Gobbler of a Lifetime

[deast1988]

Mega bird, you got the boss. They get big and smart, just learning to survive.

 

[six]

Sweet, well played and congrats. Ole boy could have written a book on survival.

 

[wvdawg]

Mighty fine bird! Congratulations!

 

[mike1225]

Awesome Gobbler! That kind of bird is hard to come by.

 

[Huntinfool]

Straight up turkey killer for years and years and years.

Congrats my man. That's a special one.

 

[Gaswamp]

Rick awesome bird

 

[brittonl]

Stud of a bird, congrats

 

[Gadget]

Thanks everyone.
Hunting at the club is tough these days, last 5 yrs we only average 1 gobbler a year with 32 members on 3,600 acres. We used to kill 10-15 a year. Deer hunting is still good at least.
With so few gobblers there’s very little competition so they don’t gobble or respond to calls. Most guys gave up hunting them because its soo frustrating not hearing any most mornings then when you do it’s one or two gobbles then silence.

 

[fountain]

Rick, what part makes it the gobbler of a lifetime for you? Beard or spurs? Not being a smart butt…just curious and have a thought for conversation in my mind

 

[Gadget]

The beard and the spurs

 

[fountain]

The beard and the spurs

I agree completely on both…which brings me to my conversation piece. Are *true* 1:5” spurs as common as all the kill pics I see on fb depict? Man I see more claim 1.5” spurs than I ever thought I would. To me, 1.5” spurs would be the equivalent of a 160” buck to me. They just aren’t that common. I have killed a few that are at the 1 7/16 - 1 1/2+ range, but that’s out of a good many turkeys in my lifetime. Maybe I’m wrong and folks kill a lot that big, but I’ve always thought of 1 1/2 as the pinnacle of a giant gobbler. Anything else is just a rarity and a unicorn.
13 3/4 bead is unheard of as well. I told my grandpa if I ever killed a gobbler with a 12” beard, I wanted it mounted and he would have done it. I still haven’t hit 12”.
I know you’ve killed your shard of gobblers and if you’re like me, it’s always one or the other..big/thick/long beard or giant spurs…but never both. You got them both here.
I’ve never kept up with the weight much on any I’ve ever killed, but I don’t think I’ve ever had any that were extraordinary in the weight department. 18 is usually an average I feel

 

[devolve]

I agree completely on both…which brings me to my conversation piece. Are *true* 1:5” spurs as common as all the kill pics I see on fb depict? Man I see more claim 1.5” spurs than I ever thought I would. To me, 1.5” spurs would be the equivalent of a 160” buck to me. They just aren’t that common. I have killed a few that are at the 1 7/16 - 1 1/2+ range, but that’s out of a good many turkeys in my lifetime. Maybe I’m wrong and folks kill a lot that big, but I’ve always thought of 1 1/2 as the pinnacle of a giant gobbler. Anything else is just a rarity and a unicorn.

Same, 106 birds in my life and one with 1 1/2”+ spurs. That same bird had over 12” of beard as well. He was a bird of a lifetime for me, should have mounted him probably. But his tail fan, beard and feet hang proud as the center piece of my turkey wall in my memory room.

Gadget, it’s been 4 or 5 seasons since I killed my giant. I still re-live that hunt over and over again. It still gives me goosebumps. Congrats again on such a fine bird and a lifetime of memories you will have from the hunt.

 

[mike1225]

I've been turkey hunting about 45 years. I can count on 1 hand how many have had 1.5 inch spurs. They are hard to come by in my area. They are a lot more common south of Orlando.

 

[Gadget]

I’ve killed somewhere around 100 in 30yrs, at times hunting 5 states and killing up to 10 birds in one season. I don’t hunt like that these days, have a lot of health problems and injuries, had one knee surgery and now need the other one done so that’s why my ebike helps me soo much.
The trophy aspect comes from the score which is derived from weight, beard and spurs but a bird can also be special from where he’s hunted, how long you hunted him, how hard he is to hunt, what subspecies he is etc.
My previous best beard was 11 3/4 so this bird beats that by far. This is my second best spurs, the one in my avatar is my best with 1 5/8 which came off the same property. My heaviest bird is 24lbs which was a Merriams out of Nebraska. My heaviest eastern is 23lb

 

[mike1225]

I’ve killed somewhere around 100 in 30yrs, at times hunting 5 states and killing up to 10 birds in one season. I don’t hunt like that these days, have a lot of health problems and injuries, had one knee surgery and now need the other one done so that’s why my ebike helps me soo much.
The trophy aspect comes from the score which is derived from weight, beard and spurs but a bird can also be special from where he’s hunted, how long you hunted him, how hard he is to hunt, what subspecies he is etc.
My previous best beard was 11 3/4 so this bird beats that by far. This is my second best spurs, the one in my avatar is my best with 1 5/8 which came off the same property. My heaviest bird is 24lbs which was a Merriams out of Nebraska. My heaviest eastern is 23lb

I don't worry too much about the weight. I've killed some whoppers in Nebraska & I've killed some tough ones in Ga that weighed maybe 15-17 pounds. I hunted one started on April Fools Day & finally got him on 4/19. Another I hunted almost the whole season & got him about half way through the next season. Those are the ones I wish we could bring back to life & hunt them some more.

 

[Dupree]

I agree completely on both…which brings me to my conversation piece. Are *true* 1:5” spurs as common as all the kill pics I see on fb depict? Man I see more claim 1.5” spurs than I ever thought I would. To me, 1.5” spurs would be the equivalent of a 160” buck to me.

I think a lot of the 1.5” spurs posted online are 1.25”. A true 1.5” spur is rare to me. I’ve only killed 2 of them, but never killed a 160” buck ?

 

[Gadget]

These days I care much more about the quality of the hunt than killing a bird, I really don’t mind much if I don’t kill one if I’ve had an engaging hunt and can get onto birds. I have standing offers to hunt small private tracts for Osceolas and Easterns but I decline the offers because it’s like shooting yard birds that are accustomed to people and/or baited up in some way. I don’t get any satisfaction killing half tame or baited birds on small parcels like that, instead I mostly hunt public land. I hunt public more than my private land hunting club, I just enjoy the challenge of hunting different types of terrain and big large tracts that I can move around on. Like the difference between hunting swamp Osceolas in the Big Cypress Everglades then going after mountain birds on Cohutta.

 

[devolve]

☝? That right there! I’ve gotten to that point in my hunting life as well. It’s all about the game to me. Getting one to play is what it’s all about. I stayed on a bird for 3 days before killing him and I’ve stayed with one a week and never got within 70-80 yards. Both are just as exciting to me these days.

 

[Gadget]

☝? That right there! I’ve gotten to that point in my hunting life as well. It’s all about the game to me. Getting one to play is what it’s all about. I stayed on a bird for 3 days before killing him and I’ve stayed with one a week and never got within 70-80 yards. Both are just as exciting to me these days.

Sound like you and I both at the same stage in our hunting career, think you said you been hunting them 30+ years like me

 

[Big7]

WOW !!!!

My "turkey expert" done got lame due to health.
I've killed a few calling by myself but only really big ones when I was with him.

I have a lot if time on my hands and hope to get better working alone.

Congratulations on a super bird. ?