What do you consider a trophy bird and when/what would you mount the bird? I’m second guessing myself for not mounting my sons first bird with a 10” beard. I thought it was pretty average for a mature bird but not sure?

I think turkey mounts are ugly. I like the spur and beard mounts.

To me a turkey mounts never really looks right. Few can get the head right so I don't even consider a full mount on any bird. I also don't care for fan mounts. Here is what I do: I take the shell I fired to kill the bird and drill a small hole in the primer and put a little eye screw in it and then I put glue in the shell and insert the beard and let it dry. Then I take a sharpie pen and write the info about the hunt on the shell (date, location, weight etc...) and then hang them together on a lanyard.

To each his own.

Blackwings Turkey taxidermy can get them right. Reason he wins 95% of the competitions he enters. A trophy is in the eye of the beholder. A 2 yr old bird can have a 12in beard. Is he a trophy? That's up to you. I will mout whatever true merriam I will to have one of all subspecies mounted. However for me to mount another eastern or Rio it's gone have to be 1.75in spurs or better. The birds below were special because eastern had 4 beards and 1 7/16 spurs and the Rio was killed in a double with one shot and had 1 9/16 spurs. A trophy to me though is any Turkey I call in and kill that has a full fan. The beard I dont care about near as much as the spurs.

Long sharp spurs to me. I have a 11 inch beard but spurs not over an inch. My son got a triple beard last year. We just do the fan/beard mount I do myself.

This is what I did with my one and only turkey.

The official numbers vary by specie. All are a combination of beard length, weight, and length of spurs.I am pretty certain that spurs and 1-1/2" for most. Easterns are 26lbs and Rios 18 or 20 I believe.

Rio Grand spurs over inch and half - that would be wowsers for sure! I still like this -

Depends on where you are hunting easterns. I grew up hunting Georgia and the heaviest bird we ever killed was 22lbs. Most were 16-18lbs. The place I hunt Rios in South texas the lightest Rio I have killed was 19 and heaviest right at 23.

This is a neat idea. Thanks

Here is my fan mount. Found a lady that does custom wood burning. I'm going to have all 4 of my slam birds done this way.

upload photos to internet free