turkey spurs...

[bagmNtagm]

So last year my step dad, brother and I all got a turkey and We noticed the spurs were a little different on the turkeys. My step father had got the oldest turkey with a 10 inch beard and he had spurs that were much smaller than mine and same with my brother his bird was close to the same size as mine with a 9 inch beard but once again the spurs were about half the size and seemed to be rounded off. The only different thing was my turkey was taken on the west side of the Columbia river, and my brother and dad was on the east taken at the same time. Is it rare to get turkeys with big spurs in washington? I just noticed alot of turkeys I've seen out here seem to have small rounded spurs. I have a picture of the spurs and beard I think my bird was about 2-3 years old but these are the biggest spurs I've seen so far in washington .

[buckcanyonlodge]

Last year's bird. 10 inch beard.

[yelp]

IMO- Spurs have many facets. Length has always been the normal factor humans have used to indicate possible age of a gobbler.  However many gobblers as they get older will have broomed off spurs.  It is mainly due to the rocky habitat that our turkeys frequent.  I also believe genetics and dietary requirements could be to blame for stubby spurs. Spurs are for fighting, during the establishment of the pecking order some older toms begin fighting..this could lead to some wear or damage to a spur.   I also will throw the possbility of population and harvest pressure.  I know of several public land and some private lands areas that get lots of hunting pressure removing many gobblers before they reach maturity.  Not all toms get harvested but if you were to compare this to a piece of private lands that has little pressure and harvest is minimal you have a larger ratio of toms that may will reach a level of maturity to produce large spurs.

In my turkey harvests, My biggest spurs are 1 3/8" but most of mine are around 3/4 to and inch. Rio and Merriam.   

Spurs are always a general incator of a gobblers age. 

0-1/2" Jake..... (1 to 1.5 year old),
1/2 to 1" .........2 year old gobbler (normally subdominate),
1" - 1 1/2" .......Mature Gobbler (ages vary 3-5 years old gets difficult to tell) 
anything bigger is a giant!! 

[Tom Tamer]

Exactly what Yelp said. I too think the rocks have something to do with it, my largest Merriams had the same length of spurs as a two year old I shot within a couple hundred yards of each other, but the larger bird's spur were twice as thick at the base than the other bird. So I believe there can be a lot of wear and tear on them. I once read a story and Yelp, don't know if you'd heard this, but the Gould's turkey has evolved or is evolving to where they don't grow spurs because of such rocky terrain they live in. So there would be the " Genetic" aspect. Nature not allowing valuable nutrients to go to something that won't help the bird survive??

[bagmNtagm]

Right thank you guys i always had thought it had something to do with the land and the next post i agree ith the fact of genetics too..and feel free to post more pictures of your spurs if you want i enjoy seeing the pictures

[WAcoyotehunter]

The spurs are not perfect, but they are the best method for guessing a turkey's age.  Beard length has nothing to do with age and they will sometimes rot and re-grow or get scraggly from wear or mites.

You see lots of nice two year old toms with long beards and short smooth spurs harvested every year.  They're the most available age group for toms and are pretty easy to hunt compared to the smart old flock bird!

[Tom Tamer]

  Exactly, beards grow at a rate of about 5 inches a year.Throughout the life of the turkey. But wear and tear, weather such as deep snow, will cause the bristles to break off. Also lack of melanin in a turkey can cause it to break. That's usually found by a yellowish ring or yellow tips on the end of a beard.

[Limhangerslayer]

You can never compare on beards in my opinion, I  shot a bird in the blues a few years back that had one inch spurs, but a 7 inch beard and was smaller bodied than a jake.  He was a weakling with a wispy beard but a thunder gobble. Good hunt no matter what the bird was!!

[fishunt247]

Spur length differs by county, too, it seems. My dad, brother, and I have shot somewhere around 40 longbeards (that's a conservative guess, I think) in South Central WA and the biggest spurs were on a bird I shot that measured 1" and 1 1/8". They weren't sharp and did not hook at all. Most of the time, a spur of 3/4" is a big ol' spur for that country, it seems. Where it seems like birds from the Blues get longer, sharper, more hooked spurs. My dad shot one there with 1 3/8" spurs, and has shot several that get close to 1".

[turkeydancer]

Hi FH:
I believe this may be more about the species than the county of harvest - South Central WA are Merriams and the Blues are Rios.
 
Good luck this spring,   Dancer

[boneaddict]

Spurs vary from bird to bird.   genetics, feed, geology of the area etc(which logically can be regional or specific area)

No one single indicator should be used to judge a birds age.   Should be clear when you have a mature Tom. 

BIG SPURS are cool though and certainly add to the story of the bird.

[fishunt247]

True on the species difference. Do Rios from rockier areas get good spurs like they do in the Blues?

[carpsniperg2]

Yelp is spot on with my thoughts as well

[Limhangerslayer]

You can always judge their age on the size of their pecker.

[yelp]

You can always judge their age on the size of their pecker.

When I was a baby...LOL