Incredible Spurs Lead to Potential State Record Turkey

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Cord Maddox of Huntington, Tenn., with his potential state record turkey killed in April 2017.
Cord Maddox of Huntington, Tenn., with his potential state record turkey killed in April 2017.

The size is remarkable. The spurs, well, they’re literally eye-popping once you see them

Record book turkeys will make hunters drool and dream. And in a year with some remarkable fishing records being set along with a world record non-typical deer killed in November 2016, the potential Tennessee record turkey adds another chapter to the Volunteer State’s wildlife story.

Cord Maddox, 23, of Huntington, Tenn., killed a giant gobbler while hunting with a friend in Henry County in April 2017. After shooting the tom, the two were astounded by its size and the spurs. They knew it had the chops for a possible record but, even if it didn’t, they wanted to know the measurements.

Cord Maddox's turkey had spurs that measured almost 2 inches each. Wow! (Photo: TWRA)
Cord Maddox’s turkey had spurs that measured almost 2 inches each. Wow! (Photo: TWRA)

After contacting Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to inquire about scoring, a TWRA official put the bird on the scales, measured its beard and then measured the spurs. Wowzers! The pending score for Maddox’s bird is 89.562, which barely eclipses the Tennessee record of 89.50 set in 2016.

The bird weighed 25.37 pounds, had a 12 7/16 inch beard, and spurs of 2 1/6 (right) and 1 7/8 (left) for a final score of 89.5626.

That’s unofficial until the National Wild Turkey Federation verifies it, but it looks like Tennessee could have another record. Pretty cool. Congrats, Cord!

TWRA officials score the spurs on the turkey of Cord Maddox of Huntington, Tenn. (Photo: TWRA)
TWRA officials score the spurs on the turkey of Cord Maddox of Huntington, Tenn. (Photo: TWRA)

From the TWRA Facebook page:

TURKEY Tennessee FB post about potential record 2017

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This story is springtime bonus coverage for turkey season hunters. Click here for our Turkey & Turkey Hunting downloads including the 2017 Turkey & Turkey Hunting Annual and Spring issues along with other CDs, books and more.
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