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Congratulations Mud. Nice birds!

Yep, they look nice. Just clean them real well and dust them liberally with Borax...not salt. Borax is a dessicant and it adds a little bug proofing. Salt will attract moisture every time the humidity is high, and it doesn't add any protection against bugs like dermestid beetles. If you want to preserve your turkey and grouse tails get some of the "dry tan" preservative stuff from Dan Chase taxidermy supply. It's mostly mulled Borax, but it's got some kind of an insecticide added and you don't have to worry about the bugs eating up your stuff. A 5# bag is cheap, and it'll last a lifetime.

sdk, I agree with your comments. Seems like Osceolas and Easterns have the best spurs, and I think it's because of the soft soil where they live. I have killed birds in S. KY where the soil is very rocky, and a 1" rounded-off spur is common. I was just making a GENERAL observation. There are lots of exceptions. The weight of a bird is usually a poor indicator of age, because it's just an indication of how well they've fared that year, and the beard length can be affected by genetics, weather (ice storms), and something as simple as how long the bird's legs are.

Jr., judging from the spurs on your bird it's most likely a 2 year old bird. The beard length is usually a poor indicator of age. The only way to make an educated guess is by the spur length. Nubs are jakes. 1/2" to 3/4" is usually a 2 year old. 1" is usually a 3 year old. 1 1/4" is probably a 4 year old, and past that is anybody's guess. You noticed I said "usually" and "probably", because that's about as close as you can get. I would think that 6 or 7 years is a VERY long life for a turkey in the wild.

"Show your birds!" How many do you want to see??

Tooky, I've got 2 12 ga. M1 Super 90's and they both pattern great. I've had good luck with a Kicks GT .660 for the Winchester Xtended #6, and a Comp-n-Choke XXX Full for the Winchester Supreme #6 lead loads. Both will kill a turkey clean at 40 yards. One of the guns shoots a little low, but I changed the stock shims and it helped a lot. I have a 2-7 Leupold shotgun scope on the other one. The trigger on one is a little heavy, but it breaks pretty clean. The trigger on the other is a little heavy too, and it has some creep. I'd have them worked on if I knew a gunsmith I could trust, but they aren't bad like they are now. I had an SBE, but the pattern difference was so small I stayed with the 3" guns and sold the SBE. I would highly recommend the pistol grip stock for turkey hunting. I've been turkey hunting with Benellis for about 6 years now, and I am well pleased with them. Just my opinions, Hope that helps.

Jr., I'm not about to criticize you for the way you killed your turkey. As long as it was legal where you are hunting, the ethics part is something YOU have to be comfortable with. BUT, if you'll listen to mudhen and a few of the other folks on here and get yourself a few calls and work a bird within 40 yards and then shoot him in the head and neck with a load of #5's or #6's, you'll see that it's a whole different ballgame. Congratulations, that's a very nice bird!!

Nice bird mudhen!! Those are some thick beards. Here's a 5 beard I killed in AL a couple of years ago.

Thanks AR!! I appreciate your opinion. Any more comments???

M1 S-90 21" bbl. HD camo (excellent condition) Leupold Vari-X I 2-7 scope B-Square saddle mount with rings Kicks GT camo turkey choke tube Extended (rifled) slug tube Sims pad and QD camo sling Benelli hard case with all factory tubes, wrench, and paperwork. Is $1000 a reasonable price for everything listed??

The Comp-N-Choke XXX Full shoots the Win. HV #6 great out of my SBE and my S90. The Kicks GT .660 shoots the Win. Xtended #6 great out of both guns.

Here's a KY bird and my Nelli:

I'm not sure, but I think the new ones have a triangular safety button. My SBE has a round button and it'll hold the 4th shell on the carrier. Both of my S90's (12 and 20) have the triangular button and they won't.

TGG, the 17HMR is totally adequate for small game up to and including groundhogs, jack rabbits, and foxes. With proper shot placement it is adequate for coyote. The 17HM2 is my favorite round for gray or fox squirrels. The flat trajectory makes it easy to make a head shot at longer ranges than a .22 long rifle. Don't underestimate the rounds because of the smaller size. The velocity and bullet design makes up for what it lacks in size.

There's a discussion about longer tubes in this thread: http://www.benelliusa.com/forums/ultimatebb.php/topic/1/1756.html I don't have any idea where to find them.