As noted earlier - if you are lucky enough to get the drop on a true giant tom - you'd better kill him early - b/c he'll shed weight like an olympic wrestler during breeding.

Deeg - I think it's actually getting harder and harder to find "big" toms anywhere these days. With the rising popularity of turkey hunting, more toms are biting the bullet before they ever have the chance to blow out their 4th birthday candle.

I know from guiding and taking birds myself - my core areas are totally depleted of true limbhangers. Tons of 2 and 3 year olds, but the patriarchs are scarce. Don't get me wrong, a 60-class turkey is a true trophy to most people. But they're not what I'm looking for.

I actually believe that the really old toms are much smarter thanmost huntersgive them credit for. They're very aware of hunting pressure, and they know how to avoid it. They will vacate their harem and relocateif necessary. Self-preservation... They don't get to be 5+ years old by running to every hen they hear or gobbling their brains out all day.

Musselvalley - that is an absolute warhammer of a gobbler. Do you have any pics of it?

Gmil6184 - high scoring turkeys are all about spurs - giant ones. The x10 multiplier really applies maximum credit to the final score, as it should.

MO - Dude, to kill 2 70+ birds in a double - that's awesome! Wow. You Missouri guys truly do have the world's best eastern turkey hunting.

Mr. Longbeard - I don't think any of us have lost appreciation for turkey hunting... Just that we know what it takes to make a once-in-a-lifetime, record-book turkey. For some of us, that's the crowning achievement in turkey hunting. Everybody has different goals: some people want to be on tv, some want the slam, some just want to fill their tag, some want a bird that gobbles like his ass is on fire. I want an 80. That doesn't make me a bad guy or unappreciative. Just look at some of the guys responding on this thread - Deeg is one of the most accomplished turkey hunters on this site. Musselvalley has taken one of the highest scoring birds of all time.

I guess when you think about it - anyone can go out and "luck into" a monster tom... But when you do it consistently, there's a higher level of research, preparation, tactics and understanding going into it. With that, comes a distinct appreciation for what you're doing and the bird you're talking to.

By the way, great discussion so far guys. This is really getting me amped to get out and do some heavy scouting in the upcoming weeks.