Aubrey Gold bagged this tom despite a cold and windy morning. (Photo courtesy of Will Cooper)
May 23, 2025
By Game & Fish
We highlighted some great harvests this spring from turkey hunting seasons. These great shots were featured in our annual Regional Strut Update.
Compiled by Josh Honeycutt, Brandon Butler, Doug Howlett and Andrew McKean
A Florida Double Hunter Mike Lee hit the jackpot last week by taking two, multi-bearded toms in Florida. (Photo courtesy of Mike Lee) Backwoods Life’s Michael Lee says Florida turkeys “were henned-up bad last week for the opener, but I managed to tag out on opening day getting five gobblers to come into a strutter decoy around 3-4 p.m.” Two of those birds went home with Lee. They were multi-bearded, too. Taken with a shotgun on March 15 in Florida. Stats: Double-beard (7-inch beard, 4-inch beard, 2.5-inch beard) / 16 pounds / 1-inch spurs
Nebraska Early-Season Success Hunter Kyle Carrol took advantage of Nebraska's early archery turkey season and arrowed this bird on March 26. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Carroll) Kyle Carroll has been slipping over the border to Nebraska from Missouri for years to take advantage of the Cornhusker State’s early archery opener. He wrapped his tag on a jake the first morning he hunted in 2025.
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Just after his first turkey season sunrise of 2025, Carroll spotted two jakes entering the field he was set up in. Carroll uses a decoy when bowhunting turkeys because he says when a bird is engaged with the decoy, you can draw. That’s what happened when he called the two jakes across the field to him. While one was pecking the decoy, he sent an arrow through the other one watching.
“I’ve never discriminated on taking jakes,” Carroll said. “If they strut and give me the whole show, I’m going to shoot them with my bow. The only real difference to me is about 10 pounds.” Taken March 26 in Pawnee Country, Neb., with a Mathews Switchback compound bow.
Youth First-Timer The 9-year-old Vermont hunter Brantley Parah harvested this tom with the help of his uncle and a steady aim. (Photo courtesy of Jake Babcock) Many hunters this season will be hoping to enjoy the experience 9-year-old Brantley Parah of Swanton, Vermont, enjoyed last year during the state’s youth hunting day. It was on that day when Brantley shot his first-ever gobbler—a 19-pounder with a 9-inch beard and 5/8-inch spurs. Brantley was hunting with his uncle, Jake Babcock. Brantley is the stepson of Michael Wheeler, who regularly contributes his observations to the Strut Report. Taken in Vermont with a 20-gauge shotgun. Stats: 9-inch beard, 35/8-inch spurs, 19 pounds
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Persistence Pays for Turkey Hunter Aubrey Gold bagged this tom despite a cold and windy morning. (Photo courtesy of Will Cooper) HuntStand’s Will Cooper helped his friend, Aubry Gold, bag a big Texas bird. The turkeys acted right, and the duo found themselves in the thick of the action. The weather wasn’t great, but the turkeys did their thing. “It was a cold and windy morning when we were able to break this gobbler from his hens,” Cooper said. “He gobbled at us a few times early in the morning, came within range, but couldn’t get a shot as he was behind brush. We later called all his hens to us, and he couldn’t resist the Avian X ½-strut Jake and Laydown Hen.” Taken April 14 in Gillespie County, Texas with a 20-gauge shotgun. Stats: 9 1/2-inch beard, 3.4-inch spurs / 16 pounds / 1-inch spurs
Beast Mode California hunter Brandon Silvia hammered this gobbler at 15 yards with a Mossberg 500 in .410 loaded with Federal TXX #9 loads. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Silvia) Brandon Silva from Vacaville, California, set up opening morning in Lake County, California, on a spot he's hunted for years with success, but in two different sessions, a big gobbler gave him the slip. A week later, Silva set up behind where the gobbler disappeared and pounded him at 15 yards as he headed toward hens. Silva shoots a Mossberg 500 .410 loaded with Federal TSS #9 turkey loads. His "ghost gobbler" weighed 23 pounds with a 10-1/2-inch bears and inch-long spurs. Taken in Lake County with a shotgun.
