5/1/2006
MEASURE THE BEARD AND SPURS – YOU COULD GET A RECORD CERTIFICATE
CHEYENNE – Turkey hunters are reminded that in addition to a supreme entree', if their “tom” was heavy with a long beard or beards and impressive spurs, it could earn them a certificate on the wall.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department started the turkey records program in 1997 to help promote interest in turkey hunting. If the weight (one point per pound), plus beard(s) length times two, plus length of both spurs times 10, totals 65 or more, the bird is eligible and you get a certificate for your accomplishment.
The largest bird to date was an 89 pointer killed May 17, 1999 near Aladdin. The 21-pounder had four beards and ranks as the 46th highest scoring “non-typical Merriam’s” ever taken in the country and entered in the National Wild Turkey Federation’s scoring program.
Turkey biologists believe the fiber-like growth from the base of the bird’s neck is one way turkeys visibly distinguish gender, although an occasional hen also produces a beard. The length may help define the pecking order in a flock, although beards seldom grow longer than 12 inches because they start dragging on the ground.
For an application or more information about the Wyoming record turkey program, contact the Game and Fish: Information Section, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 5400 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82006; (800) 842-1934 (in state) or (307) 777-4600.
(contact: Jeff Obrecht)
-WGFD-
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