Tag: record
Our Viking Diva Has Sung, Left the Stage
Well, my fellow brethren turkey hunters, our infamous viking opera singer has sung her last note. In true diva fashion, she has left the stage, and with the last report, she has left the building. With that, it’s a wrap for the 2026 New York State spring turkey season. By many accounts, including my own, it was a damn hard season.
From my own anecdotal observations, I can say without reservation that 100% of my known honey holes, the places I monitor throughout the year, failed to produce any evidence of gobblers willing to reveal their location or loudly voice an opinion. Not at first light, not on the roost, and not at any point during the day.
In contrast, social media is full of fortunate hunters who still have access to places where gobblers behave like the gobblers we all remember: birds that talk, commit, and play the game the way it’s meant to be played. As always, it comes down to location, location, location. Being in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, only matters if you’re hunting where the gobblers are willing participants in our annual chess match.
In my own very subjective and patently unscientific observation, I hunted 14 mornings here in New York and heard a total of 19 gobbles. Fifteen of those were so faint that, had there been even the slightest breeze, or had I not been fully focused during that period of predawn light, I doubt I would’ve heard them at all. I can say with absolute confidence that those birds were at least within the same ZIP code, and most likely three parcels over at the very least. Half a mile with one or two gobbles is not the action-packed mornings I might have hoped for.
Even so, I did manage to fill both tags under somewhat strange circumstances. And, as always, each bird comes with a matching story far too long to cram into a single blog post. I’m certainly grateful to have made good on those opportunities without doing the one thing that would’ve convinced a gobbler to change his mind.
Without any official reporting yet from the state’s biologists, I do have a concern. My impression is that we had a very cool, if not outright cold and wet May. That’s never good. The worry, of course, is the likelihood of a poor or largely unsuccessful first nesting attempt.
This past week, I saw more hens out in the fields between 6:30 and 7:00 AM than I had seen during the entire season up to that point. That alone raised an eyebrow. And when I go back to the Roberts weather model, my first thought is that we may be looking at a generally poor breeding season. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when we could really benefit from the kind of warm, dry springs we had decades ago, conditions that helped boost productivity and rebuild numbers. That’s what we need now to bring the population back up toward what biologists might consider the carrying capacity for the available habitat here in New York. As data rolls out from the NYSDEC, I’ll be sure to share when it becomes available.
I have taken notice of a few record-book gobblers that really push the numbers upward, and would like to invite those so fortunate to tag these birds with exceptional attributes to contact me for possible inclusion in the Empire State Turkey Records Project. Click on the link for more information.
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
#2026springseason #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
NY Turkey Records 2026
If you tag a gobbler that meets the criteria listed below near the end of this post or in any anticipated future editions, I would love to interview you for inclusion in the Empire Limbhangers book project. Although your stories and photos will be captured for the book, you will retain rights to your photos and your story. Should you wish to use the story I write for other purposes, copyright permissions can be granted as needed.
The main issue with keeping it all legit for the project is typically weight, as most of the small scales that are used to weigh fish can vary +/- 1 to 2 lbs or more. A weight coupon from a certified scale ensures accuracy and proof of measurement. Otherwise, it can be legitimately challenged. The scale should be suitable for products or goods for sale that are taxed in the state. I live in Cortland County and own several scales suitable for trade with a 25lb calibration weight with certification traceable to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, formerly National Bureau of Standards), and can also provide a video of calibration and the actual weighing of your gobbler. I will be glad to do so, and there is no fee.
Pics with tape measurement in the pics are required to show scale and accuracy for beards and spurs. There are several handy products to help measure spurs (including the curved outside edge) but as of this writing, none aside from a tape measure cover the spur measurements that have been described going back decades as published by the NWTF http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbpmeasure.html#spus As the decades long description covers the entire exposed spur that can occur below the outer edge of the leg, it is more often that the exposed spur is even with the leg edge. Anecdotal, as such, the differences observed have not exceeded 1/8″. As the calculation is x10 or x32 (SBP) for each spur, it is a detail to be aware of.
Anecdotal evidence, unfortunately, cannot be used to substantiate record book entries, no matter how good the stories are. Sworn testimony, under oath, from your pastor or favorite nun, still requires verifiable weight and photo evidence of measurements when reaching the thresholds stated here.
