my second turkey had a 12 and 1/4 inch beard and 1 and 3/8 inch spurs, can anyone tell me how old he is exactly?

[john farris]

my second turkey had a 12 and 1/4 inch beard and 1 and 3/8 inch spurs, can anyone tell me how old he is exactly?

[allegnmtn]

You can't necessarily tell much about a gobblers age from the beard length. They can break off for a variety of reasons, especially if you live in an area with ice and snow. But that's an impressive beard.

Spurs area better gauge. I'd guess your bird is probably 4 years old. A bird that's more than 3 years old will have spurs that are over 1 1/4 long, curved, and sharp. Most 4-5 year old birds have spurs in the 1 1/2 range.

2-3 year old birds have shorter spurs that are less sharp and only slightly curved. Look at both length and the curve of yours bird's spurs.

[bayouwoof]

Ah dunno, exactly.

Butt mah beard grows at a rate of 1/2 inch per month, so thet wood make him a litle over two years old!

[Gary Devine]

John, what was your Tom's weight? I think weight is a better scale for age then beard size.

[Treestand]

JMO~ I gauge Age on Wild Turkeys by Wing and Tail Feathers not Spurs size or Beard size, The older the bird the sharper 9Th-10Th wing tip feather.

[john farris]

the weight of the bird was 20 lbs.