Apprentice Turkey Hunter Seals the Deal Zenna Howlett took up her dad's passion for turkey hunting and downed her first bird with a 20 gauge. (Photo by Doug Howlett) Seventeen-year-old Zenna Howlett, daughter of contributor Doug Howlett, took this awesome bird on April 6 in Virginia. It was her first turkey. Read more about the hunt .
Once-in-a-Lifetime Turkey Texas hunter Chance Eckert harvested this erythristic (red) tom with Federal's TSS Smackdown ammo. The red color phase turkey occurs in about one out of 100,000 turkeys. (Photo courtesy of Chance Eckert) "After calling in two jakes and watching a big longboard get taken away with a hen, we managed to get two birds coming in hot,” said Will Cooper. “After visuals, we could tell one was a good longbeard and the other a jake. The longbeard came by and wanted nothing to do with our decoys. It seemed he was on a mission before my buddy, Chance, was able to wheel his Savage Renegauge around the tree and put the Federal Premium TSS smackdown on him."
After the shot, the crew realized the bird was a red color phase bird. It had a 10-inch beard and 1.25-inch spurs. “It made for a great morning in Gillespie County, Texas, especially for a first timer!” Cooper concluded.
The erythristic (red) color phase turkey is extremely rare and occurs in about one out of 100,000 turkeys.
Second-Chance Tom Darron McDougal called this tom within 40 yards before taking him down with a Franchi shotgun. (Greg Duncan photo) Darren McDougal, a Game & Fish contributor, reported: I headed into a new area around mid-morning. After hiking about half a mile, I heard hens alarm-putting, but I knew they weren't putting at me, as they were off in the distance over a hill. I tiptoed forward, and I didn't see any turkeys over the hill, but a tom suddenly gobbled. I was shocked to notice that they were in a tree. Turns out a coyote had been giving them grief, so they flew up out of harm's way. They flew back down shortly, and three toms were strutting and gobbling amidst a few hens. I started calling with my mouth call, and one of the hens immediately answered, as did the toms. I called more, and two hens and a tom broke off and came right into 40 yards where I shot a tom. Taken April 16 in western Nebraska with a shotgun. Stats: 20 pounds, 9.5-inch spurs
Easter Sunday Dinner Andrew McKean shot his Montana tom with a Mossberg 500 loaded with HEVI-Shot HEVI-13 in #7 shot. (Photo courtesy of Andrew McKean) Regional Strut Update contributor Andrew McKean took this afternoon Montana gobbler on Easter Sunday. The 2-year-old bird had a 9-inch beard and ¾-inch spurs and was in a flock of five longbeards and nearly a dozen hens. McKean shot him at 18 yards with a Mossberg 500 and HEVI-Shot HEVI-13 in #7 shot.
Moving Locations Proved Successful Youth hunter Cason Carpenter took a turkey to remember. The bird weighed just shy of 20.5 pounds and sported a 10.25-inch beard. (Photo courtesy of Cason Carpenter) Fourteen-year-old Cason Carpenter made this year’s Connecticut Youth Hunt one to remember, tagging a heavy, hard-gobbling tom that tipped the scales at 20.5 pounds and sported a 10 1/4-inch beard. One spur measured a full inch, the other just shy of an inch at 7/8. Taken in April with a shotgun.
Twice is Nice Will Cooper, of Huntstand, took down this pair of Texas toms in late April. (HuntStand photo) “After calling in two jakes and watching a big longbeard get taken away with a hen, we managed to get two birds coming in hot,” said HuntStand’s Will Cooper. “After visuals, we could tell one was a good longbeard and the other a jake.
“The longbeard came by and wanted nothing to do with our decoys. It seemed he was on a mission before my buddy, Chance, was able to wheel his Savage Renegauge around the tree and put the Federal Premium TSS smackdown on him.”
