Spurs or beard?

[mudhen]

Honestly, my biggest concern is a full fan (not a jake).  I have never focused on a bird's spurs or beard when getting ready to pull the trigger. 

I really just love turkey hunting!

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner  

Full fan for me, inspection of spurs & beard come later....

mudhen

[J-Shaped]

If he's an adult bird (non-jake), he assumes all risk of taking one for the team. I've killed several birds with nothing special in the beard the department, but plenty to show on their legs and vice versa. Spurs are like opening a Christmas present when you walk up to the bird - you never know what you're going to get.

I've shot adult birds with beard rot and nice spurs and I've shot adult strutting gobblers with not even a hint of a spur, so trying to take a deer hunter's QDM approach to a gobbler is a roll of the dice.

Now all that said, big spurs fire me up 

[Rio Fan]

Honestly, my biggest concern is a full fan (not a jake).  I have never focused on a bird's spurs or beard when getting ready to pull the trigger. 

That being said, I LOVE hooks!!  But, I also love a long paint brush beard!

I really just love turkey hunting!

Couldn't have said it any better myself! 

[bgbuck153]

To be completely honest , it depends on the day and the mood of both the gobbler and me !I've killed jakes that came screaming in from way off and couldn't hold the finger back that I was just as proud as shooting a 10 inch'r ! I've shot 10 inch'rs that came in on a boring walk non vocal and I shot them because they were 10inch'rs ! If I'm hunting with my Dad I don't care what walks in I kill it just for the memory . So that's where I stand ! It's all about having fun !

[DC1.]

 A full fan is all I need to see until he is flopping and then i want to see them HOOKS ! 

[guesswho]

Swinging beard or beards and I'm happy.  Spurs are are bonus. 

[BrowningGuy88]

If he comes in with a longbeard or as a gobbling jake, he gets plowed! I get trigger happy when turkeys are involved - I can pass a 8 point 3 year old deer, but if a bird comes in strutting and gobbling with a 6" beard I let him have it.

That being said, I like to pick up a limbhanger when all the flopping is over!

[chatterbox]

Neither. Full fan is my only requirement.

[TennLongspur]

I'm sure this has already been said multiple times, but my main concern is that it is a mature bird - meaning has a full fan. If it isn't strutting, I look at it's beard and make an educated guess. I want to shoot mature toms and don't advocate shooting jakes. That's just a rule for myself. When I was first starting out I shot a few jakes and was proud of it. I'm not going to judge anybody for shooting jakes. I just don't do it - if I can help it.

To answer your question, I had rather kill a bird with long spurs than a long beard, but I have never paid attention to his spurs until he is dead. My heart is usually pounding too hard, and once I determine he is a mature bird, I'm focused on his head, trying to get my gun on him without getting busted. I figure if I can see his spurs, I should have shot him 20 yards ago.

[njdevilsb]

As long as he's got a full fan, he's going down as long as I can see a beard since we have to shoot a "bearded" bird in the spring.  I personally love long hooks and a long beard.  It's about 50/50 for me.  If there were 2 birds, one with 1 1/4" spurs and one with a 12" rope, I honestly can't say 100% which one I'd rather pull the trigger on.  At this stage in my career, it might be the 12" rope since I don't have anything over 10" yet, but I do have 1 1/4" spurs.

[K9Doc]

Always been a leg man myself!!!        I love some long pretty spurs!!!!  Killed one bird with ivory spurs and  ebony tips.  Very unique!!!

[Ol'Mossy]

Where I hunt you're lucky to get long spurs, lots of rocky terrain so I look for long beards or just simply a beard

[sugarray]

I look for a full fan.  Next i look at my kid's face, that is what really matters to me now.  It is the gobbling to my calling, coming in and one of my kids shooting a full fan turkey that makes the hunt.  Beard and spurs are just a bonus.

[hookedspur]

My handle will answer for me ,BIG Ole HOOKS 

[BigHooks]

Ansewer is my name ( BigHooks) lol !!!! Very few time I've seen the hooks until I got to the bird. When I walk up an he's got bighooks I'm like a kid in a candy store.