# How long do turkey beards grow?



## aquanator

Having hunted whitetails for decades, it's easy for me to judge that a 125" whitetail is record book material, but what about turkey beards?

My stats so far in 4 years of hunting them:
Year 1 - learn a lot and missed two mature toms
Year 2 - settled for a Jake with a 4" beard
Year 3 - shot a nice tom with a 7 3/4" beard
Year 4 - shot a nice tom with a 9 1/2" beard 

I decided the first turkey with a 10" beard that I get, I'll have a full strut mount down. Since thei years turkey was 9 1/2", I'm just doing the fan/beard/spur on a plaque thing.

But it got me to wondering, is a 10" turkey the "normal" full length at maturity? I know some grown longer, and some gorw multiple beards, but I'm looking for the length of beard which I can equate to a nice 125" 8 point whitetail....to help me judge which one is "worth" doing a full mount, since I'll probably only do one of these in a lifetime (limited space to display).
Thanks.


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## adam bomb

I think 10" beards are pretty common, at least in the central part of the LP. Id look more for a bird with large spurs as beard length isnt a good judge of age because theyre easily broken. Id look for spurs in the 1 1/4-1 1/2" range. Thats a better judge of age than beard length....Should put your bird at 3+ years old. And chances are a bird with spurs like that will be sporting a pretty nice beard...Not always, but the odds are in your favor. Id look for a combination of large spurs along with a heavy beard at least 10 1/2" on it. Thats a mounter to me. But, the decision is ultimately up to you.

I killed a bird last year with a 10 3/4" beard and 1 3/8" spurs that im still kicking myself in the rear end for not mounting. Weighed 24#.

Look for Big Rack Macks post, thats a mounter.


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## Sib

Beard length isn't permanent. It's not uncommon for beards to get ice build up during winter and have the beard lose a good chunk. Had a few mature birds loose large portions of their beard around my place. Even in the south beard length tends to get cropped by dragging. Very rare to find a beard longer than 11". Spur length is a better choice for aging. Of course, it's darn hard to get close enough to gauge spur length on a live bird.

Interesting article on aging turkeys:
http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/articles/aging4.htm


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## thill

I shot a turkey a couple of years ago in Hesperia that had a beard 12 1/4" long! The wierd thing was the turkey was not that big. It had spurs less than a half inch and didn't weigh that much. The beard was very long, but very thin. I still have the beard of course, but I never thought about mounting it because of the weight and spurs were average to sub par.


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## duxdog

Like stated before, the spurs are the main way to tell. I think a thick beard seams to go along with more mature Toms also. I have seen alot of 9 3/4-10 inch beards that were only a couple of years old. They usually have nubs for spurs. I got a thick 11 1/2 inch beard last year with my bow and he had close to 1 1/2 in hooked limb hangers and weighed 26 lbs.


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## bigrackmack

Thanks Adam, I shot a bird once that had a 14 1/2" beard but his spurs were only about a inch and he only weighted in at about 20 pounds......Nice beard of course but no size to the spurs, and wasn't a BIG BIRD.......I think I'm way more impressed with spur length more then anything......Because as stated the beards can break off......When I took my bird in to get mounted, he had a bird in there that had close to 1 7/8" spurs and they didn't hook at all they were like daggers......I couldn't keep my eyes off them......Mack


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## Big Reds

Just like deer, turkeys mature past thier prime and loose weight due to numerous factors such as age, fighting, etc.. Beards as stated before are brittle on the ends, can break off and are worn off much like wing tips.


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## U of M Fan

bigrackmack said:


> thanks adam, i shot a bird once that had a 14 1/2" beard but his spurs were only about a inch and he only weighted in at about 20 pounds......nice beard of course but no size to the spurs, and wasn't a big bird.......i think i'm way more impressed with spur length more then anything......because as stated the beards can break off......when i took my bird in to get mounted, he had a bird in there that had close to 1 7/8" spurs and they didn't hook at all they were like daggers......i couldn't keep my eyes off them......mack


1 7/8" spurs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow


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## adam bomb

No problem Mack, just giving credit where its do. Thats one fine bird you killed my friend....Its got it all. Congratulations.

Now, 1 7/8" spurs!!!:yikes:....Now that i would love to see. Never have seen a specimen like that. I wouldnt have been able to keep my eyes off it either...Truely amazing. I wonder how old it was? 6-7. A rare bird in the wild no doubt.:coolgleam


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## duxdog

don't oceolas have long spurs?


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## population control

the bird i killed friday only had a 9 inch beard, but he had really nice hooks. 1-3/8 and 1-1/4 those were the only reason i shot him. he stood in front of me for 5 minutes then moved up on top of a little hill with short grass and i seen the hooks on him. if i wouldn't of seen the hooks i would have let him walk.

a 125 inch whitetail is a good one, anything over 11 with inch plus spurs is what i consider a 125 whitetail. i have one of both on the wall and no sooner did i get a trophy bird on the wall and i shot a bigger one in tennesee. 

i say if you think its a trophy its a trophy


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## Linda G.

Wild turkeys should not be judged by their beards, spurs, or weight. All you can tell with those is whether you have a bird that's 3 years old or older. Spurs can be worn and broken off when fighting or climbing rocks, beards break off because of ice or wear off due to being dragged on the ground, and weight depends on the habitat and food sources, as well as activity. 

