giant Tom form the Strader show???

[skin_dog1]

Did anyone see the mount of the turkey with the 15" beard, 2.25" spurrs and weighed in at about 25 pounds? It was on a table with many other birds but freakishly stood out from the rest. It was also at the NWTF convention. Anyway, I spoke with the guy at the booth about it at the strader show. He told me John Michael Montgomery shot it on his farm in Washington County. It looked fake so I wans't too sure the whole story wasn't. Well guess who I bumped into at the NWTF show? John Michael himself. While a couple others were asking for autographs, I wanted to talk turkey. Before I could get the whole question out he told me "Yeap, I shot him on my 700 acre farm in Washington county". He then pointed to the guy standing next to him and said that he had mounted it for him. He said no one had ever seen him before and one day he just popped out of no where and he shot him. So, if anyone else was wondering about that big bird, yes it is for real and it was killed by a local Celebrity!

[kyhunter28]

Wow I stood there and studied the bird and It looks like them legs had work done to them. Did you ask why the legs and feet were so red? I took a picture and went about my way, thinking it was a nice gag.

[warden310]

The beard was real, but it was 3 put together. The spurs were real, but were built up with clay and painted. Normally I'd leave this topic alone, but I don't want "new world record" to start popping up.

[AteUp]

The beard was real, but it was 3 put together. The spurs were real, but were built up with clay and painted. Normally I'd leave this topic alone, but I don't want "new world record" to start popping up.

How do you make a beard longer by putting 3 together? I can see it making it thicker but not longer. Just curious.

[WBBP]

Ate-UP. Answer to question. Same way you take short cotton fibers and make them into a string and then into yarn. Staggered attaching.

Me and skin discussed that beard after the show. That beard was real, but it was way too long to be the real thing! I told skin I thought it took five beards to make it. Maybe I should have stayed away from the wild turkey taste testing booth :p

[AteUp]

Gotcha. I guess it would be easy to detect with close examination?

[skin_dog1]

Turkey legs will turn out whatever color the taxidermist paints them. Want a green legged turkey then let mr. Taxibermist know. Most areas of skin on mounts have to be painted cause they lose color when they dry(like with fish). I thought the spurs were fake when I saw them but don't really have any reason to doubt it when it came out of John Michael Montgomery's mouth. Not saying he isn't capable of lying, just it wouldn't seem as if he has anything to gain. This thing will score over 100 if it's real. I'll check and see if it would be a record. Warden310, do you have first hand knowledge of these modifications?

[skin_dog1]

The score would actually be around 98. The guy said one spur wasn't quite 2.25, so I'm guessing it to be around 2.125. That score would put it at #3 in the world and #2 in KY. World record is held by James lewis from lexington(I believe). It weighed 33 1/2 lds, 13 3/4" beard with 2.25 and 2.125 spurs and scored over 104! And for the record, this guy has 4 world records for total score! I may have to go change my vote for worlds best Turkey hunter!

[14pointer]

I talked to one of the young guys in the Knight & Hale booth about how great those turkey looked ,he said the Osceola turkey in the display was one he killed last year in Florida.So we asked him about the long spured,long bearded turkey he just laughed and said that turkey was fabricated .

[lab]

Something didn't look right for sure. I never got to see it up close to do some real investigating, but from a distance it looked as if to be a fabricated bird.:eek: But, if it wasn't, it was sure enough a once in a lifetime turkey.

[SixPack07]

Anyone have a pic they could post of it?

[skin_dog1]

I've got pics but you'll have to wait til I get them uploaded. My puter is too slow to do it from home. How many here have ever seen a 15" beard? I'll bet that any turkey iincluding the one with the worlds longest beard at over 18" looks fake or unreal or however you say it. The spurs looked suspicious to me, but I've never seen real ones that go 2.25 inches! Thats a full 1' longer than any that most of us have ever killed. Pretty unreal if you ask me, but not impossible!

[SixPack07]

Thanks skin dog, I don't mind waiting. And no, I've never seen anything that big and I think everyone gets a little suspicious at hearing about something so much bigger then the normal. Unless of course it is theirs!

[B.G.O. of Kentucky]

So, are you all saying it had a "weave" :)

[Gobblergetter2.1]

There was also a HUGE bird that was mounted at the nwtf convention. It was standing with his head straight up, looking around. He probably had a 15, 16" beard; and about 2 1/2 " spurs! He was outrageous!

[chuckf]

Gobbler, that was the same bird at the convention. Jmm was very proud of the mount that ernie done for him. Jmm gave me the slate call that he used to get that big bird. It was a home made call about the size of a dinner plate. He's always told me that if you want to kill a big bird ya gotta use big calls.

[buckfever]

I've got pics but you'll have to wait til I get them uploaded. My puter is too slow to do it from home. How many here have ever seen a 15" beard? I'll bet that any turkey iincluding the one with the worlds longest beard at over 18" looks fake or unreal or however you say it. The spurs looked suspicious to me, but I've never seen real ones that go 2.25 inches! Thats a full 1' longer than any that most of us have ever killed. Pretty unreal if you ask me, but not impossible!

