My dad killedatom 8 days ago in WIs first season. He shot it sunday afternoon and it was the second bird he has killed with white bars in the tail feathers (3 middle tail feathers were striped with white bars). Bird was a good healthy 23 lbs but upon inspection the spurs were wore down exposing the inner bone of the spur and around the spurs the leg scales were kinda bloody/scarred looking. There was about 3/4 of the spur shell on one side and about 1/2 the spur shell on the other. By the looks of the bone the spurs would have been1 1/4 or betteras the bone was about 1 1/8 inch. My dad thinks its because of the hard winter we had here in WI with alot of icey layers and I think its a combo of the winter and old age of the bird. The bird apeared to be old to me I guess with decent spur length and the beard was really thin and wirey than normal I thought. Just wonderin if any other WI or northern foks have seen anything like this? WCL

Could be ice (that would definately explain the thin beard). Could also be from rocks and or hills (if that applies to your part of the world). Other possibility is just from mixing it up with other birds. A bird with 1 1/4" spurs is (generally) an advanced three, typical four year old. Its all generalization.

You wouldn't happen to have the spurs and a camera handy would you? Always easier to see than be told you know...

it is also known in some areas of Wisconsin - my home state - that we had a pretty good winter kill too!

last Wednesday April 23rd I took an eldery gent out and I found at least 4 turkey carcasses or what was left of them at bases of known roost trees........

I willing to bet that nutriton played a part in that sour deal too....

Be interesting to ask a Biologist if my theory is all wet!

JW

I find it hard to believe it is Rocks or Ice. Having said that I don't know what it is. If it were Ice all theGobblers would be like that. Rocks the same thing. Why would just one Bird have worn off Spurs? Age once again all Birds would be like that.

However, the poor thing had something messed up.

TF

FIFE- is documented the Gould's which live in rocky terrain - have very poor spurs - attributed to the fact of abbrasion in most articles I can find....

I would think = constant ice = to which we did have a bad winter could possibly takes its toll.

JW

Yeah there was some of that found around our area too. My 2 buddys found a tree that had like 11 birds layin dead at the base. They asked our warden about it and he said that "turkeys go into a hybernation like state in the trees when it is extremely cold out and if the cold period goes to long they will die and fall outta the tree." I'm sure this is what you ran into too. WCL

Sry I dont have any pics and wont be able to get any till this weekend or the next. If I do get pics I'll repost with them on. WCL

I have never seen a Gould are its Spurs. However, the one in question itdon't make sence that just one would have worn off Spurs from the Ice or Rocks? The same for the Ice, it don't make sence for One Old Bird to have Worn off Spurs JUST because the Ice was bad, Didn't all the Gobblers walk in the same Ice?. If all the Gobbles in that area has that problem then, I would say it's the Ice. Judge Judy says if it makes sence it is probably true

TF

Please do post some pics when you get a chance, I would like to see what you got going on here!

Because the area around the spur was bloody, my best guess would be from the terrain. If the spur is damaged from fighting, it typically snaps off, similar to a dog breaking a toenail in a dogfight. It's also quite rare that a bird breaks both spurs fighting...

Spurs do not grow fast, and hence, the healing process on an injured spur is also a long-term process. It could have been from the winter...

Although the bird still had considerable weight, he could have been malnourished in a few trace minerals, which can also weaken the spurs/leg scales...

S&R