Record turkeys taken in montgomery county the recorder. Your wild turkey is not the same as a storebought turkey. Ozark bowhunter takes record wild turkey on opening day obituaries. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Through conservation efforts over the past century, with funds derived from the pittmanrobertson act, and thanks to sportsmen and women, there are approximately 6. The program ranks wild turkeys based on beard, spur length. Wild turkey beard length records for each subspecies. You have just finished a thrilling spring or fall hunt and have before you a magnificent trophythe.
Between 1956 and 2004, 2,795 wild trapped birds were released at 185 sites around the state. The 2011 fall turkey hunting season taught me there is a record book for wild turkey hunting. Michigan state record bird michigan sportsman online. The turkey is a large bird in the genus meleagris, which is native to the americas. Nwtf wild turkey records national wild turkey federation. Fish and wildlife service photo hunting season for eastern wild turkey opens in south carolina. The authors sacrifice in learning about wild turkeys puts him in that rare group of researchers who lived with their subjects, and came to understand them on their terms.
These are records only of wild turkeys harvested in ny state. The national wild turkey federation nwtf is a national nonprofit conservation and hunting organization that has worked for the conservation of the wild. How to attract wild turkeys to your yard the spruce. The record for largest wild turkey male was 38 lbs. The largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys is 661 and was accomplished at the 44th annual capital one bank dallas ymca turkey trot in dallas, texas, usa on 24 november 2011. Nov 27, 20 according to the guinness book of world records, the heaviest turkey on record weighed 86 pounds. The categories are broken down by subspecies and state. How this recordbook bird managed to drag that long beard around without it.
Nwtf records have been kept for 45 years, dating back to 1973. Due to lack of interest and low entry numbers, effective with the 2018 season we will no longer score turkeys or maintain turkey records. I always did wonder about that, because that bird was taken in the mid80s, when the majority of the trap and transplant operations around the state were just getting going, and houghton lake, to my. The wild turkey is one of seven groups of large upland ground birds in the phasianidae family that include pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, old world quail, peafowl, grouse and guineafowl. Mi long beards chapter will be the official recordkeeper.
I think part of it has to do with the fact that there were no turkeys in northern indiana while i. Paul went headtohead against local butcher david harrison at an event to celebrate the 25th birthday of kellybronze turkeys. Register a wild turkey join thousands of individuals who have their birds registered in our wild turkey records database. A current nwtf member or another licensed hunter from the state where the bird was harvested must verify all measurements. The national wild turkey federation nwtf has officially confirmed the spring gobblers weight at 37. We urge you to also register your turkey with the national office of the n. When turkeys were reintroduced about 50 years ago, no one dreamed the birds would thrive in the suburbs. Top 5 longest wild turkey subspecies beards realtree camo. Wild turkeys are at a record high in new englandbut not all are thankful. Yes, texas is known for rio grande gobblers, but eastern wild turkeys live there too. In the early 1900s, wild turkeys were on the brink of extinction, with only about 200,000 left. Hunting wild turkeys has become an obsession of mine. Nwtf confirms new world record turkey killed in kentucky.
They stay on dry ground and seek cover in brush or woodlands. Turkey recipes 7 tips for cooking wild turkey havalon. Any 50 points 75 points 100 points 125 points 150 points 175 points 200 points. Their official scoring instructions are found here along with information on submitting a record turkey and an official entry form before you begin to score your turkey, be sure to note that all measurements are taken in 116inch increments and converted to decimal form. They are chickenlike in appearance, and have short, rounded wings, short heavy bills, and heavy bodies. As in many galliformes, the male is larger and much more colorful than the female. The book project has been on hiatus for a long period while i started a tech company. As reported by multiple sources, david cody guess has killed one big turkey.
Bb the beard of the turkey is a cluster of long, hairlike feathers that. The recordsized adult male wild turkey, according to the national wild turkey federation, weighed 16. In mexico, you can find huntable populations of goulds wild turkeys in the states of durango, chihuahua, sonora, sinaloa, jalisco, zacatecas, coahuila, and nayarit, with the majority of record book turkeys being taken in the state of durango. I kid you not about the length you just saw posted here. Search the turkey records database national wild turkey. Alabama designated the eastern wild turkey as the official state game bird in 1980 the official state bird is the northern flicker, adopted in 1927. Wild turkey should not be tough and dry, but rather a delicious and versatile meal.
Any 5 birds 10 birds 15 birds 20 birds 25 birds 30 birds. Hutto is a fabulous thinker, and illumination is about what we can learn through his eyes, and what his turkeys were willing to teach him. Recordkeeping began in fall 1982 and now we have more than 23,000 records in our database. Turkey record summary map national wild turkey federation. Beat these 3 beastly wv hunting records almost heaven. Nwtfs wild turkey records program offers nwtf members a way to register any legally harvested wild turkey, taken anywhere in the world. Hunting season for eastern wild turkey opens in south carolina. Benjamin franklin would have preferred to have the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, chosen as the national symbol of the united states. An estimated 50,000 hunters will try to bag eastern wild turkeys in south carolina this spring.
