How To Score Your Turkey

In a world where bigger always seems to be better, it’s hard to believe we don’t typically hear too much about big “trophy” turkeys. The whitetail bucks seem to get all the attention when it comes to inches, measurements, and mass. Heck, some folks don’t even know there is a scoring system for the wild turkey. But there is. And thanks to a handy chart from our friends at the NWTF, we’ll share exactly how to score your turkey.

The info below can be found at www.nwtf.org, as well as tons of other great info on hunting the wild turkey, conservation, NWTF events, and resources. Be sure to check them out for everything in the turkey hunting world. And if you’re not a  member, you really ought to join the NWTF today!

Before You Begin to Score Your Turkey

Before you begin to score your turkey, be sure to note that all measurements are taken in 1/16-inch increments and converted to decimal form. A current NWTF member or another licensed hunter from the state where the bird was harvested must verify all measurements. A conversion chart for measurements is located at the bottom of this page.

Step 1:

Weigh your bird in pounds and ounces and convert ounces to decimal form.

Step 2:

Measure each spur. Spurs must be measured along the outside center, from the point at which the spur protrudes from the scaled leg skin to the tip of the spur. Add both spur measurements and multiply the combined length of the spurs by 10. This is the number of points you receive for the turkey’s spurs.

Step 3:

Measure the beard length (a beard must be measured from the center point of the protrusion of the skin to the tip) and convert it to decimal form.

Next, multiply the beard length figure by 2; this is the number of points you receive for the beard

length. If you have an atypical bird (multiple beards), measure each beard, convert them to a decimal number, then add those figures together and multiply by two. This is the number of points you receive for your turkey’s beards.

Step 4:

Add together the weight, the points for spurs and points for beard(s): This is the score you receive for your turkey.

See how quickly you can score a turkey in the video below…

Scoring Calculator

* The Scoring Calculator below can be found at the NWTF website and allows you to quickly calculate the score of your turkey. Check it out HERE