I shot a good one: Would you, or wouldn't you?

[Todd_ID]

The question I have is this: would you register and mount the bird, or would you not?  I shot a great tom with my bow at a friends place in Idaho.  The bird's measurements are: Merriam's, 21.0625 pounds, 9.25" beard, 1.25" and 1.125" spurs.  As it turns out, this bird, if entered, would be the number one overall bow bird in the state and number 20 overall in the nation.  I'm thinking that mounting the bird would be a great honor, but I'm on the fence about the record book entry since there aren't many registered compared to what are shot.  What's your opinion?

I was invited to hunt with a buddy at his place in N. Idaho.  His place....he shoots the first bird and I run the camera, in my book.  I videoed a total of 4 hens and 8 toms within 40 yards of our blind, but he never got a shot that he was comfortable with.  The next day (Saturday) comes finding us in the blind at 6:00 pm.  I wanted to leave my bow outside the ground blind, but he says, "Nope, yesterday was my turn; now it's your turn to be the shooter if we get lucky enough to have a shot".  It's hard to argue with logic like that, so I got ready for who knows what.  We heard lots of gobbling, but nothing close, and nothing was responding directly to his slate calls.  I decided to try some yelps on a louder mouth call, and the ridge about 400 yards away lit up.  A shotgun went off on that ridge, and the gobblers went off again.  I waited about 15 minutes to call again.  The gobblers, minus one, went off hard.  Within 2 minutes I heard a tom fly down to the ridge we were on.  My buddy shortly says, "I see one: 15 yards!"  He got the video rolling, but it was a while before I could see him.  When I finally was able to see him through the window of the blind I asked him for the range.  "20 yards, he says."  I've been around the block, so I didn't completely trust the guess.  I counted out what I thought it was and shot for 36 yards as he was in full strut and quartering away.  The arrow entered just behind the leg and exited at the wing butt.  We found him about 50 yards away.  My rangefinder said that the bird was actually 37 yards away after the shot; good judgement this time meant dead bird!

We reviewed the video to see that he got some great footage of the strutting and perfect video of the shot and arrow flight.  We'll put it together for a DVD and TV , but what're your thoughts on registering and mounting the bird at $600, or so?

[jackelope]

do it in honor of the bird and for the memory of the hunt. nuff said, as long as the $$ is in the cards for you.

[boneaddict]

If it was a great hunt and you don't mind the memory and you have the funds then I'd say go for it.  Remember a turkey takes up about as much space as a moose. LOL   As for the record book.  I would  probably do it.  I have stuff I have registered and stuff I don't.  No rhyme or reason. 

[BLKBEARKLR]

Mount it, but another thing what the heck are on the end of your arrows? Looks like circles not vanes??

Joe

[jackelope]

FOB's.

[Machias]

Personally  I would do four things with this bird.  I'd make a turkey cape, very easy to do and IMO one of the most beautiful things you can do with the bird.  I'd get some decorative cord and whip the end of the beard and make a nice loop to hang it, I'd make a couple of wingbone calls, and I'd cut the spurs off, still attached to the legs, hollow out the leg bones and make a nice hatband with the spurs, total cost....whatever it costs to buy the borax for the cape and the decorative cord...maybe $6.00.

[BLKBEARKLR]

jackalope, thanks for the info, just watched some videos on them, think I am going to order some and see what they are all about.. Sorry Todd, did not mean to steal your post, backing out quietly now

Joe

[Todd_ID]

I had a great hunt and hope to never forget a detail!  I'll most likely mount it, if I can talk the wife into why a strutting tom in our den is cool.  The main question is whether or not to register it.  The record book seems to be largely unattended in our neck of the woods, so does it matter less, or is that the wrong way to look at it?  I'm sure that it would be darn close to the best overall bow score even if all the bow birds ever taken in Idaho were entered, but only having a few in the book seems to belittle a great bird and our work and time spent in the field.

No problem on the FOB questions....they helped make it all happen.  I like those ideas Machias!

[Machias]

Just a link for the spurs, you can make a necklace or a hatband, this method works for both:

http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/articles/spur.htm

Here's the turkey cape:

http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/articles/cape.htm

[Machias]

Beard displays:

http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/articles/beards.htm

Wingbone calls:

http://www.customcalls.com/makeawingbonecall1.htm

[Machias]

P.S.  Sorry I forgot one of the most important things, congrats on a great bird!!

[jackelope]

jackalope, thanks for the info, just watched some videos on them, think I am going to order some and see what they are all about.. Sorry Todd, did not mean to steal your post, backing out quietly now

Joe

Todd can answer any questions you have about them...

[Michelle_Nelson]

If it were me and I wasn't already a Taxidermist I would tell you to mount the bird!

As for entering it I would do that as well.  You mentioned

The record book seems to be largely unattended in our neck of the woods, so does it matter less, or is that the wrong way to look at it?  

People are less likely to enter stuff when no interest is show.  By entering your bird you are showing interest!  

[Michelle_Nelson]

I am going to have to find the picture I have of a 26lbs tom I mounted while in Florida.  I have it standing next to a 16lbs Tom.  Talk about taking up a lot of room.  Wouldn't fit in the front seat of my truck had to build a crate and put in in the bed to deliver it. 

[fc2038]

do it in honor of the bird and for the memory of the hunt. nuff said, as long as the $$ is in the cards for you.

   Great way to put it!