Mass Hysteria

Wild turkey weights vary considerably based on subspecies, age, sex and time of year. Gobblers and hens tend to be heaviest in early spring so they are in the best condition for breeding and producing offspring. Authors and editors of the two major books on wild turkey ecology and management (Hewitt, 1967 and Dickson, 1992) discussed average weights of wild turkeys and categorized those averages as generally 8-11 pounds for adult hens and 17-22 pounds for adult gobblers in breeding condition. Over the years I have spoken with dozens of hunters each spring who claimed to have taken 20-pound gobblers. Many of those 20-pounders never saw a scale. But each spring some hefty gobblers are taken that are weighed on certified scales.

Weights vary by subspecies of wild turkey. In general, the Eastern and Gould’s subspecies tend to be the heaviest wild turkeys. Average fall-winter weights of gobblers reported in the 1967 version of The Wild Turkey and Its Management were 14.5 pounds for Florida, or Osceola, gobblers, 17.5 pounds for Rio Grande gobblers, 18.05 pounds for Merriam’s gobblers and 18.5 pounds for Eastern gobblers. Interestingly two average weights were listed for Eastern gobblers: 20.0 pounds in Missouri and 16.93 pounds in Virginia. Keep those differences in mind as we explore this issue further. The sample sizes from Missouri were small but even so, Show Me State Eastern gobblers appeared to be larger. The editor of the 1967 book did not have access to data on Gould’s gobbler weights.

The heaviest Eastern gobbler I encountered while winter live-trapping and banding in New Jersey and Pennsylvania was 23 pounds. We captured a number of adult gobblers that tipped the scales at 20 pounds in handling more than 400 adult gobblers. We found that 2-year-old gobblers, based on spur length, averaged about 18 pounds in winter and older gobblers averaged closer to 20 pounds. Gobbler weights increase as spring approaches and the birds lay down a layer of breast sponge. Only a particularly severe winter would hamper weight gain in preparation for spring. The 23-pound gobbler mentioned earlier weighed 27½ pounds when taken by a spring hunter a few years later.

Dr. Jim Dickson and Dr. Paul Pelham reported on the heaviest gobblers of each subspecies in the 1992 edition of The Wild Turkey and Its Management using the NWTF Records as their source. The listed weights for heaviest gobblers was Eastern 31.1 lbs., Rio Grande 26.0 lbs., Merriam’s 26.8 lbs., Florida/Osceola 22.8 lbs. and Gould’s 24.1 lbs. Time has passed since the book was published, and the heaviest birds now include an Eastern gobbler from Kentucky that weighed in at 37.6 pounds.

So what factors might influence the occurrence of hefty gobblers? Subspecies, hatch date, time of year, date of harvest, food type and availability, winter severity, habitat composition, age and heredity likely play roles in setting the stage for heavy gobblers. Climate may affect weight to a degree. Both Osceola and Rio Grande gobblers live in warmer climates where excess weight does not provide any real advantage for surviving harsh winters. These subspecies tend to be leaner and longer than their counterparts from other climates. Merriam’s, Gould’s and Eastern gobblers are somewhat heavier-boned and shorter in stature than Rios or Osceolas. Climate and habitat conditions are the factors that caused speciation, the development of physical characteristics, behaviors and food preferences that enabled each subspecies to adapt and thrive in their environments.

Hatch date can impact weight, especially among juvenile wild turkeys at a year of age. An early hatch date might give a gobbler a jump start on weight gain that continues to give the bird an advantage in later years. The time of year definitely affects weight. Wild turkeys are usually at their heaviest early in the breeding season having survived winter with plenty of early spring food items. Over the winter, movement is restricted compared to other seasons so fewer calories are burned roaming the countryside. As long as deep fluffy snow does not affect food availability, wild turkeys often find more than enough to meet their caloric needs.

The proliferation of deer feeders in many areas may contribute to weight gain in wild turkeys. An abundance of feeders may be responsible for record weights among Rio Grande and Osceola gobblers, as supplemental feeding is legal in some states. Of course, the quality of food is a consideration as well. In heavily forested areas, good mast crops provide the necessary calories for weight gain. Variation can be observed from year to year based on mast quantity and quality. Gobblers in extensively forested areas are less likely to weigh 24 or more pounds than their counterparts that live near farms. For weight gain, survival and good recruitment of young, perhaps the ideal mix of habitats consists of 40% forest and 60% agricultural fields. Agricultural crops available in harvested grain fields certainly impact weights of gobblers residing in farm country. Soybeans and corn are great sources of protein and calories.

As gobblers mature, they often gain weight. Most hunters have noticed that 2-year-old gobblers tend to weigh less than birds that have made it through a few spring hunting seasons. Gobblers at age 3 or older often weigh 20 pound or more. The heavier birds often seem to have large heads and wide tail fans in addition to longer spurs, all characteristics indicative of advanced age. Not only does age affect weight, there is likely a genetic or hereditary influence. Some gobblers within each subspecies just seem to be noticeably larger than their cohorts. As is the case in all species, some specimens have the ability to grow larger than average in terms of height, weight and other measurements. These individuals lie outside of the norm for the species.

The bottom line is that almost any state will occasionally produce a hefty gobbler, but certain states produce heavier gobblers more consistently. The center of hefty wild turkey gobbler production appears to be the Midwest and upper Midwest based on NWTF Records. Looking at gobblers weighing in excess of 30 pounds, Iowa leads the pack with 15 entries, followed by Wisconsin with 12, Missouri and Kentucky with 10 each, Tennessee with seven and Illinois with five.

The question of why the Midwest is the breadbasket of hefty gobblers very likely has to do with land use. The states that consistently produce heavyweight gobblers are leading producers of grain crops. Wild turkeys living in the agricultural regions of these states have year-round access to quality forage ranging from alfalfa, clover and other hay crops in the spring and early summer, to surplus grain in ag fields after the combines have harvested crops. While all the other states have areas devoted to agriculture the Midwestern states have many more acres devoted to farming per capita. Forest land provides excellent food sources but not in the quantity or annual reliability of farm crops.

There may be another potential reason for those states being the epicenter of heavier gobblers, and that is heredity. Wild turkeys had once disappeared from much of the Midwest, with the exception of Missouri. The source for reintroducing wild turkeys to the rest of the Midwest through the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s was wild turkeys live-captured in Missouri. It is possible that Missouri Eastern wild turkeys possessed a genetic footprint that leaned toward heavier gobblers if food availability was virtually unlimited. Easterns in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic region made a comeback from remnant flocks within their own boundaries or from birds that expanded their range from Pennsylvania into southern New York. Ultimately New York via Pennsylvania became the source for restoration efforts in New England, New Jersey and Delaware. Those birds, adapted to extensive forest, may not have had the same ability to gain weight as Missouri birds.

Whatever the reason, hunters in the Midwest certainly have a little better chance of carrying a 25-pound gobbler out of the woods. As turkey hunters know, every gobbler taken by calling is a trophy, no matter what the weight.

According to NWTF Wild Turkey Records (over 40 years of registered harvest records), here’s a breakdown of harvested gobblers weighing 30 pounds or more.

• 90 Total number of harvested gobblers weighing 30 pounds or more
• 81 EASTERNS 30-plus pounds
• 4 RIOS 30-plus pounds
• 5 MERRIAM’S 30-plus pounds
• Iowa State with most registered gobblers over 30 pounds – 15 total
• 1,342 Registered gobblers weighing 25 pounds or more
• 37.61 POUNDS Heaviest gobbler ever registered in NWTF Wild Turkey Records