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Post by papohead on Feb 14, 2007 14:46:51 GMT -5
I always thought that spurs told the age of turkeys. But can a turkey get so old that his spurs get smaller like a buck when he ages. I killed one several years ago and had a nice beard, and get 18 tail feathers and weight 25 lbs. but his spurs were weird and scaley and about gone. I killed him on our farm and we have basically no rocks or terrain that would wear them down. I am stumped.
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Post by dec on Feb 14, 2007 16:39:28 GMT -5
From my experience with age, they wear down. Not always, but in general they do.
Also, genetics plays a big roll, just like in growing antlers. Some turkeys just never grow big spurs. Some grow funky ones.
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Post by woodmaster on Feb 14, 2007 21:48:54 GMT -5
I doubt they wear them down very much. Some birds break them but they continue to grow.
I've heard of gobblers that didn't grow a spur(s).
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Post by papohead on Feb 15, 2007 14:28:08 GMT -5
These were pealing off the chitin or what ever they are made with.
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Post by oneshot on Feb 23, 2007 17:54:12 GMT -5
Maybe he is a dominate bird... A fighter.
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Post by ff1126 on Feb 23, 2007 21:56:26 GMT -5
I have killed several turkeys that have had just one spur. My son last year took this nice bird that weighed 25 lbs and is obviously a mature bird, but it had no spurs. It never had them. Its legs were just smooth were the spurs should be. It just all about genetics.  |
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Post by Woody Williams on Feb 23, 2007 22:08:50 GMT -5
Congratulations your son, ff1126.
No doubt it is a mature bird.
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Post by nsporleder on Feb 23, 2007 23:12:09 GMT -5
I've killed 2 mature toms that didn't didn't have a hint of spurs on them.One was an Osceola and the other was a Merriam.I guess I'm halfway to a spurless SLAM!!!
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