Would you shoot it???
 

I found a bearded hen while scouting and got permission from the land owner to hunt it. I tried hard to pattern her movements and almost got her but ran out of time. My camera man was all excited because he is a turkey hunting guru who hunts multiple states every year and has killed tons of huge toms, he wanted bad to hunt it this week now that Im done hunting. ( In Wisc. we each get drawn for 5 day seasons, mine was last week, his is this week) But now that I got him permission he is changeing his mind saying that he did some internet searchs and thinks other hunters would look down on shooting ANY hen. Bearded hens are leagle game in Wisconsin. The guys I know consider it a once in a lifetime trophy, What do you guys think? Here are some pictures I took out of our video footage.....

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

i consider it a once-in-a lifetime trophy to but some will disagree. if i ever got one i would probably get a full body mount on em.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I would shoot it if I had the chance, but due to breading, I would probably wait until the fall. The purpose of being able to shoot hens in the fall is for population control and quality management. Besides, IMHO, shooting a hen that is legal is no less respectful than shooting a Tom or a Jake.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

thats a nice beard on a hen.....id probably do it in that case.....and have it full mounted.....just because its not something you see every day......one hens not going to hurt much.....look at the pic....shes with another hen....i definently dont see taking one hen all that bad.....exspecially with an area with alot of birds.....now if i was in the middle of nowhere and never even seen a turkey there before......well......id be hesitant...that one hen may be the only hen.......

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I also hunt in WI, live in Janesville. I would definatly shoot it, its like shooting a white turkey, probably only see a couple in a lifetime of hunting, and maybe get 1 in close enough to shoot at, TAKE THE SHOT, and then have her stuffed!!

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

There are a lot of hens on the property.... and both of discussed haveing it full mounted.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I saw 3 bearded hens this year. I passed on all of them and ended up with my gobblers instead. There's nothing wrong with it but I dont think I would do it unless I was hunting where I could alway get another tag to kill a tom.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I would 100% shoot it if it was close enough

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

Hmmmm.

Just tonight I was scouting some fields, and had 3 jakes and 2 hens approach the truck. One of the hens was sporting at least a 6-7 inch beard. Got me thinking that I would take her if given the chance...I still have 2 tags and 9 days.

However, I also know that the hens have all been bred, and most are now laying/nesting almost fulltime. It would be hard to shoot a hen, this late in the season, with probably a 75% chance that not only is she a breeding hen but has also probably laid a clutch of eggs.

If the season was earlier (like many Southern states), I wouldn't even think twice. But this late in the season, in the Northern states, I'd really have to specifically want a bearded hen to kill a reproductive female bearing young...

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

Hens are legal in some areas around here, so yes, I'd shoot a bearded hen if I could. I assume the GF&P guys know what they're doing by allowing hens to be taken (possible overcrowding issues?) so there's no need to feel guilty about it.