Very true. It's mindboggling when I look at some of the deer at the Strader show and wonder how in the world did they live long enough to grow a rack that big! I guess it's easier to stay alive if you're a turkey without any curiosity whatsoever.

[skin_dog1]

Gobbler, that was the same bird at the convention. Jmm was very proud of the mount that ernie done for him. Jmm gave me the slate call that he used to get that big bird. It was a home made call about the size of a dinner plate. He's always told me that if you want to kill a big bird ya gotta use big calls.Thats funny, I don't care who you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[warden310]

The taxidermist is an officer from Washington Co., KY. He killed the bird, "weaved" 3 beards together, sculpted the spurs from clay. The K&H guy from the show did kill that Osceola that was next to the fake. It had one spur that was a true 2" and the other was busted and fixed to look the same. It's on display at Tony Brown Chevrolet in Brandenburg (the Osceola not the fake).

As Paul Harvey has made famous "that's the rest of the story."

[GSP]

The score would actually be around 98. The guy said one spur wasn't quite 2.25, so I'm guessing it to be around 2.125. That score would put it at #3 in the world and #2 in KY. World record is held by James lewis from lexington(I believe). It weighed 33 1/2 lds, 13 3/4" beard with 2.25 and 2.125 spurs and scored over 104! And for the record, this guy has 4 world records for total score! I may have to go change my vote for worlds best Turkey hunter!

Jim called in the first bird I ever killed. He is a serious turkey hunter.

[skin_dog1]

Why the story about JMM? Plus JMM told me himself he killed it. Doesn't seem like he would have anything to gain by lying.

[chuckf]

Jmm and Ernie are friends. It was a joke.

[SixPack07]

Well, by lying, he almost had a whole hunting forum believing he really shot that bird. Gained a bunch of people thinking he was an ace turkey hunter, if that's what he was looking for, or he just liked fooling people.

[chuckf]

Maybe Turkey Man can shed a little light on this subject, he is the one that mounted it.

[ryan hickey]

in my experience, if it looks to good to be true, there's probably a good reason for that:cool:

[Gobblergetter2.1]

Real of fake, if something that big stepped into my sights... Ill just say, i might need a new pair of pants:D

[Turkey Man]

Chuck F. You know that Turkey is as real as you are. You just trying to get something going by saying it is a fake. Everyone would much rather hear about your Spring Turkey. (The one you didn't shoot in the Head)

[skin_dog1]

I just want the truth. sixpack, you don't have to be an ace turkey hunter to kill something like that. How many times do you read a story about a new state record or the largest buck killed in a county and find out it was the guys first time in the woods! I'd rather be lucky than good anyday. Now that doesn't mean that good turkey hunters don't kill lots of good birds, but just because someone kills a big tom or buck doesn't mena they are a Hunting Ace!

[chuckf]

Hey turkey man, if you would have sighted in your gun i would not have shot him in the butt. He does look good hanging in my office. I'll call jmm today and see if i can get him to post the story of how HE killed that big monster bird.

[SixPack07]

I'm not saying you have to be an ace to kill something big, I was just trying to explain why someone might lie about it. Some people will see a big turkey and think, wow, he must be a good hunter. That's all I meant.

[Turkey Man]

Hey Chuck F. That would be good. All I do is mount the Turkey. The bigger the Tipp, the better the bird looks. J.M.M. tipps REAL GOOD.

[Troy]

Remember Chuck, I am supposed to be hunting with you and JMM this year, Can I get something on paper signed, guaranteeing me one like that one.

[Troy]

Here is pic I am posting for chuckf
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/Troy_Gentry/a1204a9e.jpg

[chuckf]

Thanks Troy. Hey Turkey Man, i can't see any evidence that turkey was shot in the butt, looks good to me. You been hitting that WILD TURKEY again?
Troy i'll need you to sign a release form and you'll have to promise not to tell anyone where we keep the big toms at.

[SixPack07]

Nice looking bird!

[Turkey Man]

Hey Troy, If a Turkey is one day over two years old, He will be safe around Chuck F.

[Turkey Man]

Six Pack That is a nice Bird but you should have seen his Butt. Chuck F shot him stright in the butt at (20) yards with a 3 1/2'' Hevy Shot. Looked like where someone had picked a turkey. "BUT" it did make a nice half mount.

[SixPack07]

Oh, one of those lucky shots, huh?...lol

[Troy]

Troy i'll need you to sign a release form and you'll have to promise not to tell anyone where we keep the big toms at.

Chuck, you got it bud!

Hey Troy, If a Turkey is one day over two years old, He will be safe around Chuck F
Lol!!

[chuckf]

hey troy do you know a GOOD taxidermist if we kill one like that? the one i know is full of you know what.