Ask Dr. Tom

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

Have a question for Dr. Tom?

Send us your Dr. Tom question in 300 words or less. We may run it in an upcoming issue. Photos are welcome, as well. Only questions from NWTF members will be published. We also reserve the right to publish submissions on this Web site.