed a turkey last year, so I have used all my luck up for the next 5 years in that department. Knowing this, I have really laid it on in the smack talk and good looks department. By the time I am done, the bs wagon will have a broken axle. And if you think I show others my spots, then you are mistaken. The only people that I trust that much are my kids, and I still haven't shown my full hand with them. I typically help others hunt their own spots. I may, on occasion, give someone I know and trust some general info, but those are a very select few.