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Sex and Age of Wild Turkeys

Determining the sex and age of wild turkeys is easy
when you know what to look for.

Beard

Older mature gobblers usually have beards that average 7 to 10 inches in length. Many juvenile males taken during the fall hunting season have beards that are shorter than 2 inches. Juvenile hens rarely possess beards, but a portion of the adult females may be bearded. Beards on hens seldom exceed 5 inches and are sparse compared with the beard of a mature tom.

Head

Hens and juvenile males have small, dark heads covered with black hairs and miniature black feathers. The wattles, fleshly lobes that hang from the throat or chin, are dark and uncolored. A mature tom has a larger head with more wattles and less feathering. A tom's head is pink to pale red when the bird is relaxed, changing to hues of scarlet-red, and bright blue with a white cap while strutting.

Spurs

Mature toms have prominent spurs on the backs of the lower legs, which become longer and more pointed with age. On an old bird, spurs can exceed an inch in length. Hens and juvenile toms have only rudimentary, inconspicuous spurs.

Outer Primary or Flight Feathers

Primary feathers are the stiff, barred, black and white feathers on the wings. The 2 outer primary feathers on each wing are retained for a year. The tips of those feathers on juvenile birds appear sharp-pointed and worn, while the ends of outer primaries on adult birds are rounded and bars extend to the outer tips. On juveniles, the bars are absent from the outer inch or two of the feather tip.

However, strutting toms usually wear off the last inch or 2 of these feathers.

Tail Feathers

On a juvenile bird, the middle 4-8 center feathers are longer than the other tail feathers. Tail feathers on adults are equal in length.

Weight

The weight of a turkey depends on its sex, age, condition, and subspecies. An average mature tom weighs between 17 and 21 pounds in late fall; a mature hen, 10 to 13 pounds. Juvenile toms weigh 12 to 16 pounds and young hens about 7 to 9 pounds.

Signs

The middle toe on a gobbler leaves a track at least 4 1/2 inches long, while the track of a hen or juvenile tom is shorter. Droppings of a gobbler are about the size of the little finger, with a slight crook at one end. Hen droppings are much smaller and shaped like a corkscrew.
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