NWTF "scoring"

[Kaleb978]

This is not a hate thread, I am just curious. How many of you go through the process of scoring your bird and submitting the score to NWTF?

[Notsoyoungturk]

I do not

[eggshell]

I have never submitted a bird and no plans to

[ruination]

Silly money grab for records that no one really cares about but yourself.

[Kaleb978]

This is mostly what I expected. I am a member along with several of my friends and we have never heard of anyone submitting a score.

[Dougas]

I have killed some that would score pretty high and never had them officially scored.

[bpsmag1026]

I never have

[GobbleNut]

Over the decades, I have scored a lot of turkeys with the Dave Harbour scoring system (the NWTF took over the records from Harbour a few years after he started it). I have admittedly submitted one gobbler to the records decades ago...only to recognize the turkey itself.

Although I think the scoring system is seriously flawed and, as such. has limited value in comparing wild turkeys, it does provide a "barometer" for hunters to evaluate a gobbler's "standing", if you will, to other gobblers a hunter may have harvested and/or in comparing the relative "trophy characteristics" of a gobbler from a given area or region.

At this point in time, I agree that the NWTF uses the record book for turkeys as a money grab. Unless things have changed, any hunter can submit a gobbler, regardless of its size, to the record book as long as the submission is accompanied by the "fee" for doing so. (Most game-animal scoring systems have some sort of minimum score to be eligible for inclusion...not so with this one as far as I know...you shoot a jake and want it put in the record book, send in your money...   

Having said all of the above, the Harbour scoring system, to my knowledge, is the only one in use for scoring (and comparing) wild turkeys. I don't think enough people care enough about scoring turkeys to come up with something better, so we are "stuck" with this one. ...But if someone wants to get in the record book, more power to them...go for it (just make sure you submit the proper dollars for it)...     

[cannonball]

The only time I have scored a turkey is for the team contest here on the forum. I haven't submitted anything to the NWTF and don't plan on doing so in the future

[Lcmacd 58]

Never have

[GobbleNut]

See post #8 -  I'm a hoarder by choice so this was easy to find.  I submitted an Osceola to FWC back in 2008 for an Outstanding Gobbler Certificate.  This bird deserved it but, as usual, was a right time, right place kill. 

I think we are showing our age, Joey.  I've got the same book...and in about the same condition.    I assume Col. Dave put the inscription on the page?  That would be pretty cool. 

I've got this one, as well. I think this included the first edition of the records when the bookkeeping was taken over by the NWTF, as I recall.

[Kaleb978]

Interesting thoughts. Thank you to all who answered.

[OJR]

I have had a few scored in friendly pools on hunting trips.
Had a Rio near Coleman, TX back in 2009, that was a good one. He won me enough for gas money home! But I never thought to have one entered.

[Dougas]

Living on the Oregon central coast, my brother and I have taken many black tailed deer and Roosevelt's elk. Several of our deer officially scored higher than the the minimum and my brother's first elk official score would have made it #19 in Pope and Young. We never entered any of them. We just wanted to know the score. Then when I became a full time taxidermist, I learned how to score them for my personal use and for customers, so that they would know if they should get it officially scored.  Same with turkeys. I retired from the taxidermy trade, but still score my turkeys just for my personal use. Personall i feel no need to enter them.

[eggshell]

I don't think a trophy score signifies a trophy turkey in any way. It's only a measure of physical parameters that are solely genetic and food related. Just because a gobbler is big bodied and has long spurs and beard doesn't mean anything about how hard he was to outsmart. Look around at all animals, especially people. Is a man smarter and wiser just because he is 6'5", 275, and muscled up? Secondly I think trophy recognition only brings the worse out in people. I understand the desire to recognize genetic exceptions as exceptional examples of physical traits, but it means squat about the survival skills of the animal. I doubt I will ever register an animal. I just believe trophy hunting brings out the worse in our communities.