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1-1/2 spurs goes a long way to putting a big total score

there are more when adding weight, spurs and or beards. Tell me more on yours as I am cutting off interviews this summer and may entertain good stories that are below the current criteria. As it is it will be a large book

If you have gobblers that meet the current criteria we can certainly do an interview for inclusion. I am including NWTF registered birds and non registered birds. They do need to be verifiable. Weight is the tough one as few are hung on certified scales or even accurate scales.

The book project has been on hiatus for a long period while I started a tech company. It will be a large book over 400 pages. 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. For those I have attempted to schedule an interview, I will be imposing a deadline July 15th to put this edition on track for publishing. That said, should you change your mind I would be more than happy to include in future editions as I want this to be a positive endeavor and share your stories for readers to gleam and learn from. If you haven't been interviewed and would like to be included, please contact me, I would love to include as many as possible that met the original score criteria. The placings have shifted some, however I am still going by my original list as what was unique and noteworthy then still is of course. I am working toward a late 2019/ early 2020 book release. 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. Any record book gobblers bagged in NY during the 2018-2019 spring/fall seasons? or years prior? If your bird meets the following scoring criteria, I would love to talk to you about being included in the book! 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) Please contact: [email protected] http://www.nylimbhangers.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Empire-State-Limb-Hangers-139342609441424/

Great Bird! Stats? May meet requirements for my book project

Scenario: It’s the middle of the second week of the spring season in Upstate NY. You are hunting state land and hear six, possibly eight different gobblers midmorning. After several volleys of nonstop gobbling, you determine they all are very close to each other. You make your moves to close the distance. Each call you make is drowned out by thunderous gobbles. As you close the distance you find they are just a hundred yards away on private land. With a grove of pine trees in front of you, you close to within fifty yards undetected. You also know the land drops down to the valley not much further out beyond the pines. You make the softest purr you can muster, eight strutting long beards gobble so hard your pants wave. In all the excitement you just now notice (except the dufus republican, and the conservative too focused on gobbling) to the far left of your setup there’s a 50-gallon drum painted in camo hung up against a big maple tree limb with a feeder motor. There is corn everywhere, there is also a 5′ high fenced enclosure just beyond the pines that leads to the farm below Eight strutting long beards appear. They drop strut into a dead run towards the feeder. You: Anarchist- You have in your hands, the fastest cycling semi auto 12 gauge ever made. You fire two custom made (on the black market) fragmentation rounds. All eight gobblers are flattened at the blast. You avoid the police, the conservation officers which are called as the blast is heard throughout the valley. You have a backup plan to kill them all, should events not go as planned. They’ll never take you alive. No tags are used or reported Democrat- Hunting? Firearms? It should be banned, after taxing it to death for twenty years. You back out, hatch a plan with the DNC, US AG, and the FBI. You pay for a full jacked up documentation package. Next day you sneak back using a silencer and poach them all as they show up at the first cluck. You destroy all evidence and lay out a two-year investigation blaming Trump Jr. as a hedonist animal killer. Despite the elaborate efforts you still lose out on 1st place at the local spring turkey contest scoring and weigh in. Republican– Landowner at work? You shoot two, sneak back over to state land, report your tags. Post like mad on Facebook. You then spend the next two years defending Trump Jr. You take 1st for beard, spurs, and weight. Rumors take on appearances as facts. You pick up your trophies leaving in a hurry and go on the fishing trip you just won… Libertarian- Do not give it a second thought, shoot two gobblers, get out. Nobody’s business, tags are not reported Conservative- You see the posted signs, you swear a bit, back up, set up and proceed to call in a gobbler from your right flank, and shoot. The birds out in front would not budge, not even to your $200 box call. They gobbled nonstop while you walked back to the truck. You tag and report. You go back a few days later hoping to call one off the property or until all the ruckus stirs one up from further down the ridge like before. Not a clue about the feeder until you hear it go off at 7AM. A pile of jakes show up at the feeder on cue. Mad as hell about the feeder, you leave. As you walk out in the daylight you notice the scattering of blood and feathers around the feeder. You get out of there and never look back. You have no clue about the enclosure until somebody at the diner accuses you of shooting a farm bird. You didn’t but now you are mad as hell, and damn sure it’s a liberal democrat that set you up. You decide to lay low, not enter the contest… Green Party- all hunters should be arrested for felony crimes against humanity. except you of course… -MJ © 2019 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media

