Interesting injuries on harvested birds

[darn2ten]

Killed this one a couple years ago. Came in with two other gobblers. Didn't even realize anything was wrong with him till I went to clean him. Reckon one of his buddies spurred him in the chest. After I found it then I noticed the smell, pretty nasty infected. You can see where I cut the beard off, it was just under it on the breast.

[boomer]

Killed one a few years ago that had about a 4 inch stick stuck in his breast. Must have been there for awhile because it was pretty healed over.

[chcltlabz]

Killed a Rio one time in Texas that I can't believe could even fly up to roost.  His wings were down to bare bone with barely any meat left on them.  He still came in strutting and showing off, but couldn't gobble.  He'd stretch out like he was trying, but no sound.  Only sound he made was spitting and drumming.

Didn't find out until after that my buddy had hit a bird 2 weeks earlier within 50 yards of where I killed this one.  Same no-gobble, and he thought it was turning to leave.  Just as he shot the bird dropped into strut and he hit him in the back of the wings/back.  Had to be the same bird.  Wings and back were green with infection, but he was still chasing hens.

[WildSpur]

My best spurred gobbler only had 3 tail feathers...all in the center.  You could see the rest starting to grow back.  Not sure what caused it.  My guess was a coyote snuck up behind him while strutting and was not too successful.

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[WildTigerTrout]

I killed a gobbler in 2001 that had been shot apparently very early in the season. His right wing bone (the large one)was shattered by several #4 lead pellets. No way he could fly up to roost and the injury was beyond mending. He must have just hopped up on a low limb to roost. I killed him the third week of the season. He came in like nothing was wrong and I took him at about 35 yards with a 2 1/4 oz. load of copperplated #6's out of my BPS 10 ga. The broken wing was on the offside and the pellets were plain lead #4's, that's how I know he was shot earlier by another hunter. I was glad I killed him as the varmints would have gotten him soon anyway.

[redmag]

Killed a gobbler many years ago in WV that had a stick through his chest just like Boomer had done.  The stick was about 2 feet long and maybe as big as quarter (.$25) and healed around very hard like callous.  He didn't seem to care.

Jim

[steveo]

Killed this gobbler last year, he was with two other gobblers, nothing struck me as odd with him before the shot as I watched all 3 work towards me for around 100 yards. Killed him at around 40yards and when I walked up to him and picked him up noticed he was as light as a hen ?? started looking him over and noticed his beak was deformed almost crossed so I figured he was probably on the down side of life. After cleaning him noticed he seemed to not be having much difficulty eating as this what was inside.he weighed 14lbs 3oz had a 11" beard and 1" spurs.

[doublebarrel]

 Killed one last year that had a air gun pellet in his breast, one like stated before with busted healed over wing with shot healec in the bone and the first one I ever shot smelled rank when cleanec. He was full of worms and some brown goop in his cavity. It was NASTY

[spur collector]

Its amazing how tough these birds are.

[Gooserbat]

The boy killed this one Saturday morning.  We were all set for turkey fajitas for dinner until we went to work with the filet knife.  It had a sisck on the sternum and this was all around the area.  I'm sure the yotes ate good.

[DirtNap647]

amazing