# What's the heaviest tom you ever killed?



## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

What's the heaviest tom you've ever killed? 

My heaviest was a bird I tagged on my first ever turkey hunt. He had long spurs (1 5/8th inches) and weighed in at either 23 or 24 lbs (one of those two numbers - can't remember which).


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## Yamirider (Oct 3, 2008)

I shot a turkey in thumb about 10 years ago that weighted 29lbs had a 12 inch beard and 1.5 spurs. I wish I would of had that bird mounted and officially scored.


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## Sprytle (Jan 8, 2005)

This bird we got last year was just shy of 26 #

Ive gotten quite a few in the 22-24# range


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## dsconnell (Aug 29, 2007)

I think this one was 23lbs but I couldnt tell you if he was the heaviest.. I have killed alot of birds but never really cared to weigh any of them...


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

I chuckle at the frequency of posts claiming a 25+ lb bird.

IMO, turkeys are the second most exaggerated species when it comes to weight, just behind bass!

It's amazing how fast they shrink when someone actually puts them on a scale, rather than estimating the weight. 

I have personally weighed every tom I've taken, and just about every one of my friends birds. *With a sample size approaching 25 birds*, I can say *the heaviest bird I've weighed* *was* shot by our very own Pale Rider, tipping the scales at *28 lbs!*

I have killed *the second heaviest bird in the sample, at 24.75 lbs *(a 2 year old).

Most were between 20 and 22.

The highest scoring birds we've ever killed were all LESS than 20 lbs.

These are all SE MI birds.


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## Bambicidal Maniac (Feb 4, 2011)

I shot my first and only tom in Virginia in '96 on my first hunt. It weighed 22 lbs. after field dressing. Nice spurs and a 9-3/4" beard.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Most are in the 20-23# range, but my biggest was just over 25#. My Dad killed a monster of bird that just hit the 27# mark on our certified meat scale.


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## BigGreen (Jan 10, 2011)

Shot my personal best just a couple days ago on the 27th, 11 3/8 inch beard, 1 1/2 inch spurs, 25 pounds 9 ounces. It was also the first time I got a bird on an afternoon/evening hunt, (about 15 minutes before legal shooting light ended) I have never put pics on here before but here it goes.....hope it works


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

BigGreen said:


> Shot my personal best just a couple days ago on the 27th, 11 3/8 inch beard, 1 1/2 inch spurs, 25 pounds 9 ounces. It was also the first time I got a bird on an afternoon/evening hunt, (about 15 minutes before legal shooting light ended) I have never put pics on here before but here it goes.....hope it works


Thats a hell of a bird. Congratulations!!!! Getting a full body mount?:evil:


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## Rem870Mag (Sep 5, 2010)

Nice bird big green


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## harrisonhunter (Nov 5, 2003)

My 2008 bird was 26.5 lbs.


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## bigrackmack (Aug 10, 2004)

My bird from a couple of years ago.....The taxidermist asked me how much I thought it weighed......I said like 23-24 pounds.....He said it was pretty sure it weighed more then that.....put it on the scale....just shy of 27#'s......made me feel a little better about getting it mounted......Mack


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## ridgewalker (Jun 24, 2008)

The largest tom that I took was a 24 pounder that was sporting a double beard. I miss those spring mornings when I listened to the back woods wake up and to the gobbling that caused my heart to beat like a drum. Make those memories while you can especially with your children and grandchildren.


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

I've killed 8 birds..not one has weighed more than 24 lbs. My biggest tom was a giant triple beard...only wieghed 19


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## duxdog (Apr 13, 2008)

Last 3 birds were over 11 inch beards. Largest was 26.85 on the certified scale. Other 2 were just over 24. Shot lots around the 21-22 lb range.


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

Shot my 1st today!  It weighed 22.3 pounds. I'm proud of that thing!


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

Firefighter said:


> I chuckle at the frequency of posts claiming a 25+ lb bird.
> 
> IMO, turkeys are the second most exaggerated species when it comes to weight, just behind bass!
> 
> ...