The dominant tom in the area will often weigh 17 pounds, with a 7 inch beard that's broken off, and worn out spurs. But he's the boss, and the bird that is the true trophy because he is a survivor. 

It's not supposed to be about getting the biggest and best in turkey hunting, anyway, it's about the quality of the hunt. Little, skinny toms can outsmart you most often. 

I have never seen a beard any longer than a bit more than 11 inches, nor have I ever seen a bird with more than 1 and 7/8 spurs. I would really like to see a bird with a 14 inch beard, somehow, I have a hard time believing that. 

Yes, Osceolas do have longer, sharper spurs. They're really quite impressive. I have one on the wall in here that was only a 2 year old with a 9 inch beard, but he has inch and 7/8 spurs. And I'm told they go bigger.


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## tommy-n

In the area where I live and hunt 10'' beards are not uncommon . Seems from saginaw west to greenville area there are alot of big birds. My neighbors have 3 that are in the record books CBM I think. My sons first bird was a double beard that went 10'' and 10.5'' with only 3/4'' spurs, that bird was less than 20lbs

I personally like the big heavy rope beards there more attractive than the long skinny ones


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## BWHUNTR

Linda G. said:


> Wild turkeys should not be judged by their beards, spurs, or weight. All you can tell with those is whether you have a bird that's 3 years old or older. Spurs can be worn and broken off when fighting or climbing rocks, beards break off because of ice or wear off due to being dragged on the ground, and weight depends on the habitat and food sources, as well as activity.
> 
> *Rock climbing is a very popular Turkey sport, careful what ya shoot in area with a lot of rock, may be dissapointed with that broken spur *
> 
> The dominant tom in the area will often weigh 17 pounds, with a 7 inch beard that's broken off, and worn out spurs. But he's the boss, and the bird that is the true trophy because he is a survivor.
> 
> *That would be an outstanding Jake! *
> 
> It's not supposed to be about getting the biggest and best in turkey hunting
> 
> *I think most people want to kill the biggest and the best, I do! :evil: I'll savor those memories that were made along the way killing the biggest too!*
> 
> I have never seen a beard any longer than a bit more than 11 inches, nor have I ever seen a bird with more than 1 and 7/8 spurs. I would really like to see a bird with a 14 inch beard, somehow, I have a hard time believing that.
> 
> *Thumb through the CBM Records book, you gonna doubt every hunter that has ever even taken a Turkey that has a beard over 12" here in Michigan? *


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## duxdog

Linda G. said:


> Wild turkeys should not be judged by their beards, spurs, or weight. All you can tell with those is whether you have a bird that's 3 years old or older. Spurs can be worn and broken off when fighting or climbing rocks, beards break off because of ice or wear off due to being dragged on the ground, and weight depends on the habitat and food sources, as well as activity.
> 
> The dominant tom in the area will often weigh 17 pounds, with a 7 inch beard that's broken off, and worn out spurs. But he's the boss, and the bird that is the true trophy because he is a survivor.
> 
> It's not supposed to be about getting the biggest and best in turkey hunting, anyway, it's about the quality of the hunt. Little, skinny toms can outsmart you most often.
> 
> I have never seen a beard any longer than a bit more than 11 inches, nor have I ever seen a bird with more than 1 and 7/8 spurs. I would really like to see a bird with a 14 inch beard, somehow, I have a hard time believing that.
> 
> Yes, Osceolas do have longer, sharper spurs. They're really quite impressive. I have one on the wall in here that was only a 2 year old with a 9 inch beard, but he has inch and 7/8 spurs. And I'm told they go bigger.


 Heck, I watched my buddy shoot a 12 incher right out of the tree once.


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## EdB

> Heck, I watched my buddy shoot a 12 incher right out of the tree once.


That's a very low move. I guess some people have to kill a bird at any cost. 

I'd rather use my woodsmanship and ultimately my calls to bring in a jake to my gun than to go out and bushwhack a limbhanger.


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## duxdog

EdB said:


> That's a very low move. I guess some people have to kill a bird at any cost.
> 
> I'd rather use my woodsmanship and ultimately my calls to bring in a jake to my gun than to go out and bushwhack a limbhanger.


Well, if it's legal isn't it ok? Kinda like baiting or no baiting for deer, flies or worms for trout. driving deer or sitting, dogs for bears or baiting and on and on. The turkey doesn't care how he dies.


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## Lil' Tanker

Here we go again!!!!

:evil:


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## duxdog

I wonder how long it will take? Guess I was just bored this morning.


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## adam bomb

How did a thread with such a good natured harmless ? get so far off from its intent? I think this thread was coming along nicely until one person put up a negative post and its went downhill from there. And why do people have to constantly question other peoples posts?

Sometimes people should take advice from their mother, if you dont have anything good to say, dont say anything at all.


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## ezcaller

Turkey beards grow at a rate of 4-5 inches a year and the NWTF record for shotgun is 22 inches and I think the record here in Michigan is 17 plus with a gun. The top two longest beards for bow killed birds are both held by Michigan hunters in the NWTF and they are in the 16 and 14 inch range. It takes a bird that is good in all categories, beard ,spurs and weight to break the top of the NWTF records and good spurs and beard for CBM. As for which one to mount- mount the bird that gives you a great memory. I have never regreted getting anything mounted but there are a few things I wished I had.:coolgleam


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