Tail Length

I just happened to shoot one today that measured 26 or so. A second year bird, with just normal spurs.
 

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A5 Sweet 16 said:
This is my 40th season chasing roosters: SD public land, with a 6-year hiatus to central IA.
Tails 23"-24": A couple handfuls.
Tails 24"-25": 3.
Tails over 25": 0.
Yes, genetics obviously come into play, but so does age.
For a rooster to see a 3rd hunting season is pretty rare.
I'd think that 28" tail came from a bird in his 2nd season. Possibly 3rd. He just had uncommonly good tail genes.
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Yeah over 25 are rare.
 
20+ years ago I had a bird flush in front of me and I can still visualize it. The tail feathers were curled down instead of straight out in flight. Fortunately, I made a good shot and was able to find him. It was the only bird I had that day, so I didn't realize how cool he was, but he didn't have much of a spur. When I got home elected not to mount it, but did keep the 2 long tail feathers. The longest was 25 - 3/4" and the other one was 25-1/4". Never seen 2 long feathers on the same bird before. I kept these for many years before shooting a bird that had a curling long spur, but less than 21" tail feathers. I took that bird and my long tail feathers to the taxidermist and he made he called "Rick's Mount" to display the overall bird length and the spurs in a vertical mount.
 

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remy3424 said:
That is impressive for a wild bird! I shoot alot of pheasants in Iowa and anything over 25 is pretty uncommon. I have 2 at the taxidermist from last season, but without pulling them, no telling how long they are, but they aren't in the 27" league! I would also like to see the feet!
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You will never get a 27.I have gotten 2 over 26.5.
 
Its genetics. Just like spur length.

I hunt a spot that every rooster that isnt a first year bird will have a 25-26"+ tail but maybe 1/4" spurs. Then i hunt another spot a county over that is the opposite, be lucky to ever see a 24" tail and the spurs look like turkeys.

Game farm birds have the genetics to make them grow fast so they can be full sized in less time, in turn this makes their feathers grow big too. Just like farm roosters (chickens).

Heres just a standard every day rooster from that spot. I took the pic because my buddy told me the day before that he has never shot a rooster over 24" in Iowa, so i took the pic for him.

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Anyone remember the 30" pots at the Iowa bars? There were just a couple left when i started hunting, but I've been told they were everywhere back in the 80s. You put in $5-10 to the pot and the first person to bring in a bird with 30" tail wins the pot
 
I would imagine it is no different than any other animal genetic. Back in the 70’s the local bars/ gas stations often held longest feather contests in western Kansas. There were thousands of birds taken those first couple weekends. It was rare for a winner not to be in the upper twenties or above. I know I remember winners in the 30 range. I think it was just simply the volume of birds being harvested. It was bound to happen.
 
Years ago, I remember a long tail contest in SD statewide. The longest ever officially was 28.5” for a ringneck. Now there are hybrids at game farms, Reese X is one and tails typically in the high 30’s. We covered this topic a year or two before. Genetics. I don’t harvest more than
10-12 roosters locally in a given year, but one had a 26” tail. No skill involved.
 
Wind River said:
Now there are hybrids at game farms, Reese X is one and tails typically in the high 30’s.
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This is why some of these south dakota guys always claim to have bagged roosters with extra-long trails. They just follow around the SD gf&p truck that drives around randomly releasing birds on public land. Kristi ain't no dummy, she orders birds with the longest tails possible. Now drive to Kansas and shoot a blue back with a tail that touches 30, you sell your gun, retire your dog, and buy a lottery 🎟 ticket, because you've reached the mountain top and it ain't ever gonna get any better.
 
Bob Peters said:
This is why some of these south dakota guys always claim to have bagged roosters with extra-long trails. They just follow around the SD gf&p truck that drives around randomly releasing birds on public land. Kristi ain't no dummy, she orders birds with the longest tails possible. Now drive to Kansas and shoot a blue back with a tail that touches 30, you sell your gun, retire your dog, and buy a lottery 🎟 ticket, because you've reached the mountain top and it ain't ever gonna get any better.
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Oh boy… Never fails that once a year we have to pull back the curtain and talk about the SD stocking programs and where A5 and golden hour really get their birds…😂
 
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