Bearded Hens
04-19-2012, 09:13 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sulphur,Indiana
Posts: 1,350
Bearded Hens
Is it rare to see a bearded Hen,or is it so common that most of you would not shoot one and spend your tag? I saw my first over the weekend, 6" on a big fat hen,I confess I would have been tempted to shoot her due to her size and length of beard. What would you do?
04-19-2012, 05:55 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
I've only seen one in all the years I've hunted, so I don't think they are as common as some say. I wouldn't shoot one in the Spring season and I don't hunt them in the Fall because of all the big game hunting I'm doing.
Last edited by Topgun 3006; 04-19-2012 at 05:58 PM.
04-20-2012, 04:42 AM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY: NYC to Watertown
Posts: 897
i havent come across one,
if i did would most likely let it walk,
its legal and nothing wrong with it.
comes down to personal decision.
regs are written for bearded turkeys and not just toms for simple reason, cant always easily differentiate between bearded toms/hens, and so not to punish someone who takes a bearded hen, regs at least in most states, allow it.
if i did would most likely let it walk,
its legal and nothing wrong with it.
comes down to personal decision.
regs are written for bearded turkeys and not just toms for simple reason, cant always easily differentiate between bearded toms/hens, and so not to punish someone who takes a bearded hen, regs at least in most states, allow it.
04-20-2012, 07:37 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,093
We have lots of bearded hens, I have killed some and let others walk. About 8 years ago I called in 3 gobblers with 11 hens, 7 of which were bearded. Some studies suggest that multibearded gobblers come from bearded hens. Don't know if there is any truth to that but I do know we kill and get game cam pics of many multibearded turkeys. We have one particular hen my son is wanting to kill, her beard will be in the 9" range. He let her walk last year and this year already to shoot her boyfriend. We are still seeing her in the field, she might be in trouble this time around.lol