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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

I agree with all of you... I look at it the same way I do bucks, you cant eat a deer' s antlers, and you can' t eat a toms beard, I just enjoy being out there in the woods. [:-]

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.

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[;)

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]

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

I agree,any bird taken legally is a trophy.The only record keeping is the memories you have of each hunt.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

I believe for the most part that any two year old tom is as much of a trophy as a 3 or 4 year old. however, i am more proud to kill an obviously older turkey because a turkey thats been through 3-5 hunting seasons is gonna be a whole lot harder to fool than one that' s only been through 2. A hunter that can fool and old old turkey and bag him, has more to brag about than someone who bags a nice 2 year old simply because his bird had survived that many more hunting seasons.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

Any turkey that you legally call into gun range and harvest is a trophy. The rest of it is pretty much luck in my book.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

Trophy is in the heart not the record book. Its nice to see that so many of us in here are true to the hunting spirit and not the killing spirit. But this world we live in" Bigger the better" attitude is in everything we do even hunting. Ijust took my 1st mature gobbler yesterday(as most know from my other posts)but that don' t mean that tomorrow a jake steps out I' ll pass on him to me it is more the experience than the kill.It is almost sad because the day is done then. As happy as I was yesterday packing him out i remember more than once thinking," man now I have to go home" And to see these Big Game perserves they have now, where they grow Elk and Deer like cattle makes me ill. I refuse to watch them on TV,because that is NOT hunting in my book.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

Personally, I do consider myself a trophy hunter, and not because I' ve got a macho, " better than thou" attitude or anything. I' ve killed a bunch of nice gobblers over the years and I' m to the point in my life that I' d rather film or watch them than kill them. I just love to hear ' em and see the ritual. The only time I will carry the ' ol shotgun with me is when I find an old patron that will give me a good run for my money! And I' ve never had the opportunity to have a full body mount of a nice bird, so the next one I kill will either have a foot long beard (or close to it) or multiple beards! And if I get a mount done, I' ll probably never kill another. But I' ll be out there every spring enjoying the season. I don' t have to kill a bird every year to have a great time. I enjoy taking other folks out that haven' t been as fortunate as myself over the years.

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

nicely said, who_else

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

You make very good points, Sno Ball

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

Well you guys have said it all so all that I can say is I Agree. I do have to confess that I am only 19 yrs old and do still have a little competitive blood flowing, and yes my buddies and I do jeer each other, in fun, about who' s beard is longer or spurs, etc. But most importantly we will all be out there again next year having a BLAST!!! And yes I will continue my quest for the older and smarter birds, as others have said due to their wisdom and challenge. Bravo to all who agree and love the hunt not he " Book" :D

RE: Are we making too much of " Trophy" status?
 

As far as I am concerned---any turkey you can get to come in range---or that you can manuever yourself into range---is a trophy. It is hard enough to do that without trying to figure out if he really is big enough. Trust me---around here there are some folks who have not bagged a bird yet and our season closes in a week!

I look at it a bit different with deer hunting. I have let bucks walk because I wanted them to grow and here in Alabama we have the option of taking does all season. Having said that---when I decide to take a doe---it is also a big thrill.