Bearded Hen

[Bigbucksnl]

I am listing pics of a Bearded Hen I killed yesterday morning in South Texas with a ELEVEN INCH BEARD!!!!! This hen was a fairly big hen with this huge full beard just like a gobbler, and she had unbeleivable spurs to go with her long full beard!!
I have been hunting turkey and deer in Texas for30 plus years, and never run across a bearded hen with a beard or spurs anything like this one!

If anyone has seen anything like this please your comments would be welcomed!

Thanks,
Big Larry

[mlo3135127]

I could be wrong, but Im not so sure that it's a hen. I don't think hens grow spurs. Of course you can inspect it better than me. Nice turkey just the same.

[Bigbucksnl]

Believe me, you are not the first to make that statment!!!!
You are right , hens do not have spurs, at least they are not supposed to!!

I have had about six different people look at this bird and all say it is a hen, beats anything I have ever seen, or killed!!

Pics of spurs attached!!

Thanks for your reply!!

[mlo3135127]

Nice spurs! One thing for sure it's an older bird.

[Bigbucksnl]

I definetely agree with you that she is a older bird!!

Here are her tail feathers as well!!

[jepcho]

WOW! That is weird.

[Adrian J Hare]

Larry , Why do you think this bird is a Hen ?

As stated the pic is a little hard to tell , but from what I see it looks like a Gobbler. The head on the bird appears to have a cap and the colour in the face is more of a gobbler along with the tail and body colour.

I just wndered if you opened the birds body cavity and could tell. I'm not saying your wrong , its just hard to tell by the pic...BT

[Bigbucksnl]

This bird was with nothing but hens. In Texas in the fall months all the hens travel together as well as do the gobblers. I was looking just to kill one hen out of the twenty five or thirty birds that came out around the feed pen when I saw this bird which in color and size appeared to be a really good bearded hen.

I could very well be wrong here and I am going to take this bird to the Texas Parks and Wildlife office this afternoon to see if they can tell me if it is a hen or a gobbler.

I am a deer hunter by trade and I do a little turky calling from time to time and I am no expert by far when it comes to wild turkeys. Ihave never seen hens and gobblers traveling together in the fall, especially that many hens together with just one gobbler.

Once I have confirmed the birds sex I will post the listing.

Thanks for your comments Adrian.

Big Larry

[Coyotestalker]

I have heard of hens with beards, never saw one before though. I agree with Adrian, it does have the coloring throughout the head. I will awit the sexing results.

[deer-hunter18]

Nice bird, i kinda agree with the others looks like a gobbler to me. But i have been wrong before Keep us posted on what it is.