Hey guys I just wanted to get a general idea of what people consider a trophy turkey by the scoring system. Saturday morning I killed my biggest bird ever which scored just over 69 and I'm debating on mounting it. Any opinions???
Every turkey I kill is a trophy to me. Some turkeys mean more to me depending on the hunt. Some of my best trophy turkeys were 2 year olds. I have 2 turkeys mounted and every time I look at them I think about that hunt and how good it felt to win the game that day.
i like spurs thats what i look for it is all what makes you happy each hunt is specal
That sounds like a pretty good score to me, and worthy of being mounted!
Personally, I have never mounted a turkey. I have always done the tail fan with beard and spurs/feet.
Everyone is going to have a different opinion of a trophy. If he is a trophy to you, that's all that matters.
All the turkeys I've killed I consider trophys. If you talking stats then here in this part of Va. anything over 21lbs, 1.25" spurs, and 10.5" beards are considered excellent. This is what I consider "trophy" in the mountains I hunt.
I agree 100% that every bird is a trophy. But was just wondering what other people considered a trophy so to speak based on the scoring system. This bird has 1 3/8 hooks that are needle sharp a 10 13/16 thick beard and was 20.5 lbs.
That is a trophy all day long in my book! Plus like the other guys are saying, what is important is what goes through your mind down the road when you look at the mount. When an athelete wins a gold medal that represents more than a pretty gold coin. Its is the work they put into getting it, and the fun winning it.
All of them are trophys
I agree with what all the others have said on what a trophy is.
That's a real nice bird you got, so I wouldn't hesitate sending him to the taxidermist.
In my case its a birds with 1.25" or longer spurs with a 10"+ beard.
All birds that are taken are trophies. The hunt is as important as the bird to me.
I agree that all birds are trophies. To a 10 year old a Jake is a trophy. That said if they are 20+ lbs, 10" beard and 1 1/4" spurs Thats a trophy where live.
TRKYHTR
It all depends on the hunt, let's just say you pulled off the road, yelped 3 times and he came running in, now that's not that memorable. Just kiddin, you know you got the dragon son.
BG
If it taken legally,its a trophy.
You got a trophy!
I consider 60+ a really good bird
70+ is a trophy and a mount worthy bird
but these are just my standards with the easterns I hunt.
I am a 19 year old kid who has been hunting since i was just a little young'n well before i could even take a gun. me and my dad have been on many memorable hunts together. to be honest any and every turkey i have ever taken with him or my buddies is a trophy to me. even the ones that get away! lol! getting to watch a bird strutt up to 50 yrds and something go wrong is a trophy. im sure many others would disagree, but its just the thrill that makes a it a trophy to me!
Quote from: CASH on April 25, 2011, 12:21:10 AM
All of them are trophys
This. And that's another reason I prefer turkey hunting to modern deer hunting.
Was curious, with the one I took to the taxidermist, wwhat it would score. It came out to 74.5
This was a trophy to me because he was big, got him all on my own, used the calls that I made, and one of my handloaded TSS shells. Very memorable hunt.
Sounds like a great bird to me!!! My buddies and I talk about this subject often and how hard it can be to get the "trifecta" beard, spurs, weight. And you got all 3 so congrats!!
Watching my daughter shoot her 18 lb jake this year for her first turkey was defenitley one of my best trophys
The big one that got away is usually a trophy.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE SPURS FOR ME... sure, some of my most memorable hunts have been with two year old birds, but the first thing i look at when i walk up to a dead turkey is his spurs. ive been fortunate enough to kill two birds with legit 1.5" spurs over the last three years. however the first one had a little something extra, he also had 4 beards!.... i never thought i would mount a turkey, but when i killed that one, i knew it was wall worthy.....
this guy scored 113, and only weighed 19lbs.
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/dixiedeerslaya/turkeys/104_0139.jpg)
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/dixiedeerslaya/turkeys/104_0142.jpg)
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/dixiedeerslaya/turkeys/104_0143.jpg)
here he is mounted....
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/dixiedeerslaya/turkeys/IMG_1111.jpg)
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/dixiedeerslaya/turkeys/1027001631.jpg)
We all love a long beard and set of hooks on a turkey but its more about the hunt sometimes. To be honest I have had some of the coolest hunts with some birds that were not typically considered trophys.
Quote from: jonhaga on April 24, 2011, 09:23:44 PM
Hey guys I just wanted to get a general idea of what people consider a trophy turkey by the scoring system. Saturday morning I killed my biggest bird ever which scored just over 69 and I'm debating on mounting it. Any opinions???
Final score and other peoples opinions have no influence on what I consider a trophy.
It's your money, and if you feel he his worthy of a mount by all means have him mounted. And enjoy thinking about the hunt every time you look at him.
:icon_thumright: agreed
Any bird with 10" beard plus and at least 1 1/8 hooks are what me and my buddy consider a really nice birds. But I must admit any bird I kill is very special to me.
every bird is a trophy to me and they all get mounted in one way or another......
