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Smallest gobbler I’ve ever killed

catman529

catman529

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Struck a mid day bird at noon today, the kind we all love to call in. Made a few yelps and got a gobble in the direction I was headed. I keep walking and got another gobble. Found a decent setup and yelped again. Gobbled real close. He had already cut distance and was headed toward where I first called from. I sat quiet and waited and within a minute heard drumming. Another moment went by and heard drumming twice as loud. Two red heads popped out from behind a tree at 20 yards and one of them saw me move my camera. I saw a beard on the other one and shot as soon as his head was in a small window through some brush.

16.5 pounds 2 year old with a normal size beard and spurs. When I walked up and grabbed it I thought wow that's a tiny gobbler. But he did just what I wanted and I'm happy to have one after several days of quiet birds and getting rained on a bunch at camp.

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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Congrats Cat, spurs look decent in that one pic, albeit blurry on my phone. FWIW, I've seen some 13 pound birds killed in TN hardwoods that were 2-3 years old, best we could tell. Thanks for sharing.
 
Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

I've killed several that small and smaller. Did he have a fatty breast sponge?

I've already got one this year that had no breast sponge, like a fall bird. Fleshing in breast was really lean too. I'm fairly certain that these gobblers don't breed or if they do aren't very fertile. They will still gobble big and strut and dance though and that's all that matters to me.


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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Congrats! I'm just as happy with the small ones as I am with the fat ones.

13 lbs is the smallest I've ever seen. That was several years ago in middle TN. I saw one killed yesterday in west TN that was tiny. Battery in my scale was dead, but i'd bet really good money he was 15ish. I don't have a side-by-side for comparison, but I know he was short legged too.

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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Big or small if they play the game they are fair game. I've never heard anyone turn down a small gobbler with a full fan and beard. Congrats on a fine bird.
 
Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

woodsman04":3qw7i78a said:
I've killed several that small and smaller. Did he have a fatty breast sponge?

I've already got one this year that had no breast sponge, like a fall bird. Fleshing in breast was really lean too. I'm fairly certain that these gobblers don't breed or if they do aren't very fertile. They will still gobble big and strut and dance though and that's all that matters to me.


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Click to expand...
he had maybe the least amount of fat jello around the crop that I've seen on a gobbler. Real lean bird. I don't see why he wouldn't breed, he was just a midget


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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

catman529":162llw1o said:
woodsman04":162llw1o said:
I've killed several that small and smaller. Did he have a fatty breast sponge?

I've already got one this year that had no breast sponge, like a fall bird. Fleshing in breast was really lean too. I'm fairly certain that these gobblers don't breed or if they do aren't very fertile. They will still gobble big and strut and dance though and that's all that matters to me.


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Click to expand...
he had maybe the least amount of fat jello around the crop that I've seen on a gobbler. Real lean bird. I don't see why he wouldn't breed, he was just a midget


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Because fat and muscle mass is related to fertility.


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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

woodsman04":25moj8ca said:
Because fat and muscle mass is related to fertility.
Click to expand...

He may not be successfully at fertilizing eggs, but I bey he still tries :D !

Congrats Cat!
 
Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Finally we know the answer! Size doesn't matter as long as they are good at playing the game. :rotf:
 
Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Congrats Catman. He might not weight that much but he did play the game. Good job.

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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Congrats on the kill!

My smallest 2 yo ever was this year, 15lbs but beard was short- 6.5 to 7in. Half in spurs and full fan. I don't know if the hens were letting him breed, but he was with 4 of them and strutting and gobbling.

I bet he was just as fertile as any other 2 yo, but probably just hatched really late back in 2017.

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Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

Saw a guy kill his first bird, it had 1 1/4" spurs and a paintbrush. It weighed 14.4lbs. The app wouldn't let me use that low of a weight.
 
Re: Smallest gobbler I've ever killed

fairchaser":2h9skmdm said:
Finally we know the answer! Size doesn't matter as long as they are good at playing the game. :rotf:
Click to expand...


:rotf: :rotf: :smash:
 

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