Which states kill heavy birds?

[hobbes]

Farm country produces fat birds.  I hunt IL birds in riverbottom farm country and hill country only 10 miles apart.  The farm country birds easily average a couple lbs more.

[bigbird]

^^^^ I'm with this guy, indiana isn't any different the hills seem to wear off that extra weight and the farm ground birds are a few pounds heavier. Average bird here is prolly in that 21-23 lb range, my heaviest is 26lb

[Kylongspur88]

On the place I hunt I've killed 2 at 25lbs. Have seen a 27 and 29 pounder killed off the same place. I think the state record is 32?? These are east Ky mountain birds.

[WNY Bowhunter]

You're lucky if you break 20# in the southern tier of NY.

I wouldn't say that.I know out of the majority of the birds we (friends and family) killed last year it was a 50/50 for above and below 20lb mark.I would say 20lbs is a good bird for around here but not lucky

When Turkey weights are being split by just a few pounds between small and big, a simple area change can really effect it greatly. I hunt one place I've never seen a bird go over 20 and another place about 25min away I've never seen one go under 20. Mountain  compared to beef farm next to golf course the birds have way more access to good food. Also depends on age you typically harvest, I don't see many 2yr olds go 20+ but if you consistently shoot 3-4yr old birds your gonna kill a lot of 20+ lbers

We kill many birds in the 20-21lb range in my area with a really big one tipping the scales at 22.  I have never had my hands on a gobbler in my neck of the woods over 23 lbs. A friend of mine that I hunt with about 30 miles away (more agriculture in his area) kills them regularly in the 23-25 range.  They have killed several on one farm over 26...his wife killed one a few years back on that farm that went nearly 29!!!

[cutt down]

You boys must be hunting west Tenn. In the northeast part they are usually 18-20lb. Though I did kill 2 over 23 in 2013 but they were heavier that year everywhere I hunted. Great acorn crop, late spring, and the cicadas were thick the previous summer. It was the perfect storm for weights

Probably Mid TN. Birds there seem to be heavier than West TN. The river bottom birds around West TN typically average 18-20lbs.

[Cut N Run]

My heaviest in N.C. tipped the scales to 24 pounds. He was the heaviest weighed in at the sports shop where I checked him in for 2007.  We seldom see any 25 pounds.  It only makes sense that states with good soils grow the best food and the best turkeys.

Jim

[WildTigerTrout]

Anything 20lbs and up is a big boy in PA

+1 I agree. It takes a big bird to go an honest 20 pounds or more, especially in the NC mountains where I hunt. I have killed three over 20 with the largest 23 pounds but those are exceptions. My average bird here is between 17 and 19 pounds.

[10gaugemag]

The area I hunt in West Central Mo. now is mostly agricultural ground and the birds don't seem to be any bigger than the birds we killed in Dallas county 20-30 years ago. We killed several down there in the 24-26# range according to the scales at the check station. Average here in west central Mo. and southern Mo. for us has been right around 21#. Wish we were hunting those big southern woods again.

[dawgfrombama]

27 1/4lbs in Kansas in 2012.  24lbs in KY and 23lbs in KY.

[tha bugman]

MO

[tha bugman]

I have killed some heavy birds in PA!

[Gooserbat]

In my circle it MO.

[Mike Honcho]

CRAWDAD....I read the Kansas kidney story and the part about the weight of the bird being a state record was incorrect.

There are several birds in the Kansas records over 30 lbs.  I've shot two in past three years over 26.

[BigMick]

I'm in KY and the birds around here probably average around 23 lbs or so.  I've killed 2 over 26

[Vaturkeyhntr]

My biggest is #24 lbs here in VA