Best bet if you think you have one for the books: weigh the gobbler on a certified scale and be sure to get a weight coupon. Take plenty of photos, including those with a tape measure. NWTF requires witness signatures that also have to be an NWTF member if you wish to participate in their records program. Safari Club also has a program, but it is not viewable unless a member. I may include them if details can be worked out in the future.
Record entries not included in the NWTF system, once verified, can be accepted. You will note that the NWTF requires verifications that I have mentioned, and I will accept their determinations for the project. I do support their system and would encourage you to enter your submission with the NWTF as well. NWTF submissions are now accepted online: www.nwtf.org/hunt/records.
Scoring tabulations for the project will include the NWTF system and the SBP weighted system. For more info on SBP http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
For those that I have contacted or attempted to contact at the beginning of the project, your stories will be available to review as I complete them.
If you have harvested a legally tagged wild turkey with one or more of the following attributes in NY during the 2025-2026 spring/fall seasons, or years prior, registered or not registered w/NWTF records, I would love to talk to you about being included in the book!
Please contact mjoyner@joyneroutdoormedia.com
Note: Non-registered birds- measurable attributes must be verified for consideration.
Typical score greater than 75.000 (weight x1 + beard x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Non-Typical score greater than 105.000 (weight x1 + beard(s) x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Weight greater than 26.5 lbs. (verifiable certified weight)
Beard Length greater than 12″ (verifiable length)
Spur Length greater than 1.625″ (verifiable length)
Hens with spurs
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
Turkey Hunters’ Tall Tales?
Hmmm, heard this somewhere before. When it comes to measuring trophy aspects of our quarry, we might be outdone by fishermen, but there are doubts…
A prefix to this commentary: The subject of records, trophy aspects is one of a novelty, and excellent fodder for the diner, tailgate discussions, hunt clubs, and debate at hunt camps. The experience of the hunt itself, time spent with others, is most important in my view. Like antlers, spurs, and beards, they don’t eat well, unsuitable for soup stock.
As of late, the embellishments (or bending of the truth) appear to be heightened to a comical observation, although this commentary might ruffle some feathers and deflate a few claims. It is a foolhardy, harmless embellishment, unless someone’s forcefully claiming a record bird. In the end, your birthdays will remain unchanged, death and taxes will still prevail…
Noticeably increased observation of social media since the May 1st opener in New York reveals truly great gobblers, smiling hunters, which are the happy outcomes of a great day in the turkey woods. As an author and one who tracks records in the great Empire State, there are norms observed and expected, and it captures my interest when a gobbler exceeds in exceptional characteristics, as claimed.
Those of us with many seasons tucked away as fond memories will have more than a few gobblers encountered as hefty carries back to the truck. We’ll be able to eyeball rather quickly as to being of nominal expected size/weight, and lengths of beards and spurs, akin to deer hunters who can gauge racks and weights of whitetail bucks to within close to measured results. In the social media space, with a little lack of civility, opinions may vary.
Turkey hunters often exaggerate the weight of their gobblers due to a mix of tradition, pride, and some genuine confusion in measurement. Here’s why it happens:
1. Field Dressing Confusion: Turkeys are often weighed after being field-dressed (internal organs removed), but some hunters report the weight before. This can cause significant weight differences—up to a couple of pounds, depending on live weight. An 18-pound gobbler carries up to a pound and a half of entrails. These delta anecdotal differences are observed from involvement with spring and fall turkey contests for many years, in which rules dictated field-dressed for weight measure, and to cool the meat and mitigate spoilage, hopefully shortly after being tagged in the field.
2. Lack of Accurate Scales: Many hunters use inaccurate spring scales, cheap electronic scales of questionable accuracy and affected by battery strength, or just guess based on feel. In a turkey contest, you might be surprised how many soaking wet birds are brought in to measure/score on a perfectly sunny day. Sometimes hunters use a coveted measuring device: “SEF Weight Scale.” Surprisingly, the “Shoulder-Elbow-Forearm” weight measuring triangle is the ultimate weight scale device among some turkey hunters. One simple lift of the bird will result in a 25-pound estimate in an eager and optimistic view. Asking for a weight coupon or placing the bird on a verified, accurate scale will not gain you many friends in such situations. All humor aside, it is an observation of casual conversations.
3. Bragging Rights & Storytelling Culture: Hunting, especially turkey hunting, has a strong oral tradition. Telling stories of the “25-pounder” is part of the culture, even if that bird was the typical norm of 18-19 pounds.
