What do you look for in a turkey?

[tomstopper]

Any mature Tom that wants to play the game for me. More about the overall hunt but when I do get one, I love flipping him over and checking out them hooks too

[strum]

 Here in North Ga almost anything is an accomplishment.  I dont worry much about crazy beard size but at this point in my turkey hunter evolution I'll pass on a jake.
  That said I dont fault anyone if they want to take whatever is legal.
This stuff can be much harder than most think .  It can take an enormous of amount of time and yes money.
All that can make any turkey a prize.

[3bailey3]

I am looking for some of this..

[MK M GOBL]

All depends on the hunt, my Learn to Hunts, Youth Hunts, and Newbies "legal" works. Never going to tell them to pass on a jake because it's a Jake.

Now to others that I hunt with/call for. We hunt for a full fan once we see that it's game on.

For me I hunt the Dominant Bird (Alpha) he is my hunt, now I work a bird in and have that opportunity I'll squeeze a trigger. But when multiples work in I'm going to the boss, or I get a bird who has "beaten" us before I get focused on him, might be that week, might be in a few weeks but I'm back in on him.

So in the details I'm a Spur Guy, I'll note some "Long" beards and Heavy birds but Spurs are #1.

Are You Hook'd!


MK M GOBL

[MO HUNTER]

I only shoot 4 yr old birds! I age them quickly and let them pass if they dont meet the criteria!

JK

Full fan... its going down!

[Happy]

Jake's and bearded hens get a pass. If I start off hot and kill 2 Tom's pretty quick I then hold my remaining tags looking for something older or bigger than average. Near the end of season I may lower my standards a bit but it still needs to be a mature bird. I really dont care if I tag out anymore. I do want to be able to hunt the entire season. I tend to slack off the actual personal hunting a bit in the middle of season and try to help a friend or two get a bird and that helps as well.

[singlestrand]

To me a Tom is a Tom as long as he's coming and gives me a shot. After he's down I like big hooks over a big beard.

[Sir-diealot]

Might sound simple but I just want one to come into range and display for a while so I can watch and enjoy. I have had 3 within a foot off me, I have had a pair with hens display a couple of hundred yards out and man was it pretty the way the sunlight shown through their tail feathers, I have had the two in shooting range last year that I took one of and I have had one land next to my head once but I have never been able to watch one display and dance up close and I think I would really enjoy that.

[turkey_picker]

If more than one gobbler, the one with the longest thickest beard, other wise a mature full fan gobbler.

[Mbhyman88]

Full fans and a long, 9+ inch, beard.  If multiple come in then I try to take the more dominant of the two.  Long sharp spurs are my favorite and the spurs are typically the only "trophy" I keep on the birds now.  Although I will say 99% percent of the time I don't know what his spurs are until I go and pick him up.  I've tried to look and see what one's spurs were several times in the field but usually the grass to too tall or I just can't get a good look.

[Brwndg]

A bit off topic, but funny

https://www.facebook.com/WhaleTalesArcheryWI/videos/1284101014978058/

[StruttinGobbler3]

Spurs are where it's at for me. A thick paintbrush beard comes second. Considering you rarely see spurs prior to shooting, I have to use other criteria. First thing I'm looking for is a swinging beard. Next, full fan if I can get the bird to strut. Usually I can tell by the sound of the gobble if it's a Jake coming in, although there are a few exceptions that hit puberty a little early. If there are multiple birds, I'm watching body language amongst them to determine which is the dominant bird, and he's the one I take. In the end it's simple. If he has a full fan and gobbles like a man, he better run while he can; because I'm about to dust him. All jakes get a pass from me. However, two year old and up better watch themselves. As far as body weight, I honestly could care less. Far as I'm concerned he could have the body size of a barnyard rooster, with his ten inch beard dragging between his feet and his spurs poking him in the rear when he walks. He's grown as big as he's gonna live to be at that point.


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[catman529]

2 years or older tom turkey, preferably gobbles and comes to my call


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[silvestris]

A game, an interesting game.  Win or lose.

[Jfowler82]

I agree full tail fan ! Tells me all I need to know