Longest beard on a hen

[obby1]

I went turkey hunting for the first time this year, and after a bunch of missed opportunities and bad luck I had a bearded hen come right up to me, and I decided to take the shot. When I measured it's beard I found that it was 81/2 inches long. Is it common to have a hen with such a long beard? What is the longest beard you guys have seen on a hen?

[whitetailpredatorsizedoesmatter]

my friend got one last week was 7 1/2, have had numerous friends take them in the past. i tend to let them go ive heard that a bearded hen will tend to be more likely to have a multibearded gobbler

So guys, how often do you guys see hens with big beards?

[obby1]

Being my first year out this was the first one that I saw. I would not have shot her early in my season, but being my first year, and having already hunting for five straight days I figured I better take any opportunity that came my way. Next year I will wait for old Tommy for sure!

[jepcho]

I've hunted for five years and seen plenty of hens but never a bearded one.

[Adrian J Hare]

8 1/2 -9 inch is the max I've seen ,, and I've seen a Ton of them all over the US and Canada...BT

[Turkeydude]

I have also seen alot of bearded hens. In New Hampshire you can shoot a bearded hen but I chose to let them go.