4. Misjudging Size: Wild turkeys, in their appearance, look deceptively large due to their feathers. A 20-pound bird feels massive after carrying it through the woods, especially early in the morning.
5. True Big Birds Are Rare: A wild gobbler in New York over 25 pounds is genuinely rare. The average reported weight for an adult gobbler in New York runs 18-19 pounds. So when someone thinks they got a record book bird, they might lean into that claim, whether or not it’s verified. It’s all part of the mystique and fun of turkey hunting, though the conscientious, more serious hunters do strive for accurate records. A 22-pound or heavier gobbler coming at you in the turkey woods will appear as Gobzilla, and a world apart from the size of an 18-pound bird.
Turkey hunters often exaggerate the length of beards and spurs for similar reasons they exaggerate weight, but with a few unique twists tied to measurement error, ego, and tradition. Here’s why it happens:
1. Improper Measuring Technique: Beards should be measured from the skin (base) to the longest strand, pulled straight, not curved or fluffed. Spurs should be measured along the outside curve to the tip, not in a straight line from the middle to the tip. Some hunters measure around the spur or include feathers in beard length, which inflates the numbers.
2. No Standardization in the Field: Some hunters are using a tape measure incorrectly or, worse, eyeballing it. That leads to inconsistency and overestimation.
3. Ego and Bragging Rights: Long spurs and beards are often seen as signs of a mature, trophy gobbler. Hunters may stretch the truth—“That gobbler had a 12” beard!”—because it makes for a better story. We all know that 6” is sometimes expressed as 12”. We’ll stop there and keep it clean.
4. Beard Clumping Illusion: Some gobblers have multiple beards or thick, ropey beards that look longer than they are. Broken strands that haven’t dislodged. Been fooled a few times with that.
5. Curved Spurs or Fat Spurs Create Optical Illusions: Spurs with tight curves can look shorter than they measure along the curve. Wide or fat spurs can appear shorter compared to narrow, needle-like spurs.
© 2025 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
NY Turkey Records 2025
If you tag a gobbler that meets the criteria listed below near the end of this post or in any anticipated future editions, I would love to interview you for inclusion in the Empire Limbhangers book project. Although your stories and photos will be captured for the book, you will retain rights to your photos and your story. Should you wish to use the story I write for other purposes, copyright permissions can be granted as needed.
The main issue with keeping it all legit for the project is typically weight, as most of the small scales that are used to weigh fish can vary +/- 1 to 2 lbs or more. A weight coupon from a certified scale ensures accuracy and proof of measurement. Otherwise, it can be legitimately challenged. The scale should be suitable for products or goods for sale that are taxed in the state. I live in Cortland County and own several scales suitable for trade with a 25lb calibration weight with certification traceable to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, formerly National Bureau of Standards), and can also provide a video of calibration and the actual weighing of your gobbler. I will be glad to do so, and there is no fee.
Pics with tape measurement in the pics are required to show scale and accuracy for beards and spurs. There are several handy products to help measure spurs (including the curved outside edge) but as of this writing, none aside from a tape measure cover the spur measurements that have been described going back decades as published by the NWTF http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbpmeasure.html#spus As the decades long description covers the entire exposed spur that can occur below the outer edge of the leg, it is more often that the exposed spur is even with the leg edge. Anecdotal, as such, the differences observed have not exceeded 1/8″. As the calculation is x10 or x32 (SBP) for each spur, it is a detail to be aware of.
Anecdotal evidence, unfortunately, cannot be used to substantiate record book entries, no matter how good the stories are. Sworn testimony, under oath, from your pastor or favorite nun, still requires verifiable weight and photo evidence of measurements when reaching the thresholds stated here.
Best bet if you think you have one for the books: weigh the gobbler on a certified scale and be sure to get a weight coupon. Take plenty of photos, including those with a tape measure. NWTF requires witness signatures that also have to be an NWTF member if you wish to participate in their records program. Safari Club also has a program, but it is not viewable unless a member. I may include them if details can be worked out in the future.
Record entries not included in the NWTF system, once verified, can be accepted. You will note that the NWTF requires verifications that I have mentioned, and I will accept their determinations for the project. I do support their system and would encourage you to enter your submission with the NWTF as well. NWTF submissions are now accepted online: www.nwtf.org/hunt/records.
Scoring tabulations for the project will include the NWTF system and the SBP weighted system. For more info on SBP http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
For those that I have contacted or attempted to contact at the beginning of the project, your stories will be available to review as I complete them.
