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The Hawkeye State: Land of the Giants


How big can an Eastern turkey grow? A hunter in our group shot a turkey in Iowa that weighed 25 pounds and had 1 3/4-inch spurs. Two amazing things about the bird were the size of its head and the diameter of its neck. The neck had to be 4 1/2 to 5 inches wide.

 

Bob Lefelar
via e-mail

 

FYI >The largest domestic turkey on record was a tom that topped 86 pounds. According to the USDA, the larger size of today's domestic turkeys is due to genetic improvement, better feed and modern management practices.


While a 25-pound Eastern turkey is impressive, according to the NWTF wild turkey records, the largest Eastern wild turkey weighed nearly 36 pounds. Coincidentally, this massive wild turkey was also taken in Iowa. In fact, Iowa has recorded 15 Eastern wild turkeys larger than 30 pounds — more than any other state.
Iowa definitely grows more than corn and prairie grass. — Dr. Tom

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