The road gets another one....

[Hotspotter]

There's a particular area I hunt that's had 4 different toms picking through corn stubble, about as predictably as Old Faithful.

Yesterday afternoon when rounding the corner, from a mile or more away, I knew one had met his match. The car got it pretty bad too, plastic front end peices all over the road. I think it was a grey older GMC or Olds judging from all the car parts he left I'm going to give him a mouthful for driving too fast in turkey country

The group was 3 younger toms and a much larger older bird. The old bird has great spurs and an avg. beard, but he stands a few inches taller than his 2yr. old Tom buddies. This bird was one of the youngsters. 3/4" or so spurs, 9 1/4" beard, 20lbs 4oz.

Joel

[sticknstring]

Nice lookin bird...

Were ya able to salvage a breast off him? We were all hoping it was ol' longspur that met his demise... less competition in the turkey contest!

[Hotspotter]

 Originally Posted By: sticknstring

Nice lookin bird...

Were ya able to salvage a breast off him? We were all hoping it was ol' longspur that met his demise... less competition in the turkey contest!

You bet, the breast meat was still very warm. Must've happened just before I turned the corner. Kind of funny, it was de ja vu. Last spring, I was coming back from a DNR Turkey Clinic I held, and I found a dead hen at the same crossing point, freshly hit. I salvaged the breast meat and got a tag from the CO. This time, I was heading back from an NWTF meeting, and there he was.

Friends are giving me a hard time, saying that all the pictures of birds I've hoisted in the spring are just local roadkill . This guy could've passed for a bird you killed save the broken legs. Must not have been hit too hard.

Joel

[DonBo]

Now that's a shame right there. I'm sure any of us would have been proud to put a tag on that bird.

[Ray Esboldt]

Nothing wrong with a little road kill for the kettle.

[Hotspotter]

I was looking at the leg a little bit last night, specifically one of the spurs, and reminded that the black spur is simply a finger-nail-like covering over bone. Whatever ran it over basically peeled the black part off, revealing the blood and bone beneath.

Joel

[Shoot2Kill]

That's a [PoorWordUsage] of a find right there! Fully intact tail and everything!