If you have harvested a legally tagged wild turkey with one or more of the following attributes in NY during the 2024-2025 spring/fall seasons, or years prior, registered or not registered w/NWTF records, I would love to talk to you about being included in the book!
Please contact mjoyner@joyneroutdoormedia.com
Note: Non-registered birds- measurable attributes must be verified for consideration.
Typical score greater than 75.000 (weight x1 + beard x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Non-Typical score greater than 105.000 (weight x1 + beard(s) x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Weight greater than 26.5 lbs. (verifiable certified weight)
Beard Length greater than 12″ (verifiable length)
Spur Length greater than 1.625″ (verifiable length)
Hens with spurs
http://empirestatelimbhangers.com/
© 2025 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
Father and Son Top 10 NY Turkey Records
A query into the possible record book gobbler taken by Cullen Fennessy this past April during the youth spring turkey hunt would lead to the discovery of four more record book gobblers taken by Cullen’s father, Michael Fennessy. Unlike so many of the stories I cover, I would have the opportunity to visit Cullen and his father en route to a planned trip to Maine this past week.
I would travel north to St. Lawrence County on a beautiful spring day to meet with them, conduct interviews for the Empire Limb Hangers book project, have a look-see at the gobblers, and check measurements and confirm the scales. I would notice with great interest the walls of Mike’s massive garage lined with trophy displays of gobblers, With that, I knew I might be there for a while. I would confirm Cullen’s first gobbler along with four more that Mike presented to me. The tasks were made easier as both, the father and son were concise in their stories and recollection of details. Lots of pictures helped document and confirm the record book entries.
As there are several good stories of the hunts, and will be published in full in the book project, I will outline the top record entries first and continue from there.
Cullen’s gobbler taken in April 2024 during the special youth season, ties at #5 with NWTF Typical Score of 81.1250 (SBP Typical Score 172,2500) in New York. Weighing in at 26 lbs 12 oz. becomes the 11th heaviest bird, vetted, and recorded. The beard taped out at 11.8750 and ties with several others as 13th longest beard makes for a grand gobbler in the Empire State. There is a wonderful back story to the hunt, one of father and son, the help of Steve VanPatten , and the chance encounters of a red Cardinal with a heartwarming connection to his great-grandmother. With the backdrop of a warm and inviting experience of a North County hunt camp, it is the start of a lifetime of memories to be made. Given the impressive qualities as a young adult that I discovered in interviewing Cullen, and the mentorship he is receiving as a young hunter, It would be little surprise to see him make a father proud in a path well taken and have his own collection of memories of the great turkey woods.
Michael’s gobbler taken in May 2017 comes in at the new #6 with NWTF Typical Score of 80.8750 (SBP Typical Score 168,5000) in New York. Weighing in at 30 lbs. 0 oz. this boss gobbler becomes the new 1st heaviest bird, vetted, and recorded. Beard measured at 10.1250, and sported 1-9/16″ and 1-1/2″ spurs to complete a grand father-son entry in New York Wild Turkey Records. It is the first to have found where a father and son have pulled a hat trick in the record books.
Michael has also entered three additional gobblers that place:
@ 14th with a NWTF Typical Score of 76.1250, (SBP Typical Score 159,0000,) #10 for weight of 27.0000.
@ 28th with a NWTF Typical Score of 73.7500, (SBP Typical Score 155,0000,) #10 for weight of 27.0000.
@ 32nd with a NWTF Non-Typical Score of 91.1250, (SBP Non-Typical Score 185,0000,) #5 for weight of 28.0000.
Several potential records are being looked into and hopefully vetted. One in particular would topple #1 Typical in NY and one I hope to verify soon. A thank you goes out to Keven Lothridge for the heads up on coming across these incredible stories!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Empire-State-Limb-Hangers/139342609441424?v=info
http://empirestatelimbhangers.com/
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
New York Wild Turkey Records
The Empire State Limb Hangers book project is in the final phase of collecting the last few interviews, and getting the stories finalized. All current and known data and record listings per category is formatted and awaiting proofreading. It has grown past 400 pages in a 10×7 format This post will be reposted each pre season as there will be future editions as records are broken and those I attempted to include, catch up with the project. The more hunters that come on board that I originally sought to interview, the better. Records are made to be broken, eclipsed, and is expected.
If you tag a gobbler that meets the criteria listed below near the end of this post, I would love to interview you for inclusion in the project. Although your stories and photos will be captured for the book, you will retain rights to your photo’s and your story. Should you wish to have the story I write up used for other uses. Copyright permissions can be granted as needed.
