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Heaviest Harvested Bird??

S

SHEDHEAD

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Just wandering what the heaviest harvested bird (verified) is for IA. I've gone down to Southern IA the past 5 years and had the good fortune to harvest a 29.5 lb gobbler two years ago, so I was just curious. By the way, you Iowans have it made--some of the most beautiful country and best hunting in the world is right out your backdoor!! Enjoy!
 
I am not sure about "official records" but last spring 3 of my buddies and I went down to SW Iowa and all 4 of us shot some big gobblers. The biggest one was a HUGE 28 pounder with a total score of 80.625. The spurs were something like 1 and 7/8 inches long. My buddies score was big enough he won a trip to Montana for this spring to hunt Merriams. We has some pretty impressive pictures! How much did your bird score? Good luck and good hunting!
-GunnerJon
 
I never did score mine. Let's see,at 29.5 lbs, 1.5" spurs (can you convert that to MM) and a beard of 10.5". I have always been big into scoring whitetails, but for some reason not turkeys. Can you tell me what that bird would score? I don't remember the formula.
 
I'm pretty sure the biggest bird taken in season was 32 lbs! I'm not sure about beard or spurs.
 
32 lbs? That's a pretty good sized Iowa Ostritch, or as some people like to call 'em, Limb Chicken. =) I wonder if a bird that big had a "voice" like Mike Tyson? =)
 
smokepole,

In that formula you gave for scoring a turkey, do you get to count both beards if it was a double bearded turkey? I think I read somewhere that you don't, but that hardly seems right to me. Just wondering.

NWBuck
 
I think that they classify a double bearded turkey a non-typical and scoring is different as in whitetails.

In response to the largest bird, there is guy that hunts the same property as one of my friends who shot a 35 lb bird a few years back. He never had anyone score it!
 
Hey, thanks for the scoring info, Smokepole. Just one question though--How did you come up with 80.5"? I assume you did convert the spur length to millimeters. Now, do you have any easy way to do that for my future reference? By the way, sounds like there are some turkeys on steroids running around!! It sounds like a number of 30+ pound turkeys were shot. When they start weighing in at 35 lbs, I think I should reconsider whether or not it is safe to go in the woods and try to sound like a hen during breeding season!! I guess that's why we turkey hunters sit down with our backs to a tree when we call!!!
 
Just a sidenote.....if a turkey has more than one beard and is nontypical, you don't score it any differently. So if a big tom has more than one beard, you just add on the length to the score. Heavier the bird, longer the spurs, and longer (or more) beards the bird has....the better the score. Good luck and good hunting! I can almost hear them gobbling now!

-GunnerJon
 
10-4 muddy!

I also remember something about 32 or 33 last year. The fella was over on the NWTF forums before they messed them all up (not that I was anywhere but the #1 Longbeard forum but I accidently typed in the wrong URL ONCE!).

Does anyone else remember this guy. The turkey was a hog. I can't remember his handle but maybe he is lurking here...

I shot one that started out at 26 lbs. But by the time I got done shoving the lead sinkers I got from muddy in him he was around 43lbs (need big sinkers for those carp!). ;0)>

Go Early, Stay Late... Limb Chicken


[This message has been edited by Limb Chicken (edited 03-04-2002).]
 
Thanks for all the great responses, guys! After this season, we can discuss which one of us shot the 30 pounder!! Good luck!
 
Sinkers eh LimbChicken? I only use top waters on carp! But using lead sinkers is a good idea that way when the conservation officer checks the bird with his magnet it won't "stick" to it!

You also forgot to think about other ways to make a bird heavier, in my experience they always bleed out about 5-8 pounds of blood and flop out 4-5 pounds of feathers so I suppose on average my birds weigh 32-45 pounds or so. Of course there are always those "hogs" that tip the scales at 50 but they are far and few between
wink.gif


Phew, I'd better get my waders on...
 
Any multiple bearded birds shot? Shot one in zone six last year that was 28.5 lbs and had 3 beards. Spurs were 1.5". Not sure if I fugured this right using the scoring method above but I cam up with.....28.5+(10.5+8+6.5)=(25x2)+(1.5+1.5)x10 = 108.5??
 
A good friend over in east-central Iowa (Jackson county) shot a 32 pounder back in the early 90's. That bird was recongnized as the world's heaviest at the time. Now I think it's on down the list somewhat but may still be the heaviest bird in Iowa, not sure on that though. He also shot a triple- bearded tom just last spring!

Another friend shot a 28 pounder last year, which had a 11.5 inch beard and 1 1/8 spurs, while I guided him. It was his fourth bird, I believe. I've been hunting since the mid 1980's and I can't seem to top 26.5 pounds but always have fun trying!

Good Hunting...Condor
 
I have been hunting birds in Wisocnsin since the first season back in ?? 1984. I was 12 years old and was lucky enough to draw one of the 1800 tags they gave out that year for ZONE 1 in Vernon county. What an experience at 12 years old and never hunting them or really seeing many birds before. Yep I got one, not before rolling a big boss tom over at 12 yards with a double barrel 20 gauge. Ended up getting one 2 days later in the snow. 18lbs, 10" beard and 3/4" spurs. Not a bad start to a very addicting sport. Now I guide for turkey just for the shear enjoyment of seeing other people get there first, second, third birds. I great seeing some yungsters eyes get wide when they have a bird come in silent and gobble at 15 yards behind us.....it is all he can do from jumping right out of his pants...IT IS AWESOME BABY!! Cant wait!
 
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