Quote from: Flydown on April 24, 2011, 09:50:00 PM
Every turkey I kill is a trophy to me. Some turkeys mean more to me depending on the hunt. Some of my best trophy turkeys were 2 year olds. I have 2 turkeys mounted and every time I look at them I think about that hunt and how good it felt to win the game that day.
My thoughts exactly, my first bird was a big jake with a 4in beard, mounted his tail fan and beard and it's hanging on the wall next to the rest of them. I'm just as pround of him as any of them.
In Kansas the state considers a trophy bird scoring 65 or more. It really isnt that easy to get a bird over 65. I think a bird of 65 or more is a "trophy bird" however a "trophy" is in the eye of the beholder. My first turkey with a bow only had a 4" beard and wouldnt have scored squat. Still a trophy to me.
I think any ethically taken turkey can be considered a trophy. The first one I shot was a jake, but it meant as much to me as any of the older birds I've taken.
As others have said they are all trophys.
I have one mounted and he only has one spur but he is a trophy to me and looking at him every night I can relive the hunt.
That is what a trophy is to me the opportunity to relive the hunt and the memories he creates.
all successful hunts are memorable and some unsuccessful hunts will leave a man with such a profound sense of satisfaction that they are memorable. i believe many have a tendency to conflate memorable hunts with "trophy" results.
that being said, a 2 year old ain't a trophy bird. a jake ain't a trophy bird. while encounters with those animals may be satisfying and enjoyable they do not warrant "trophy" designation in my mind. i am in no way belittling these animals, nor do i profess to be too arrogant to shoot a 2 year old.... (and i do love me some rockstar 2 year old gobblers). however, a trophy is a mature animal that has honed defense mechanism and an uncanny ability to avoid harvest.
any bird with 1.25" spurs or better is a trophy bird to me.
im sure many will disagree, but these are just my honest opinions on the matter.
Every bird I successfully call in and kill is a trophy for me. I wish that I had mounted the first gobbler I killed, first time I got to see one strut. That tore me apart! Also the fact that i called him past 2 other hunters that were trying to call him in to made it that more special! Had no idea they were trying to work him as it was a very windy April morning
If the bird made memories that will last a lifetime. It is a trophy, in my book. Once mounted, everytime you look at that bird, you will relive the hunt. That is precious. A tail fan, among many on the wall, will blend in with the rest. A mount will not do that. The bad news is that they are expensive to have done. The good news is that you only have to pay once, for a lifetime of memories..Mike
Any of them that I am fortunate enough to call in and either pass a clean shot on (depending on my mood) or shoot and kill are trophies to me, whether they are 2yr olds or 5yr olds. If they played the game and gave me the opportunity to shoot, I feel like I've won.
Well guys i appreciate all the input. I've dropped the ole tom off at the taxidermist. It was the biggest bird I've ever harvested so I decided to mount him.
Good move. You will not regret it..Mike
Quote from: jonhaga on April 28, 2011, 03:51:43 PM
Well guys i appreciate all the input. I've dropped the ole tom off at the taxidermist. It was the biggest bird I've ever harvested so I decided to mount him.
Enjoy him when you get him back. If you don't mind me asking what pose are you getting him done in?
any one that I can get in the front of my gun legally
I mount my own turkeys and can do it a lot cheaper than if I had to pay someone, so it doesn't take a whole lot for one to be a trophy to me. If it's a real big bird, extra long spurs, real full, long, beard, or one I killed with a special gun like a flintlock I built or bow...etc. I'll mount it. However, I just killed a first with a flintlock I built just to hunt gobblers with and he's a half decent bird, but I didn't mount it just because turkeys are a lot of work and I didn't feel like fooling with it.
Click on thumbnail for full view
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/TAXIDERMY/th_TURKEYMOUNTS.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/TAXIDERMY/TURKEYMOUNTS.jpg)
(http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr348/smokeyscustomcalls/scc_yelper_and_spurs.jpg)
my trophy is the hunt, the memories, the story. the size of the bird is a bonus. to me all birds are trophies.
Quote from: LaBiologist on May 07, 2011, 12:02:15 PM
my trophy is the hunt, the memories, the story. the size of the bird is a bonus. to me all birds are trophies.
x2
in the late 60s,the mounting of a fish caught on a charter boat would bring extra money to the crew....one of the more aggressive captains started to use the term ''trophy'' to describe someones catch during his sales pitch...this worked pretty well for him and in time every crew on the dock started doing the same......but in about a decade's time it started to backfire ,because people would only mount an outstanding catch and not the average fish that was mounted before ''trophies'' were invented...
If I was looking to mount an exceptional bird it would start and end with big spurs (1 1/4"+) which would indicate a wise old warrior. Our turkey biologist once told me the heaviest birds are often 2 year olds that have found a winter handout like birdfeeders or manure piles, and ice and snow will break beards, but spurs don't lie. The best trophy I've ever seen I guided my fishing buddy to, using my gun and camo on his first ever turkey hunt. It only weighed 16 pds and had a 10 1/2" beard but it's spurs were 1 1/2" and 1 5/8". He'd have been happy shooting a jake but it was a State Record for awhile and the biologist said it was 6 or 7 years old. Wisely, he had it mounted.