Spurred on for the first Turkey of the Week: Big tom, southern IL

Don Birsa spurred on Turkey of the Week with the first submission.

The Blue Island man took this tom with a 9 1/2-inch beard and 1 3/8-inch spurs on the second morning of opening week in southern Illinois.

I liked the idea of a close-up of the spurs, but if you want a more traditional photo, Birsa also sent one of those.

There’s the arty-scale to push toward.

TOTW, the celebration of turkey hunting stories around Chicago outdoors, runs Wednesdays on the Sun-Times outdoors page, as warranted, generally in the spring. The story part and photo part both matter, such as Birsa’s spurs.

Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).