How To Score Your Turkey: A Step-By-Step Guide For Hunters

Scoring a wild turkey is an exciting part of the hunt for many avid turkey hunters. Knowing how to properly score your tom can help you determine if you have a potential record book bird and allows you to compare and compete with fellow hunters. While scoring a turkey may seem complicated to a beginner it’s actually a straightforward process once you learn the basic steps.

In this complete guide we’ll walk through the simple process of scoring your turkey using the official scoring system recognized by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). We’ll also look at how to submit your score to the NWTF records database and find out where your turkey ranks against others harvested across the country.

What You’ll Need To Score Your Bird

Before getting started, make sure you have the following items on hand:

• A tape measure with 1/16 inch increments
• A pen and paper or scoring sheet
• A digital scale capable of weighing in pounds and ounces
• The wild turkey

It’s important that you have an accurate tape measure and scale, as even small measurement variations can affect your overall score. Using the official NWTF scoring sheet is also handy for keeping track of all your measurements in one place.

Step 1: Weighing Your Turkey

The first step is to weigh your harvested turkey. Be sure to get an accurate weight reading in both pounds and ounces. For example, your bird may weigh 19 pounds and 5 ounces.

Record the weight on your scoring sheet and make sure to write down the ounces in decimal form. In our example, 5 ounces would be written as .3125 ounces (5/16 inches = .3125). This decimal weight will be used in calculating the total score.

Step 2: Measuring Spur Length

Next up is measuring the length of the spurs. You’ll need to measure each spur separately from the point where it protrudes from the leg to the very tip of the spur. Measure along the outside curvature of the spur.

For example, the right spur may measure 1 1/8 inches while the left spur is 1 inch even. Record your measurements in 1/16 increments such as 1.125 inches and 1 inch.

Once you have the length of each spur, add the two measurements together (1.125 in + 1 in = 2.125 inches). Then multiply the total spur length by 10 to get your spur score. In our example, it would be 2.125 x 10 = 21.25 spur points.

Step 3: Measuring Beard Length

Now for the fun part – measuring the beard! This is done by measuring from the center point where the beard protrudes from the skin out to the end of the longest bristle or whisker.

For example, if your turkey has an 11 inch beard, you would record 11 inches. If there are multiple beards, measure each one separately and record the lengths.

To calculate the beard score, take the total beard length(s) in inches and multiply by two. So an 11 inch beard would be 11 x 2 = 22 beard points. For multiple beards, add all the lengths first before multiplying by two.

Step 4: Calculating the Total Score

To arrive at the final overall score, simply add up the weight (in pounds/ounces), spur points, and beard points.

Using our examples, the score would be:

Weight: 19.3125 lbs
Spur Points: 21.25 points
Beard Points: 22 points

Total Score: 62.5625 points

That covers the complete scoring process in just four easy steps! Now you can officially score your turkey using the universal scoring system and see how you measure up to other hunters.

Submitting Your Score to the NWTF

To make your turkey’s score official, you’ll need to submit it to the National Wild Turkey Federation along with documentation. There are a few ways to do this:

• Enter your score online through the NWTF website.

• Print and mail in a physical scoring form along with photos.

• Download the NWTF mobile app to submit from your phone.

Be sure to provide accurate measurements, photos, and background details like location and date harvested. Your score will then be added to the NWTF records database for wild turkeys.

Checking Current Records and Rankings

Once in the records database, you can see how your turkey compares to others registered across the country. The NWTF has rankings for categories like:

• Highest total score
• Longest beard
• Longest spurs
• Heaviest weight

There are also lists of record birds broken down by state and subspecies. This lets you check rankings specific to the type of turkey you harvested.

You can view and search all of this through the NWTF’s online records database. They also have an interactive map showing the highest scoring birds by county.

Competing for Recognition

For avid hunters, having your name in the record books is a great source of pride and accomplishment. Scoring your turkey provides an exciting way to benchmark your success against fellow sportsmen across the country.

Many hunters compete with friends or local hunting groups to see who can harvest the biggest tom based on the scoring system. You can even achieve special recognition like NWTF Grand Slams for harvesting multiple subspecies of wild turkeys.

So once you learn the simple process, go ahead and score that big tom. See how you stack up against current records, share photos with fellow hunters, and revel in your turkey hunting accomplishments. Happy scoring!