silentassassin,

You're right...it doesn't matter whether you take her out in the spring or fall...you're still ultimately removing her from the breeding pop. My logic for not shooting her in the spring is based on the fact that she has probably been bred like any other hen...so why not let her lay her clutch and try to raise a brood over the summer. To be honest...I'd kinda be upset if I shot a bearded hen in the spring and found eggs while dressing her out. In the fall it wouldn't bother me a bit to shoot her. You can take her out of the pop. then and have several hens to take her place the following spring. I usually take the first bird that I see during the fall season...whether it's a gobbler, hen or poult. Although I try not to take the momma hen out of a flock and will settle for one of the young 'ens instead. In the spring, my tags are strictly reserved for birds that have both beards and spurs and come in strutting and gobbling. To me, that's what makes spring turkey hunting what it is.