The main issue with keeping it all legit for the project is typically weight as most of the small scales that are used to weigh fish can vary +/- 1 to 2 lbs or more. A weight coupon from a certified scale ensures accuracy and proof of measurement. Otherwise, it can be legitimately challenged. The scale should be suitable for products or goods for sale that are taxed in the state. I live in Cortland County and own several scales suitable for trade with a 25lb calibration weight with certification tracible to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, formerly National Bureau of Standards,) and can also provide a video of calibration and the actual weighing of your gobbler. I will be glad to do so, and there is no fee.
Pics with tape measurement in the pics are required to show scale and accuracy for beards and spurs. There are several handy products to help measure spurs (including the curved outside edge) but as of this writing, none aside from a tape measure cover the spur measurements that have been described going back decades as published by the NWTF http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbpmeasure.html#spus As the decades long description covers the entire exposed spur that can occur below the outer edge of the leg, it is more often that the exposed spur is even with the leg edge. Anecdotal, as such, the differences observed have not exceeded 1/8″. As the calculation is x10 or x32 for each spur it is a detail to be aware of.
Anecdotal evidence unfortunately cannot be used to substantiate record book entries no matter how good the stories are.
Best bet if you think you have one for the books: weigh the gobbler on a certified scale and be sure to get a weight coupon. Take plenty of photos including those with a tape measure. NWTF requires witness signatures that also have to be an NWTF member if you wish to participate in their records program. Safari Club also has a program but is not viewable unless a member. I may include them if details can be worked out in the future.
Record entries not included in the NWTF system once verified can be accepted. You will note that the NWTF requires verifications that I have mentioned and I will accept their determinations for the project. I do support their system and would encourage you to enter your submission with the NWTF as well. NWTF submissions are now accepted online: www.nwtf.org/hunt/records.
Scoring tabulations for the project will include the NWTF system, and the SBP weighted system. for more info on SBP http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
For those that I have contacted or attempted to contact at the beginning of the project: Your stories will be available to review as I complete them.
If you have harvested a legally tagged wild turkey with one or more of the following attributes in NY during the 2023-2024 spring/fall seasons, or years prior, registered or not registered w/NWTF records, We would love to talk to you about being included in the book!
Please contact mjoyner@joyneroutdoormedia.com
Note: Non registered birds- measurable attributes must be verified for consideration.
Typical score greater than 75.000 (weight x1 + beard x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Non-Typical score greater than 105.000 (weight x1 + beard(s) x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Weight greater than 26.5 lbs. (verifiable certified weight)
Beard Length greater than 12″ (verifiable length)
Spur Length greater than 1.625″ (verifiable length)
Color phase variations, Hens with spurs
http://empirestatelimbhangers.com/
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
Turkey Hunter Privacy Primer
While working through hunter stories and interviews in both book projects (D.D. Adams, Empire Limb Hangers,) I comb through the details, mindful of what is useful in telling the stories, story of the hunt vs what might be a privacy issue or reveal too much information. What I hope to convey is some useful tips that you may find helpful.
Privacy issues arise from those looking to move in on our honey holes, either to thwart future hunting efforts or those underway in current season. It may be of those wanting in on great hunting or a big gobbler on your hunting grounds they found out about, the lesser human traits of jealousy, or just a rotten SOB. Over the years I’ve learned of or experienced more than a few instances of it. Other issues come by way of hunter harassment by non hunters or anti-hunters and being deluged with aggressive online marketing that looks at every detail you might disclose or mouse click you make.
Just as we track movements and location of deer and turkey for example, we are also tracked by others in our movements and locations where suspected trophy pursuits take place. There are several tactics we can employ to mitigate this.
Total data blackout- No Disclosure, No Online Postings, Only what is legally required for tagging. Cell Phone only powered on during an emergency.
Diversionary Actions, as executed by astute fishermen- GPS coordinates freely published as decoy coordinates with no discernable displacement or pattern. Post pictures with replaced backgrounds or pics taken on vacation where you never fish or hunt. Take lots of suitable pics in parks, public lands. Ever take a hero pic on your buddies hunting spot to mess with them? Yep, the concept works. I know of hunters that leave at all different times in the morning or get picked up at different times to throw off those following or trying to pin point their hunting spots. Far too competitive in my opinion. Social media is ideal for setting out your logistical decoys.