“It was a memorable week,” said HuntStand’s Will Cooper. “I finally fought through all the jakes and found three longbeards that came in hot and ready to fight. They lost the battle to TSS. I was blessed to take my first double.” Taken April 22 and 26 in central Texas. Stats: 10-inch beards, 1-inch spurs.
Bang Your Head Even after a late-night Metallica concert, this 10-year-old hunter took this bird in Kentucky. With Will and Michelle for parents, Anse Brantley only had two ways he could go when it came to hunting. Either all in or completely rebel, as kids sometimes do when their parents are publicly recognized for their talent. Will being a foremost outdoor writer in the country, and Michelle his equal in all outdoor pursuits. Anse went the way our community hoped. At 10, he’s as accomplished of a hunter as men many times his age. He also has good taste in music.
“We were up until almost midnight head-banging to Metallica in Nashville,” Will said.
Not a productive way to spend the night before the last opening morning of the season, if you are determined to fill a turkey tag. But life is about choices, and rocking to Metallica seems like a good excuse to leave that bird alive. Sometimes, though, we have our cake and eat it too.
“We drove home the next morning, and when we were about a mile from the house, Anse mentioned it was the last day of turkey season. We’ve had a great one this year, but Anse had a tag left. And when we pulled in the drive, lo and behold, a strutter and three hens were in the backyard,” Will said.
With the power of a Metallica concert still surging adrenaline through a turkey hunting madman of a 10-year-old, Anse gave the yard bird no quarter.
“With all my gear in my hunting truck, I had to make do in my concert clothes and the closest pair of boots. But Anse had his Realtree CZ and pack ready to go and was dressed faster than Clark Kent. We snuck into position, made a few calls, and this old bird put on one of the best shows we’ve seen all season, even to rival ‘Enter Sandman’,” Will said. Taken May 4 in Calloway County, Ky., with a shotgun.
Magnum Merriam's NWTF's Regional Director for Montana, Wyoming and Idaho took the big tom on public land in Colorado. (Photo courtesy of Jason Tarwater) Jason Tarwater, National Wild Turkey Federation’s regional director for Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, scored a magnum Colorado Merriam’s turkey in May. He located the public-land bird about two miles from a trailhead and got set up about 200 yards from his location. “My buddy got behind me and called him straight to me for a 30-yard shot,” reports Tarwater. He was shooting a Franchi Affinity 3 20 gauge and Federal Premium TSS #7-9 duplex loads.
Tahama Tom This California hunter took this tom at 35-yard shot. Butch Waddell of Red Bluff, California, took this 21-pound Tehama County tom on the last weekend of California's season. The May gobbler had a 10-inch beard with 1-inch spurs. Waddell made a 35-yard shot with 3-inch Hevi Blend loads.
Meant to Be Connecticut hunter Trevor Berwick took this 23-pound tom at the beginning of the state's turkey season. Trevor Berwick is the host of The Outdoor Drive Podcast and routinely hunts turkeys throughout the Northeast. Following an unsuccessful bid for a gobbler in Maryland this season, Berwick returned to his home in Connecticut to hunt the opening days of the season there and scored on this heavy New England tom on May 1.
“The hunting was tough,” Berwick admits. “The birds came down at first light, walked off with some hens, and I never heard another gobble.”
With that, he decided to head to another property to try his luck. His attack was to walk the edge of a huge corn field, stopping to call periodically and hope to strike one up.
“I walked the whole perimeter and didn’t strike a bird until the last couple hundred yards,” he says. “I was on the opposite side of the field, so I nestled into the edge and started lightly calling.” For the longest time, the tom would not break off the other side of the field and come up a slight knoll in the field where Berwick was hoping to draw him for a shot. And just when it appeared he was going to have to come up with a different game plan, the turkey suddenly turned on, “absolutely gobbling his head off,” as Berwick puts it, and finally strolled right into shotgun range “like it is meant to be!” The tale of the tape? Berwick’s trophy sported a 10½-inch beard, 1¼-inch spurs and tipped the scales at a very solid 23 pounds.
