GREENE COUNTY, TN (WJHL) – Greene County native Cameron Freshour harvested a rare multiple-bearded turkey on the opening day of the season.

Courtesy of Cameron Freshour

Freshour’s gobbler had seven beards, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said that multiple bearded turkeys are uncommon. The agency reports less than 10% of gobblers have more than one beard.

Freshour told News Channel 11 about his experience on that day.

“Opening day in Tennessee was one to remember for 2023,” stated Freshour.

“We sat there and hugged and laughed and celebrated with our 2nd [turkey] of the day. But to our surprise, there was something different about this bird. He had more than one beard. We started examining him and said, ‘Oh he has two beards, oh wait actually three, no four.’ He ended up having seven beards in total,” said Freshour.

Freshour told News Channel 11 it was a ‘pinch-me moment.’

Courtesy of Cameron Freshour

“After taking the bird in [to the Big Bird contest at East Tennessee Collison] to get scored, we had a total of 125.5 according to National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) specifications,” said Freshour. “It had over 43 inches in total beard length [and] ended up placing 1st in the contest.”

The TWRA reported the bird weighed 18.5 pounds and had 1 1/16 inch spurs. The agency stated they do not keep records on turkeys in Tennessee, but recommends checking out National Wild Turkey Foundation to see how harvested turkeys stack up.

“There [have] been many people [asking] me if I’m going to mount it. Luckily, I’m a full-time taxidermist at Freshour Taxidermy in Greeneville, so I’ll be doing the work myself,” said Freshour.