Turkey Obituaries, Ode Of Respect As a dyed in the wool New Yorker of the upstate variety, May is a favored month since my first turkey hunt over a quarter century ago. With the explosion of social media, despite some of the pitfalls, and overblown strife, for us turkey chasers it is a blessing in disguise, even for those that take the sport of arguing to Olympic world-class levels. From the start of the early season in Florida up until the final days in June for Maine’s late season, we get a continual stream of stories of successes and fails along with every conceivable successful hunter pose that can be had. It’s all good in my opinion. From the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, endless valleys and vistas, and especially the smiling faces, I more than enjoy seeing these in my daily news feeds. As the turkey obituaries are posted daily and will continue the current pace up until the last few weeks, there will be many tidbits to learn, secrets of the trade and maybe a new tactic to add in our bags of earned humility. Although I may have very specific methods I find most agreeable and not amiable to some trends that are legal in different states I enjoy each of the successes of my fellow turkey hunting brethren. We all see it from different views and perspectives, and the hunting terrain and associated tactics are greatly varied across the continent. As the majority of my posse of friends on Facebook, Instagram are verifiable turkey hunters, there are long listings of postings to like. The ones with many pics of the epic excursions and attached stories are the ones I find the most interesting. We glean and learn so much from them. The long spurs and rope for beards are certainly impressive, and some of the birds taken push the weight scales to make one wonder how they ever got hefted over sore shoulders and hauled back to camp. With some experience, you can tell when it is a first time taking a gobbler, or a very special time with family and friends. The smiles are wider, and the faces are beaming with the experience of a grand day. Those are my favorites. As I can recall favorite stories from battling birds with smaller proportions, tattered warriors, jakes with bigger than life attitudes, I can enjoy just as well the many shapes and sizes of gobblers that are encountered. The quality of the experience or epic nature of it is seldom indicated by trophy parts. If one hunts enough seasons you come to realize that the crazy antics, the more memorable events may come from the most unlikely of quarry. As one might relish an old buck a very old hermit gobbler may succumb to your charms underweight, with broken spurs and a beard long past its prime. As a hunter only you would know from many seasons in pursuit as to how old and crafty the old warrior may be. Those become treasured memories and a collection of stories destined for turkey camp. There is never a shortage of keyboard warriors, the shot one bird instant pro’s and other detractors that are quick to rain on another’s parade. There are far more of us that enjoy and encourage the newly successful hunters, especially women and kids who join our ranks. Admittedly they are far more pleasing to the eye posing with a long beard than us old grumpy turkey slayers, not remotely debatable in the slightest. As I think back over the many turkeys taken back home in the truck each of those stories or for purposes here “turkey obituaries,” are ingrained into memory in ode to respect and to moments well lived in a grand pursuit. It is why we pause when retrieving them after the shot, it is also why we give praise when we give thanks for a meal we anticipate. We might be cavalier in pursuit, while being outsmarted, however as we reach a successful conclusion we come to grips with what transpires in the hunt and ultimately to our plates. In Ode to the grand wily wild turkey, I would implore you to take the time to record your stories, take pictures throughout your adventure. I can without hesitation guarantee each of you that as you become an old turkey chaser such as myself and my brothers and sisters in camo you will be forever grateful to heed this advice and relish the memories you retrieve and relive from doing so… With a lot of the season left to go in New York, I wish you a safe and most prosperous time afield with family and friends and look forward to reading your contributions to the turkey obituaries as the season progresses! -MJ © 2019 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media

one hell of a hunt this morning in NY on one of my favorite ridges. Super quiet and the air was very still. The first gobble was almost 6AM. Moved up to within 150 yards Woods are wide open with no green up yet. 6 gobbles on the roost, and no response to a fly down. 15 minutes later the crow's startup, and they are coming my way. time passes and I get a consistent series of clucks straight out in front but beyond my sight line. Two jakes approach and now answer calls like they mean it. Strutter stays back in and out of sight, definitely out of range. Jakes walk within 8 yards of me and stop to gobble close enough behind me that you can hear that croak in their gobble. Stutter spins in place does not advance. I make two really soft yelps and I get my ears blown off as they walked up to the tree behind me. Impressive as they sounded like mature birds. This goes on for 90 minutes as the jakes want that hen, and won't leave, the strutter won't move. Fourth time back and forth from out in front to behind me in this game, the stutter commits and I drop him at 25 paces. One jake runs off,. the other stands there and just gobbles. Had to yell, and thrown sticks at him to make him leave. Odd bird, little over 17 pounds, no spurs, and three beards that two are broken off at 4.5" As I walked back to the truck after taking pictures, the two jakes were still gobbling until the rain kicked up and made for a wet mid-morning. Very fun and loud hunt, WIth the slow start of the opening ending up with gobbling right up till the noon fire whistle, it is a rather refreshing start of the season despite the lousy weather.

run bushnell and eotech holo sights on all my turkey guns, I wear progressive lenses and it solves a focusing problem between rear site and front sight. The circle works for me as the eye naturally acquires and centers target. within the circle.

great story, my father thought that he might hunt with me as he was close to retiring and got the idea I filled a tag every time I went, which of course I didn't but I put the days in. He got Leukemia that August and passed in February never made it to the turkey woods. You have a great memory to keep right there.