One thing that many of us do is share their pics of the hunt. It is immediate and is all kinds of fun for story telling and smack talk. However, what some may not know is that a bulk of shared pics are taken with modern smart phones and very convenient. Unless you are diligent in your settings or understand metadata, EXIF exchange data, you are literally providing time , date, GPS coordinates, and all photo exposure settings. Game wardens know this, law enforcement, and your jealous followers may also know this. You can turn off location data on your phone for each photo app you may have, photo files can be stripped of the data on your laptop or desktop computer. Some social media platforms also strip the data. I routinely strip/delete the EXIF GPS data in my projects as I assume that nobody wants that disclosed without an intended purpose. Personally, disclosing a county or plus and minus a thousand acres on state game lands is accurate enough, although I might mix the names up 🙂
Although this reveal can be alarming if you hadn’t given any thought to it, it is an admission that for all the conveniences of modern communication that are beneficial there is some privacy that is directly given up for it, or eventually in the form of big data that is used to decern patterns and activities. It has been in recent years a useful tool in catching poachers, as law enforcement can use cell tower data to triangulate a particular cell phone, and it is even easier to narrow the investigation when in remote areas, during evening hours, and less activity.
What I have found common in the stories that I have captured in the Empire Limb Hangers project, is most successful hunters are careful in their movements and their disclosure of them. I hope this gives each of you pause to think of what you intend to share and what you hadn’t realized that you do.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
The Dilemma of Wild Turkey Records
Early on while conducting research for New York State Wild Turkey Records, it became evident that collecting the necessary data, tracking down possible records, and weeding out ghost stories of monster gobblers would not be a small task or an exact science. The abilities of turkey hunters to spin tall tales are as legendary as that of any fisherman.
The common issue in vetting any prospective entry; the weight of trophy gobblers is seldom accurate and is suspect in many unvetted circumstances. In most cases, spurs and beards can be retrieved, and a ruler applied. In pursuit of gathering an accurate as possible representation of trophy gobblers in the empire state, there are several hurdles to overcome, and I’ll have a request for your help in gathering additional data. The following describes some of the difficulties:
- Many hunters do not enter their birds into the NWTF system.
- Submission fee, not an NWTF member.Do not take the time to enter, or unless the gobbler is ranked high.
- Simply not interested in records
- NYSDEC does not maintain a database for recognizing trophy gobblers. They do log coarse data from required tag reporting. Unfortunately, the data is collected in broad increments, honor system only.
- Possible records are word of mouth and unverifiable.
- Overestimated and unverifiable body weights
- No definitive records are found prior to 1969.
- Prior to modern hunting seasons establish after the successes of conservation restoration efforts, post-market hunting era, very little distinction was given to the differences between jakes and gobblers with both referred to as gobblers.
Without a statewide system or database available that records trophy gobblers, one can only chase down reported stories, and contest results, and look to a national database for data. Currently, the NWTF record system for accessing trophy gobblers and merged data collated at turkey-talk.com are the only databases available.
During the exercise of parsing records by county, Cayuga, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Hamilton, Lewis, Niagara, Rockland, Warren, and Westchester have very few record entries or none thus far. In reviewing data that spans over three decades, the overall estimated harvest number in the state surpasses 1.4 million birds, with over twelve hundred records known, It is desired to have all the counties well represented and assume with good reason that many high-scoring gobblers can be found in all the huntable counties within the state. It is requested that if so inclined, register your gobbler with the NWTF or directly with the book project “Empire State Limb Hangers”. Although the NWTF database is duly recognized, it is not a requirement for inclusion in this records book project and future updated editions.
It is acknowledged that there are many gobblers taken in the great empire state that are not recorded which would easily ratchet the records upward. If it were possible to track down and verify a fraction of the stories, the rankings would be significantly affected. This essentially is the dilemma.
It is important to note that this project was initially started in 2008, and in all the delays, and life changes that occurred that delayed the books’ completion, active, periodic requests for inclusion, including both individual submissions and turkey contests that could be vetted were published and kept active through websites and social media. With over a decade of open invitations to participate, it is an inevitable aspect of human nature that will have some show up a day late for the party.
For future editions of this book, updates and additions will be based on available database queries from NWTF records database as well as verified gobblers from other sources. As many sportsmen’s clubs are coming online with their websites and publish historical data, it is thought to find additional record entries of notable distinction. I do encourage you to participate and would love to hear your stories.