I know right? Our two biggest scores between us are from birds both under 20...add lisa's two giant birds. 17 lbs and 19 lbs..and we maybe have a three person average of 18 birds ..the weight would be maybe 20 lbs.


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## freebeard60 (Apr 22, 2011)

Every bird Ive ever shot has been weighed with the tried and trusted bathroom scale method.You know,weigh yourself,then yourself and the bird,then subtract the difference.24pounds,10 15/16 beard,1 3/4 spurs is my best.


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## freebeard60 (Apr 22, 2011)

Whats even more interesting is that if you grind the meat from a 20 pounder youll be luckey to end up with a little over 5 pounds of burger from a carcass that would make a dog bite you for giving it to him.


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## jml2 (Dec 10, 2004)

My heaviest is 23#. I take a lot of guys out each year. I called one in for my dad that was 25 #, 12 inch beard, 1.5 inch spurs. Called one in for my brother with 4 beards-his bird only weighed 16.5 #.

We weigh all of our birds on a digital scale.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Thunderhead (Feb 2, 2002)

Just a little over 28lbs.


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## Citori (Oct 22, 2000)

24 pounds even.


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## buck11pt24 (Mar 11, 2007)

We have never weighed one until my dad's bird on Friday. Before seeing this bird, I never really bothered to know, but couldn't resist this one. I take 6-10 people out every year and almost everyone gets their birds, so I have seen a lot of dead ones. I have never seen a bird as big as the one my dad killed on Friday. 29 pounds, 11 5/16 beard, right spur was 1 12/16 and the left was 1 10/16 for a total of 14 12/16. We had it officially scored tonight by Mike Brown, CMB scorer out of Shiawassee County. Bird was taken in Gratiot County. I would say the biggest bofore this was at most 24 pounds, but average 19-20.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Biggest Michigan bird? 22 pounds, taken in 1998. I've never hunted anywhere else in Michigan except in northern Michigan.

From other states? Two different Eastern birds topped out at just over 26, one in Ohio, one in Tennessee.

My longest spurred and bearded birds have all been less than 20 pounds so far. Took an Osceola in Florida that had spurs an inch and a half, on the money-19 pounds. That was a fall gobbler that should have been heavier, too. Too busy running, I guess. Osceolas have legs like track stars on them. 

Weight is nothing more than an indication of the amount of food a bird has been getting, coupled with an indication of the good habitat he was living in. It is not an indication of dominance or anything else. I would wager that most of those really huge Michigan birds had their diets supplemented with something more than what they could scratch up on their own-in other words, a bird that is really heavy has not had to work too hard for his dinner. If he did, he'd weigh a lot less because he is running it off.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Yamirider said:


> I shot a turkey in thumb about 10 years ago that weighted 29lbs had a 12 inch beard and 1.5 spurs. I wish I would of had that bird mounted and officially scored.


Have it scored by CBM if you still have the spurs and beard. 15" is a very good bird. 


L & O


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## huntinlady (Nov 10, 2007)

23.5 #s a couple years ago.


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

My bird from 2008 seemed heavy at 24 lbs 3 ozs, but I topped it this year with a 26 lb 9 oz bird. No supplemental feeding for these guys....just big old farm country birds that do nothing but walk around and eat in the fields all day.


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## no thyme (Jun 25, 2009)

3 years ago, 28# 2 oz. 9 inch beard and just 1 inch spurs, his fan was 32 inch across at the base, the cannon did not match his artillery!!


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

My biggest went 23lbs and all the rest have run 19-22lbs.


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## WillHunt4Food (Sep 25, 2007)

27.5 pound bird in 2005 is my biggest and highest scoring bird as well.


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## Jigin-N-Grinin (Jan 22, 2008)

I typically dont weigh them but this year I did because our meat scale just happened to be sitting next to me while I breasted him out. He was 23 lbs.
When I killed him and picked him up I commented to my son that he wasnt a very big bird. He was an average mature 'Thumb Gobbler'
We grow em big over here:evil:


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