Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
04-18-2003, 09:34 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Sicklerville NJ USA
Posts: 10
Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
Am I the only one that thinks all this trophy talk is just a touch bogus? Seems to me someone invented a formula just for the sake of keeping records. Who really cares about an extra 1/8 inch of spurs, or beard length which can actually shorten with age. Maybe weight has some validity.
Are there actually turkey hunters out there who judge each turkey before shooting. Everyone I know will either take the first legal tom they can or, at best, will pass on jakes. The only real selection I see, occurs when we get to pick among a group of toms and we naturally go for the one that looks best. The truth is there really isnt that much difference between mature toms to warrant all the fuss.
BTW, did I mention my trophy cottontail? His ears were 4' long and his tail was 2" in diameter...you get the picture.
I don' t have a problem with having a little fun and friendly competition, but too many guys are taking this stuff a little too seriously. All too often the first question you hear is about beard length, or spur length rather than about the hunt itself.
Every mature tom I shoot is a trophy in my eyes.
Am I alone on this?
Are there actually turkey hunters out there who judge each turkey before shooting. Everyone I know will either take the first legal tom they can or, at best, will pass on jakes. The only real selection I see, occurs when we get to pick among a group of toms and we naturally go for the one that looks best. The truth is there really isnt that much difference between mature toms to warrant all the fuss.
BTW, did I mention my trophy cottontail? His ears were 4' long and his tail was 2" in diameter...you get the picture.
I don' t have a problem with having a little fun and friendly competition, but too many guys are taking this stuff a little too seriously. All too often the first question you hear is about beard length, or spur length rather than about the hunt itself.
Every mature tom I shoot is a trophy in my eyes.
Am I alone on this?
04-19-2003, 09:24 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ridgeland Wisconsin
Posts: 276
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
Nope Your not all alone there.
Last year I got thinking that I needed to get a limb hanger. I figured I would look for long spurs on a gobbler before I would pull the trigger. Well Even with a scope I could not get a good look at spurs. After passing up a few dandy gobblers I reilized that what I was trying to do was nearly impossable. So I took the next mature gobbler that gave me a shot. Well I got a a limb hanger after all. but it wasn' t by choice, it was by chance. And after all of that I still feel that any gobbler is a trophy. There is a group of people in town that have a turkey board. The guy who gets the heaviest Gobbler wins. They also have a prize for the smallest gobbler. But I think it is sad in a way. I belive most of those guys only hunt for that stupid turkey board. If it wasn' t for that board some of them guys wouldn' t hunt at all. To me hunting turkeys is about the experiance of being in the great out doors not the size of the harvest. I also like to hunt with my friends. So sharing the events in the woods means more to me than getting a bird. The bottom line to me is Hunt for yourself, Don' t hunt too impress other people. I have enjoyed more days in the woods going home without a bird, than I have going home with a bird.
Last year I got thinking that I needed to get a limb hanger. I figured I would look for long spurs on a gobbler before I would pull the trigger. Well Even with a scope I could not get a good look at spurs. After passing up a few dandy gobblers I reilized that what I was trying to do was nearly impossable. So I took the next mature gobbler that gave me a shot. Well I got a a limb hanger after all. but it wasn' t by choice, it was by chance. And after all of that I still feel that any gobbler is a trophy. There is a group of people in town that have a turkey board. The guy who gets the heaviest Gobbler wins. They also have a prize for the smallest gobbler. But I think it is sad in a way. I belive most of those guys only hunt for that stupid turkey board. If it wasn' t for that board some of them guys wouldn' t hunt at all. To me hunting turkeys is about the experiance of being in the great out doors not the size of the harvest. I also like to hunt with my friends. So sharing the events in the woods means more to me than getting a bird. The bottom line to me is Hunt for yourself, Don' t hunt too impress other people. I have enjoyed more days in the woods going home without a bird, than I have going home with a bird.