Age and genetics, but a number of caveats. Lack of melanin will show as lack of pigment (light tan or yellowish instead of black) and tends to be weak and break off. thawing and freezing in the winter can result in ice balls forming on the beards and cause breakage (a common occurrence.) In general very unreliable for aging past two years.

stuff 'em full of styrofoam and they sit real well

Here's a fun one, guess the beard length on this little girl. Before the peanut gallery gets too excited about taking a bearded hen, this was tagged in the fall of 2013 in Philadelphia NY, she was one of about 50 birds roosted on this farm the first week of October. Something between to 37-38 of them was hens. Locales such as my homesteads I'd be hard-pressed to shoot a hen in the fall or bearded hen in either season. On this farm, it would be no big deal to see 100+ birds in November back when I hunted it.

using Hevi-13"s #6 out of a 11-87, NWTF 25th Anniversary gun with a Hevi-Shot Choke tube (branded by hevi-shot) I get 42-43 pellets in a 3" circle at 40 yards. Other than a clean barrel, no modifications

http://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=811 A TURKEY HUNTER’S PRAYER...

Here ya go, only going to be more of this. So go ahead reaper and fanning enthusiasts, please regale me with how safe it is. A few "accidents involving fanning/reaping happened last spring season, and the more it is promoted, the statistics may follow. I truly hope it doesn't and stays below the trend line of the past few decades. I got blasted for being against this technique in all but very open territory/middle of big open fields that did not allow rifles.This is one subject I would have rather been very wrong about... No joy in this Two turkey hunters injured in hunting accident,

Last time I checked, the NWTF has spoken out against it officially

Turkey Reaping & Decoying- Unsafe? Irresponsible Danger? A Review… Three years ago I penned my thoughts on Turkey Fanning, Turkey Reaping which has gained popularity by hunters and prominently shown on many Outdoor TV shows. The list includes some long-time veterans of the outdoor industry which I find surprising as most of those labeled with such a moniker have gotten there by being careful, conservative in their actions. Here’s a link to my original blog post: http://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=126 Back then I stepped up on one big soapbox and said my peace. No apologies, no retractions as my thoughts have not softened or changed much on the subject. I sure rattled a few cages and there was plenty of pushback and claims that I had no proof, no such foul play has ever occurred, totally safe, an elitist, and so on… I’ll step back up again… Turkey Reaping & Decoying- Unsafe? Irresponsible Danger? A Review…

SEARCH ON "ALL DAY HUNTING EFFECT ON TURKEY HENS" The nwtf bilogists and those of nysdec are of like minds and what they told us at the NY state nwtf board.

Biologists weighed in on this many years ago, and the hold up is hunter opinions and a lot of old wife's tales. Basically politics. All day hunting is not at all like what many profess that it would be if they ever allowed it.

http://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=343

Ahh yes, fun times, may need to revisit doing a contest again

Aging based on Physical Attributes Spur lengths tend to be the most reliable indicator of age. Spurs are used for fighting and defense, and combined with attitude of the bird are a significant factor in dominance over other birds. A general guide to spur length verses age is shown in (Table 3.) In both tables- 3 & 4, regard this as a generic rule of thumb with the conclusions subject to debate between biologists, and especially turkey hunters. As birds get older it is more difficult to estimate age, as measurements overlap, and data is more difficult to obtain. As with beard length and body weights, typical measurements will vary depending on subspecies, geographic region, soil types, and weather conditions. Spur Length Range Typical Spur Length Estimated Age 0.0000” - 0.5000” 0.2500” 1 Year (Jake) 0.6250” - 0.8750” 0.7500” 2 Years 0.8750” - 1.1250” 1.0000” 3 Years 1.0000” - 1.3750” 1.2500” 4 Years 1.2500” - 1.6250” 1.5000” 5 Years > 1.6250” > 1.6250” Greater > 5 Years Table 3: Spur length verses age Beards grow an average of four inches a year, and in the end are affected by growth versus wear rates. Beards break off quite often, lose or break the longer strands, and are a much less reliable indicator of age. Beards are also prone to breakage in colder climate regions where the beards can become wet, and freeze into clumps of ice. As beards get longer, they eventually contact the ground or stepped on. It is thought to be the major source of wear & breakage. Beard length may also be affected by lack of melanin (dark color pigment) or infestation by mites. A general guide to beard length verses age is shown in (Table 4.) Beard Length Range Typical Beard Length Estimated Age 0.0000” - 5.0000” 4.0000” 1 Year (Jake) 6.0000” - 9.5000” 9.0000” 2 Years 9.0000” - 11.0000” 10.0000” 3 Years > 11.0000” > 11.0000” Greater > 4 Years Table 4: Beard length verses age Body weight is considered an unreliable age indicator for a variety of reasons. In general terms, jakes will weigh less than 14lbs-15lbs, and two-year-old gobblers will weigh in between 17lbs-20lbs. After two years of age, the weights can vary greatly. Old dominate gobblers are routinely reported that are tagged with live weights under 17lbs. This is especially common with late season gobblers after a long season of fighting, and breeding. Many old gobblers are found with little to no sponge fat left in the chest cavity. The peak weights have much more to do with food availability, quality of the food sources, and breeding activity of the gobbler, rather than the age of the bird. Many times two & three-year-old toms weigh more than a nasty old long hooked spurred gobbler that is doing the majority of breeding. from: Chapter- NWTF Wild Turkey Record System, "Empire State Limbhangers" a book schedule for 2016 release © 2015 Joyner Outdoor Media

