Is it a Slam or not?

[hookspur]

Maybe, but then I couldn't afford to go hunting any more!

[Hoobilly]

I thought the turkeys are already registered in the states you kilt them in? If you got a dead gobbler, its registered and what more do you need to prove to anybody?

I personally don't care about notoriety and fame...just give me more turkey hunting.

[Treerooster]

I thought the turkeys are already registered in the states you kilt them in? If you got a dead gobbler, its registered and what more do you need to prove to anybody?

There are a ton of states that do not require you to register your turkey. Not sure about FL, but you can get an eastern, rio and Merriam's without having to register it anywhere.


As to the OP questions;

1) No the NWTF did not start the slam. I do not know this for sure, but I have read somewhere that Dwain Bland was one of the original hunters to promote the grand slam. He thought it was a great way to experience the various habitats that turkeys could be hunted in. The slam has evolved a good ways from that idea though.

2) No.

3) Not applicable.


If you get a slam and want to register it then go for it. I read about your idea of having the pins for the various sub-species put in different calls and thought that was a pretty cool idea. You could also have a feather from each bird put in a glass call but then you would end up with 4 calls made pretty much the same, which is OK too. One guy from the NWTF board had 4 pot calls made of wood that was native to the habitat he killed his birds in.

Whatever you do, good luck in your hunts.

[GobbleNut]

A member posted a question about what they needed to register a grand slam. A few members instead of answering the question posed their own question or made statements about slams. Rather than hijack that thread I am starting this one to ask a few questions. First I don't really care if you love or hate the NWTF or whether you have ever registered a deer or mounted a bird or not so if you want to express your issues positive or negative about this do it somewhere else. My questions have to do wth the actual slam concept.

1.Did the NWTF start the concept of wild turkey slams ? NO 2. Is the only legitimate way you can actually ,truely say you have achieved a slam by following the NWTF rules and registering each of the birds required after they have been killed? And then recieving an official certificate from the NWTF? NO 3. If the above are true then how can anyone say they have several slams if they have not followed these rules and actually registered the birds? The NWTF keeps the Records nowadays, but there is no requirement to register birds,...unless you want your bird to be "officially" recognized in the record book.


Again I don't really care how you feel about the organization and I'm not trying to stir anything up I am fairly new to turkey hunting and I thought that the only way you could say you had a grand slam or any other was if it was taken under NWTF rules and registered.

More history lessons....
The "World Gobbler Records" were conceived by Colonel Dave Harbour, who was one of the "founding fathers" of modern wild turkey hunting, as was Dwain Bland, as Treerooster pointed out. Harbour was a well-known outdoor writer who wrote for Sports Afield back in the 1960's-80's, and wrote a book, or maybe several, on turkey hunting. He and his wife established and compiled the turkey records starting in 1980, but the popularity of the idea soon outgrew their ability to keep up with the record book so he approached the NWTF about taking over the records, which they did within a couple of years after. Harbour wrote the book Advanced Wild Turkey Hunting and World Records in association with the NWTF in 1983. Harbour died in 1988 after returning from a turkey hunt, at the age of 68, as I recall.

[hookspur]

Actually, I believe the Colonel died on a turkey hunt! When his friend heard him shoot and went to check on him, he found the Colonel kneeling beside the tom he'd just shot, and Mr Harbour then walked over to sit down against a tree and died right there. I'm pretty sure that's how it went, and I can't think of too many better ways to go!

[GobbleNut]

I thought that might be the case, Doc, but I wasn't sure enough about it to state it. I just knew it happened in conjunction with a turkey hunt. You're right,..no better way to go!.....

[timbrhuntr]

Thanks GobbleNut, Treerooster and Hookspur that is what I was asking for clarification or information on.

[Treerooster]

Thanks Jim for posting about that book. I have it but have not read it yet. I need to correct that.