04-19-2003, 09:31 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 25
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
I think it' s the nature of many if not most hunters to take the best game animal they can. That often equates to the bigest rack, longest beard or spurs, biggest fish ect. In turkey hunting all I look for is a bird that isn' t a hen or jake. If it' s the last day or so of the season I don' t have any problem with anyone taking a jake, myself included They are usually a more reasonable size for cooking. My last two birds weighed in excess of 21 lbs. they were fully mature birds, one had 1" spurs and the other 1 1/4 "
Probably not long by most standards. Same with their beards 8 1/2 and 7" . Three years ago I took a 20 pound bird with a 11 1/2" beard and no spurs. Actually I guess what I' m saying is I take what is provided and am proud of whatever it is.
Probably not long by most standards. Same with their beards 8 1/2 and 7" . Three years ago I took a 20 pound bird with a 11 1/2" beard and no spurs. Actually I guess what I' m saying is I take what is provided and am proud of whatever it is.
04-19-2003, 10:20 AM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The Wild Turkey Capitol of the World......Missouri
Posts: 1,027
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
Personally, I have never been in the practice of passing on longbeards because I didn' t think their beard was long enough or that their spurs were too short. It would take better eyes than I have to judge spurs in the field. Although I will not shoot a jake in the spring, I won' t pass a chance at anything that looks like a 2 yr. old bird with a decent beard. I believe too many things can go wrong while turkey hunting.....if you get a shot at a mature bird, you better take it......it may be your only chance of the season!
04-19-2003, 03:13 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Lufkin TX USA
Posts: 249
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
I take the first longbeard that comes in range. If I have two there, I take the one that presents the best shot. If everything else is equal, I' ll take the biggest or whichever has the best tailfan for mounting. Any fair chase gobbler is a trophy in my mind. I' ve never seen spurs before I shot anyway.
04-19-2003, 05:38 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Sicklerville NJ USA
Posts: 10
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
Thanks guys, its good to know there are others around who view this issue the way I do.
The reason I brought it up was that last week I had an amazing hunt which resulted in my taking a real nice bird. You can read about it in my 4/16 post " unbelievable" . Even after all the really interesting events of that hunt, the first thing most guys wanted to know was beard length, etc. Yawn.
When I took the bird to be checked in I was told the bird weighed 21#, had 1 1/8" spurs and a 10 1/2 beard. When I questioned the beard length which I thought was between 8" and 9" he pointed out that ONE HAIR was 2" longer than all the others and that he was instructed to base his measurement on the longest single hair. Can you imagine having your bird judged to be the " best" bird in some contest based on a SINGLE HAIR?? He asked me if I wanted to enter it for a citation....I said I' d think about it.
The reason I brought it up was that last week I had an amazing hunt which resulted in my taking a real nice bird. You can read about it in my 4/16 post " unbelievable" . Even after all the really interesting events of that hunt, the first thing most guys wanted to know was beard length, etc. Yawn.
When I took the bird to be checked in I was told the bird weighed 21#, had 1 1/8" spurs and a 10 1/2 beard. When I questioned the beard length which I thought was between 8" and 9" he pointed out that ONE HAIR was 2" longer than all the others and that he was instructed to base his measurement on the longest single hair. Can you imagine having your bird judged to be the " best" bird in some contest based on a SINGLE HAIR?? He asked me if I wanted to enter it for a citation....I said I' d think about it.
04-20-2003, 05:17 AM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NewLowell ,Ontario ,Canada
Posts: 2,765
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
A few years back ,I traveled in the quest of the grandslam. My point of a trophy during this time was the colour in the tail of the birds more then the beard/spur size. One bird I got riped off in SD , he had a pretty White tail fan ,but No spurs at all and the beard was about 8 1/2 long. I aswell understand your opinion here. I find wieght tends to be the biggest issue among Turkey hunters. My thought has always been " Can you really tell that bird was 21 lbs and not 20,, or how come you didn' t wait out for that 25 lber?...BT[
04-20-2003, 07:05 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eau Claire Wi
Posts: 60
RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
I agree! When I' m deer hunting, I shoot the first buck I see, or the first full grown doe, if it' s legal. Turkey hunting, I' ve only shot one, but it was the first bird that walked into range even tho I had 3 others coming in. Any bird you work legit and take like that is a trophy and you should be proud. If I ever get a chance to chase a grand slam, it' s going to be because I think the Merriams and Rios are just so dang purty...not because I want to brag about the " Slam" . [8D]