Press Release: Wild Turkey Hunting Seminar, Youth Calling Contest @ Groton High School Auditorium April 17th, 7:00 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2015 Wild Turkey Hunting Seminar, Youth Calling Contest @ Groton High School Auditorium April 17th, 7:00 PM Cortland, NEW YORK – Joyner Outdoor Media announces a wild turkey spring hunting seminar, and youth calling contest to benefit Groton High School Base Ball Program A wild turkey event is scheduled for Friday evening, April 17th. 7:00 PM at the Groton High School Auditorium, located at: 400 Peru Rd, Groton, NY 13073. The seminar “Turkey Hunting-Advancing Your Hunting Experience” will be presented by: Mike Joyner, and Paul Walling. Mike is a Past NWTF NYS Chapter President, former national Pro-staff for Hevi-Shot, outdoor writer/author of three turkey hunting story books, as well as three current works in progress. Paul is a turkey call maker, and also an author of the scheduled 2015 book release: Father & Son- A Life’s Journey Together in the Turkey Woods. Both Mike and Paul are well seasoned turkey hunters that will share their experiences and lessons learned in the great turkey woods during the seminar. The seminar will be followed by a youth wild turkey calling contest. There will be a 12-15 youth division, and a 16-18 youth old division. Trophies to be awarded in each division. Calls required to performed at the contest TBA Pre-sale tickets are available in advance for $3.00, and will be $5.00 at the door. All admission proceeds to benefit the Groton High School Baseball Program. Books and turkey mouth calls will be available at the event. $5.00 from each book, $1.00 from each call purchased will be donated to the baseball program. For more event info, updates, tickets and contact information, go to: www.facebook.com/joyneroutdoormedia www.facebook.com/events/1575823519322305 About Mike Joyner: An avid turkey hunter for nearly a quarter century, Mike Joyner has been roaming the hills and woodlands of America stalking the elusive prey -wild turkey. Joyner is a former president of the New York State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, serving from 1996 to 2005 A new book: D.D. Adams, Evolutionary Turkey Call Pioneer, is set to be released later this year. Mike is currently working on collaboration with Paul Walling entitled: Father and Son- A Life’s Journey Together in the Turkey Woods, and a 6th book entitled: Empire State Limb Hangers, New York Wild Turkey Records. The author is also an owner of a technology company, and appears on dozens of US and Worldwide patents for video/image sensor innovations. He spends his quality time in his turkey woods sanctuary known as the “J” Ranch in McGraw, New York, where he lives with his wife Lee. For more information on the author visit his personal website: www.mikejoyner.com About Paul Walling: For nearly four decades, Paul Walling has been trekking through the hills and woodlands of Cortland County, and many other locals in New York State pursing the majestic Wild Turkey. Paul is a lifelong resident of Cortland. Walling is also a passionate deer hunter and trout fisherman, and spends many days afield and along the banks of New York’s pristine trout streams. Walling spends many days afield with extended family and friends in and around the great woods, fields and streams of the county since childhood. Paul is also the founder of Walling Legacy Calls specializing in mouth diaphragm turkey callers as well as friction calls. Along with his call making he is currently working on the final chapters in collaboration with fellow author Mike Joyner for his first book titled: Father & Son- A Life’s Journey Together in the Turkey Woods, scheduled for 2015 fall/winter release. About Joyner Outdoor Media: Joyner Outdoor Media was established in 2006 by author Mike Joyner. The company publishes outdoor & hunting themed works, outdoor blogs, in addition to marketing campaigns, event scheduling etc. Joyner Outdoor Media also provides author services including cover design, content formatting, publishing, press release service, website design, and marketing materials. Located in the hills above the seven valleys of Cortland County, NY, Joyner Outdoor Media operates from a wonderful log home situated in prime turkey woods providing much inspiration. For more information visit: www.joyneroutdoormedia.com groton.pdf Joyner PR032515.pdf

Hi, if you are coming from the north east or west, you need to go into East Homer, take East Homer Crossing south, and then take a left onto East river road for about two miles, Town Line Rd, will be on your right. THE bridge is out,and should have been rebuilt weeks ago.