Useful links
http://www.joyneroutdoormedia.com/elh.html
https://www.nwtf.org/the-lifestyle/turkey-records-home
NYSDEC – Game Harvest Reporting http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html
https://www.turkey-talk.com/nyrec.html
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Long Island Delivers a New Top Wild Turkey Record
With the inaugural fully open spring season this past May in Suffolk County, it was predicted by many of us in the turkey hunting community that gobblers tagged in Suffolk County would likely rachet the record books upward. It has not only moved the high water mark upward but delivered a new #1 Typical Score on May 10th. This follows another gobbler in the top five from this season- https://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=2694
A fall season had been in place in Suffolk since 2009, along with a spring youth hunt that began in 2011. After much deliberation and observations of plentiful and healthy flocks on Long Island, the go-ahead for an open spring season hunt was green-lighted this past May. With hunting fall gobblers a more difficult endeavor in the fall season, having an open season in the spring was expected to yield even more impressive gobblers. It is a shift of preferences from fall to spring from over a century ago when fall season was the traditional season.
Christopher Tellone, a resident of Long Island, took his first ever wild turkey gobbler this spring and without question, a wild turkey gobbler of a lifetime. It may be his first turkey, but Christopher is no spring chicken in the woods or new to hunting. As a lifelong deer hunter, he employed many of his woodsmanship skills to help him bag the new top typical score gobbler in the Empire State. Chris, now known to his friends as “Long Spur,” tells the story of getting onto a flock of birds that morning with several gobblers courting hens. Although he is new to calling turkeys, he knew that the hens were not swayed by his calling and the gobblers were not leaving the hens they courted. After giving it ample time for the flock to come his way, he backed out to head to his truck. He spotted the flock several hundred yards in a field. Surmising where they would end up, he patiently made his way to position himself to where they would eventually cross. As the hens left the gobblers an hour later to head back to the woods, they crossed in front, and the gobblers would follow. Choosing the largest gobbler that lead the bachelor group, Chris made good on his shot.
Chris’s bird scoring 84.0000 NWTF-Score surpasses the previous record held for 24 years for the number one typical category taken by Robert Miller Jr. in 1999, with an 82.1600 NWTF-Score. The gobbler was weighed on a certified commercial scale and properly measured in accordance with NWTF guidelines. The gobbler weighed in at 28lbs, sporting 1.75” spurs on each leg, and swung a 10.5” beard.
The gobbler, currently recorded by the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation,) also shows the bird to rank #3 in the state for spurs, and #4 for weight.
Using the SBP method of scoring, the gobbler scores 182.0000 taking over the #2 ranking in New York.
NWTF Typical calculation = (weight x1) + (spurs total x10) + (beard x2)
SBP Typical calculation = (weight x1) + (spurs total x32) + (beard x4)
Congratulations on an impressive first gobbler and a new record!
https://your.nwtf.org/members/records/
https://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Pending #4 Typical Record NY Gobbler
After a recent query on social media several days ago, a pending new record book gobbler has been identified and it’s been suggested by many, including myself that with the inaugural spring season on Long Island this past May, that record book gobblers would likely come from there. The gobbler was hunted by Butch Janke from Long Island, in Suffolk County on public grounds on May 6th.
Butch’s gobbler weighed in at 26lbs even, on a state-certified scale, sporting 1-11/16” and 1-1/2” spurs, and a 10-3/8” beard, making the gobbler a record book entry for the typical category. The bird preliminary scores are as follows:
NWTF Typical 81.2500 (weight x1) + (spurs total x10) + (beard x2)
SBP Typical 177.7500 (weight x1) + (spurs total x32) + (beard x4)
Butch’s gobbler will be entered into the NWTF records once witnesses confirm. Two member witnesses are required as weight is over 22 lbs, and spurs are longer than 1-1/2″.
Preliminary stats, once finalized, the gobbler will be the fourth highest-scoring typical gobbler in New York State. Spurs will also tie with ten others recorded in the third-longest spur length in the empire state. Additionally, the gobbler ranks fifth in the SBP system calculation.
For others looking to record their gobbler, it is a good opportunity to point out that he used a certified weight scale, and took plenty of pictures in keeping with NWTF guidelines and those republished and supported by turkey-talk.com, Joyner Outdoor Media, and the Empire State Limb Hangers book project. Butch has agreed to participate in the book project, and I look forward to the interview and learning his story of the hunt firsthand.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
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