Strut&Rut

Congrats on a hog Kelly!

I would bet that bird is definitely at least 3 years old.

Spur growth is a combination of spur length, curve and width - some birds grow wide fat spurs, others grow long daggers.

When in doubt about age, many people (including many of the wildlife biologists I know and/or have spoken to over the years) look at spur length, body weight and beard length. If the spurs are 1+ with any curvature, beard is 10+ and weight is 20+ = most likely 3 years old or older. Spurs can get worn down, beards can break and strutting can take a toll on the weight - but when all 3 of those variables are that large, then I personally don't have any doubts.

Those spurs are obviously curved (they just don't end in sharp points) whereas 2yr old spurs are typically 3/4-7/8 of an inch long and form a blunt triangle (no curve at all). The spurs aren't sharp, but I would never consider a 22lb bird with an 11" beard and 1 1/4 hooks anything less than 3, and he may be even older (based on the width of the spur, which suggests extensive growth).

Last week my son shot a tom with spurs similar to your bird, except the spurs on his bird were 1 1/16 inch - but they were white, as thick as a my pinky and had more curvature - but they also weren't sharp. He had 'beard rot' (broken off with a brown ring, evidence of a vitamin deficiency), but even with the short beard everyone who saw the bird immediately said - '3yr old'....