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.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I would definitely shoot it and have it stuffed!! It is a once in a lifetime experience.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I answered no to this same question earlier but I would honestly have to consider it with a beard like the one on tha hen. Of course it's legal to shoot a bearded hen here.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I don't care if people shoot it or not, but it probably isn't a once in a lifetime chance. I believe something like one in seven hens are beared. Biology folks give me an exact number!!!

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I personally would never shoot a bearded hen in the spring. And would have to disagree that they are a once in a liftime bird. Myself and alot of my friends have seen many bearded hens while hunting. I don't have a problem with it except to say that I would rather see them nest and maybe shoot one during the fall season.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I would definitely pass on her in the Spring. My feeling is hens are protected for a good reason and because one happens to have a beard won't change how I feel.

However, if all bearded birds are legal (as they are here in NH) good luck to those who make the decision to tag her.

Ryan..Acccording to the New Hampshire Wildlife Harvest Report a total of 2706 (2691 gobblers and 15 bearded hens) were registered during the Spring 2004 (May 1-31) Turkey Season. That does not tell what % in the wild are bearded hens but it shows what the low number of hens that were registered...

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

FYI.

It is thought that bearded hens are normally OLD birds that have become BARREN and can no longer lay eggs. Just like an older human female.

Banded "Rios" have been confirmed to live to be over 9 years of age. The hormones that are produced in them are understood to change with age and allow the beard to grow. Beards on hens are generally very short.

If their was a biological reason to restrict the take of bearded hens, the laws would reflect that fact. If it were thought that they were sitting on nests, the take would be outlawed.

Considering we shoot far fewer hens than Toms, their are many hens that achieve ripe old age. One Tom can "service" many hens. One hen can reproduce for years or until she no longer has embryos. The take of bearded hens has no bearing on the total population or the health of the resource.



I call them .....
"The bearded lady of the circus".

As far as shooting one.. I say Drop the hammer. H E L L yes I would!

It might never reach the record books but it's as "Atypical" as a turkey can get.



Bill

BTW...I've observed many hens in the wild and never seen one with a beard. I wonder if the ones you guys have seen (one in seven?) were sighted near a hazardous waste dump.
I do not support the fall take of hens unless they become a nuisance.

Did you see the beard on that old lady in the original post? WOW!!

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

BOOOOMMM!!!!!

I think any person should consider 3 things before pulling the trigger:

1) Is it Legal?
2) Is it ethical?
3) Would I feel proud about it?

If the answer is yes to all three, never hesitate pulling the trigger regardless of what someone else will think.

Slice

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I am with the majority on this one....shoot it if the oppurtunity presents itself and definelt get it mounted.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I took this off the NWTF facts site. It must also be noted that 10 to 20 percent of hens have beards.

It isn't really all that rare, often hens beards are so thin that most do not notice them unless they get within a couple of yards of them. It also doesn't have anything to do with age. If a hen has a beard she'll have it as a jennie hen and it will grow like a gobbler until she is a boss hen. I saw a hen this year, jennie hen, with a short 3 inch beard like a jake but thin. I probably this season alone saw seven or eight bearded hens in 3 different states. I saw a hen in South Carolina with a thick beard.

Now shoot one or not? That is a personal thing. If you want to and it is legal, then don't worry about it. I don't see them as part of the spring game, but that is just personal.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

Although perfectly legal here in NY...if it was during the spring season I'd definately let her go. I would much rather fill my tag on a big longbeard that a bearded hen any day. I have seen plently of bearded hens around my hunting area here in NY and know of a number of people (including 3 family members) who have shot one...they're really not that big of deal to me. I actually have passed up bearded hens twice during the spring (including the one that I've been watching this year). I'd rather let her have her poults so there will be more longbeards around in a couple of years:D. On the other hand, once the fall season gets here...I'd hammer her without thinking twice about it...unless there was a nice gobbler standing next to her. During the fall of 2002 I was hunting with a buddy of mine and he shot a small hen that had a really nice 8.25" beard. One things for sure...I've never seen a hen that has as thick of a beard as the one at the beginning of the post.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

You guys keep talking about letting her go in the spring but killing her in the fall. You're still going to take her out of the breeding population either way. She may get to raise this years clutch but that's it. It's like folks talking about not shooting does late in the year because they may have bred already..........It's irrelevant. If you kill them then aren't breeding either way so you have accomplished the same thing. If you want to shoot her then shoot her. If you don't then don't but shooting her in the fall is going to accomplish the same thing that shooting her in the spring is going to.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I've read also that about 1 in 8 hens has a beard, and as Ryan Tucker got from the NWTF site, that falls right in between the 10-20 percent. I think they are more common than most think. I definately wouldn't call it a once in a lifetime opportunity, or I would have had 3 once in a lifetime birds this spring alone. The bearded hens I saw this year all had pretty good sized beards. Two of them were together in a group of about 4 other hens and they both had about 8-9 inch beards, and almost as thick as a toms. They other I saw had about a 6-7 inch beard which was pretty thick but not as much as the others. I personally wouldn't shoot it just because I'd rather wait and try to get a tom, but if you want one then go ahead. As long as it's legal who am I to say whats wrong and right.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

She was out in the feild again today with 4 other hens. I have noticed, I can veiw her at any time during the day by just driveing around the feilds and glassing from the road. However the other hens dissapear most of the day and come out only periodically. I don't think she has a nest? But it would not bother me if she did. I don't think its cruel to let a couple eggs go bad. We have too many turkeys anyway. The population seems to be getting out of hand in this area. I glass and film turkeys alot.. all year. This is only the second bearded hen I have ever seen, after looking at hundreds. Maybe they are more prevalent in other areas, or maybe when guys are seeing several at once they are sisters from the same hatch. For me, I would definately consider it a trophy. I would full mount it and put it next to a Tom mounted.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

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.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

My personal choice would be to let her go to hatch some more gobblers for my hunting area in the spring, but I would be there in the fall to try to bag her! Would be quit a trophy with a beard that long!

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

Yes!!!!! I have been hunting for 12 years and have never seen one. It's leagal. And it would not hurt the population. And it would make a awsome full body mount:D

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I have 1 by me Ive been watching for 3 years but havent shot it. If I could afford to get it mounted Id take her, but at the same time it is just nice to see in the backyard from time to time.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I probably wouldn't shoot it, hoping it would pass on that trait.

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

I would never intentionally shoot a bearded hen.

hal

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

The season ended with the bearded hen still alive. My camera guy decided to take a big gobbler instead. After reading some of the post you guys made he did hold out for a couple days and even passed a nice Tom. But when his 5 day season was comeing to an end he took one of the gobblers. I will head back over there and try and film her some more. Thanks for the comments.:D

RE: Would you shoot it???
 

well i thought i would until i started reading y'all's replies, now i just dont know......