Every turkey is a trophy, of course, but some are more unusual trophies than others. Some of the birds that hunters have tagged as the hunting season comes to an end have more spurs or longer beards. Some were heavyweights, and others combined their weight, spurs, and beards to score highly on the National Wild Turkey Federation scoring system.
The NWTF keeps the record book on turkeys. They helped us compile a list of some of the most incredible records for wild turkeys, including the longest beard, most beards, longest spurs, largest weight, and highest cumulative scores ever. And, if you’ve tagged an exceptional bird this spring, submit your record through nwtf. org.
Thanksgiving is a time for feasting, and what better centerpiece for a feast than a big, juicy turkey? But how big is big, really? Well, the answer might surprise you. The heaviest turkey ever recorded weighed a whopping 86 pounds!
This behemoth of a bird, aptly named Tyson, was crowned the champion at a “heaviest turkey” competition in London back in 1989. That’s right, this turkey was heavier than a baby rhino! Tyson’s impressive weight earned him a spot in the Guinness World Records, a title he’s held onto for over three decades.
However, where did this enormous gobbler originate? Tyson was raised in Peterborough, UK, by Philip Cook of Leacroft Turkeys Limited. Following his historic victory, Tyson put himself up for charity auction, where he raised an astounding £4,400 (roughly $6,692)
So, what was Tyson’s secret to achieving such a remarkable size? Well, it’s likely a combination of good genetics and a healthy diet. But even with the best of care, it’s unlikely we’ll see another turkey reach Tyson’s record-breaking weight anytime soon.
Even though not many of us will be carving an 86-pound turkey for Thanksgiving, it’s still entertaining to take in the enormity of this massive bird of prey. And who knows, maybe in the future another turkey will challenge Tyson for the title of heaviest in the world. We’ll just have to make due with our own, marginally smaller Thanksgiving turkeys until then.
NWTF World Record for Heaviest Turkey
The Eastern wild turkey is the heaviest of the subspecies, often weighing in excess of 25 pounds. The environment and food source of a turkey affect its growth, and northern farm-raised birds typically become some of the largest. However, a large turkey can grow anywhere. Despite reports of large Eastern turkeys from all over the world, animals generally grow larger in colder climates than in warmer ones.
David Cody Guess of Lyon County, Kentucky, already had a massive 28-pound bird to his credit when he killed a larger bird on his family farm in 2015. The gobbler weighed an astonishing 37. 6 pounds, and is the heaviest ever recorded.
NWTF World Record for Turkey with the Longest Beard
The longest strands of Cody May’s gobbler measured 22.5 inches.
We still call turkey beards “beards” in this context even though they aren’t hair-covered or dangling from the bird’s chin. A mesofiloplume, or beard, is similar to the tufts of hair-like bristles found on some fossilized dinosaurs.
Beards never molt nor stop growing, but the tips wear, limiting their length. Eastern wild turkeys generally have the longest beards but long beards are found among all the subspecies. A beard grows out of a skin spot on the breast called a papilla. Papillae are present on both sexes in Turkey, but only roughly 10% of hens have beards, and the bulk are relatively thin.
In his second year of turkey hunting near his home in New Boston, Texas, Cody May killed an eastern tom at the check station that had the longest beard strands, measuring 22 5 inches. By the time he had the brittle beard measured again, it had broken off to 17. 5 inches, which would have fallen short of the then-current record of 18. 125, shot in Virginia in 1998. However, the original measurement counted as official, giving May the new top spot.
Turkey Hunting – State Record Turkey! Heaviest Bird Ever Shot in Missouri with a Bow!
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