The wild turkey is the only species of fowl that captivates hunters the way big game animals do and since the cancellation of the spring bear hunt in ontario, the. Its wild turkey records have 30 years of data on more than 17,000 amazing trophy birds. The following listings below where derived from a database of wild turkey records as recorded thru the national wild turkey records. Cody may killed this texas eastern wild turkey gobbler on april 6, 2007. For a number of years, maybe still, i havent looked lately, the state record turkey for weight was a bird from the houghton lake area. The wild turkey aa the turkey is a very popular and well known bird in america. Phasianids are mostly an old world family, with distribution throughout most of europe and asia excluding the far north, all of africa excluding the driest. According to the guinness book of world records, the.
Before you begin to score your turkey, be sure to note that all measurements are taken in 116inch increments and converted to decimal form. After reading this, i found his wild turkey country with gary griffey photography. What is the record longest flight by a wild turkey answers. The national wild turkey federation has an easy stepbystep trophy measuring guide and an online measurement scoring calculator. How to score your wild turkey national wild turkey. With the right preparation and steps to attract these large game birds, they can be regular visitors to your yard as well, but you might want to consider the potential problems they can cause very carefully before you put out the wild turkey welcome mat. Alabama has one of the largest peracre populations of wild turkeys of any state in the united states. Nwtfs list of wild turkey records good hunt the ledger. Male wild turkeys generally weigh 11 to 24 lbs, and are 39 to 49 inches long. There are some huge gobblers in west virginia, especially in jackson county. However, the national wild turkey federation invites you to register your turkey through their official wild turkey records program. With over 80 years of selling poultry supplies we have the right turkey raising and care for you.
Youll receive a 8x10 certificate for framing, a supspecies specific lapel pin and have your name listed alongside your birds statistics on our website. Upland birds are known for several traits which distinguish them from other birds. Nwtfs list of wild turkey records thursday, april 4, 20 at 12. Therefore they need to be basted at least twice as often, if not three times as often, as a storebought bird. Click here for the complete michigan wild turkey records click here for michigan wild turkey records atypical. The national wild turkey federation has a scoring system for both atypical and typical turkeys. More than a million wild turkeys have been shot in new york since then, and too take the fifth and 31stranking birds in a double set is nothing shy of incredible. This week i was out turkey hunting in southeastern michigan when i. Where wild turkeys were extirpated, state wildlife agencies were able to successfully restore the appropriate subspecies by solely using wild trapped turkeys from residual wild populations and transplanting them to areas of suitable habitat. Here are some wild, wonderful records for some of the biggest, longest and most impressive animals in the mountain state. The national wild turkey federation is the official record keeper of all trophy turkeys entered into the record books. Shot april 21, 2015 on his lyon county family farm, its the heaviest turkey ever registered. This week i was out turkey hunting in southeastern michigan when i was lucky enough to get my first crossbow kill.
Forest service book standard reference for all subspecies extensive, new information on all aspects of wild turkey ecology and management the standard reference for all subspecieseastern, goulds, merriams, florida and rio grandethe wild turkey summarizes the new technologies and studies leading to better understanding. Though his primary audience for the book seems to be hunters, this is essential reading for anyone interested in wild turkeys. Males of both turkey species have a distinctive fleshy wattle or protuberance that hangs from the top of the beak called a snood. With turkey season right around the corner, here are our top 10 most popular recipes for mouthwatering wild turkey. Wild turkeys are instantly recognizable birds that are more common in yards than many birders realize. The nwtf has developed a formula for scoring trophy gobblers. Wild turkeys usually get around by walking or running, but they can fly strongly, and they. Ks top 20 turkey records turkey information hunting.
Typically, these birds do not migrate, but adapt to. Fastest time to carve a turkey guinness world records. While it is usually rather lighter than the waterfowl, after the trumpeter swan cygnus buccinator, the turkey has the second heaviest maximum. Wild turkeys are at a record high in new englandbut not. All records listed on our website are current and uptodate. The purpose of this program is to provide michigan hunters with a permanent recordkeeping system on all legally harvested wild turkeys taken in the spirit of fair chase.
How this recordbook bird managed to drag that long beard around without it breaking off or wearing it thin is anyones guess. Under the national wild turkey federations system, which factors in the turkeys weight, length of beard and length of spurs, the turkey scored. Although the barnyard variety is a rather stupid creature leading to the insulting tone of the term turkey, the original wild form is a wary and magnificent bird. Support the great outdoors lifestyle and promote all things about the grand and majestic wild turkey. Largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys guinness. Crafty birds that also make tasty meals, wild turkeys have been on the decline since 2002, when their s. Recordkeeping began in fall 1982 and now we have more than 27,000 records in our database. Join thousands of individuals who have their birds registered in our wild turkey records database. Two tom turkeys walked passed my blind and at 25 yards. A storebought turkey has been soaked in juices and injected with plumping preservatives to keep it juicy. Wild turkeys are considered the secondmost popular biggame animal in the u. Weighing in as the heaviest bird on record is a mammoth rio grande from oregon and when i think turkey hunting, i think, oregon tipping. Whether it be your first turkey, the largest or even the smallest, we urge you to enter your bird for the. Well that is where things get even more interesting.
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