NINE-BEARD TURKEY IN RECORD BOOKS

HUMANSVILLE -- A Missouri gobbler with an amazing total of nine beards has made its way into the records of the National Wild Turkey Federation, according to Federation spokesman Jay Langston.

Langston said a 22-pound gobbler killed by Mark Koehler, Humansville, scored 178.5 points. That is the third-highest score ever certified by the Federation, which is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C.

Koehler's turkey also tied the Federation's record for number of beards.

Koehler killed his record-book bird at about 6:30 a.m. April 25. He was hunting on 600 acres of mostly timbered land he owns in St. Clair County. Koehler had been trying to entice the gobbler within shooting range with a diaphragm call for three days. Persistence paid off when he unloaded a duplex charge of No. 4 and 6 shot from a 12-gauge, 3-inch magnum shotgun.

The bird's beards measured 12 inches, 8.75 inches, 8.5 inches, 8.25 inches, 8 inches, 6.5 inches, 5.5 inches, 4.75 inches and 4.75 inches. Its spurs measured 1 1/8 inches each.

The Federation's all-time record gobbler came from Wisconsin in 1989. It had eight beards and a total score of 194. The second-place bird came from Arkansas in 1986. It had seven beards and a total score of 183.75.