Aging gobblers

[Borden811]

I did some looking, and found 10 pair of spurs I have laying around here, ranging from 3/4 inch to 1 3/16 in(I just can't seem to kill one with those magical 1 1/4 spurs, or a beard over 10 inches for that matter). Anyway, in most cases, the leg bones appear as those in the photo I posted above, being that the presumably older birds have heavier more rigid bones. However, the one set of 3/4 inch spurs, have some hefty leg bones, but the ridges are inbetween that of the other 3/4 inch spurs, and the 1 3/16 set. So, it may be an indicator, but I would say just like spurs, it's a best guess scenario. Also, if I use a flashlight or a light bulb, I can see a lot of amber in every beard I have, more than just in the tips. But if I just hold them up to daylight, the supposed 2 yr old beards show more amer than the beards from supposedly older birds. In general, I think all we can do is guesstimate, with relative certainty, lol.

[davisd9]

Interesting Borden.  Thanks for doing some research on it.

[MKMGOBL]

So how old would 1-3/4" spured gobbler be?

[trkehunr93]

Spurs are the best way to go.  The amber is caused by melanin (spelling?) the more of it in the beard the younger it is.  I would say that once they pass 1.5 inches it's safe to say he's an "old gobbler".

[HogBiologist]

We had a known aged gobbler at a meeting a month ago.  By all the standards listed it would have been called 3 or 4 years.  It was actually 10.  It had been banded as a jake, released in an area, then harvested 9 years later.  It was like 1.25 inch spurs and a beard between 9.5 and 11 inches somewhere.

[hobbes]

I have never had any faith in accurately aging by spur length.  Its probably the best guess that can be given in the field, but that is about it.  Beard length is a useless method for aging. 

[TauntoHawk]

There's no way to accurately age after 3yrs of age. A 4yr old bird and a 10yr old might have the same spurs lengths due to wear just like beard length after about 9-10in...

When hunting I just try and take the most dominant mature bird on the property.

[stinkpickle]

...When hunting I just try and take the most dominant mature bird on the property.

And sometimes the fat two-year-old's get that job. 

[stinkpickle]

...When hunting I just try and take the most dominant mature bird on the property.

And sometimes the fat two-year-old's get that job. 

Whaddaya mean only sometimes?

When the gang of jakes allows it.   

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

I read on here a while ago where a guy could age the gobbler before he shot it by the sound of the gobble. I personally have never been able to do that. I've taken the safety off for a gobbling Jake on many an occasion.

That's a good one.  One of best gobblers I have ever harvested I almost didn't even go after because he had such a pittiful sounding gobble.  My partner and I heard the bird gobbling most of the morning and it sounded more like a dog barking than a turkey.  If I remember correctly he was over 25 pounds and 1.5 inch spurs.  On the opposite end of the spectrum I have heard jakes with a good mature sounding gobble. 

[Gobble!]

I read on here a while ago where a guy could age the gobbler before he shot it by the sound of the gobble. I personally have never been able to do that. I've taken the safety off for a gobbling Jake on many an occasion.

That's a good one.  One of best gobblers I have ever harvested I almost didn't even go after because he had such a pittiful sounding gobble.  My partner and I heard the bird gobbling most of the morning and it sounded more like a dog barking than a turkey.  If I remember correctly he was over 25 pounds and 1.5 inch spurs.  On the opposite end of the spectrum I have heard jakes with a good mature sounding gobble. 

im with you on this one

[hoyt]

Had a guy tell me one time you can count the growth rings on the spurs. I never been able to see any rings.

[Borden811]

So, is there any scientific way to age them, like the teeth from bear and deer, and the otoliths from fish? Or is there no possible way, other than if the bird was banded as a juvenile?

[MKMGOBL]

I've been fooled at least 5 times just this year on gobbling Jakes Two of my buddies have been fooled several time this year as well so I'd have to agree that gobbling means nothing. One of my top 5 birds almost didn't get his dirt nap because I thought he was Jake gobbling one morning. With nothing else sounding off near me, I played the game with him because I couldn't leave the field until he pitched down. Boy was I &  when he did.

[redarrow]

The only way to be sure in my opinion is to have the breast feathers aged by a wildlife biologist. The Michigan DNR used to ask that we send these feathers in and they would give you a successful hunters patch.