As a spin off on killing Jakes, have or would you kill a bearded Hen? I have a bearded hen that has made a home around one of my deer stands and I've seen her numerous times over the last three deer and turkey seasons. I had her at 3 yards last spring but gave her a PASS.
I have killed one in the fall but never in the spring.Have passed a few in the spring season.
It all depends. Bearded hen can breed. So taking would take one breeding hen out of the flock. Plus you have to make sure it is legal. If a area has tons of hens I think it wold not hurt to take a bearded hen. I took one by mistake one time. It was a smokey grey phase bearded hen. I thought she was a tom. I would not ding you for shooting a bearded hen. Folks take them in fall season so I do not see a problem with it. I would not take too many of them. To make sure you have hens to breed and make more turkeys. I love wing bone turkey calls. I can no longer take hens in the winterseason due to it being closed. So if I can take a bearded hen when given the chance I may take one. I have been hunting 20+ years now and only taken one bearded hen. I do not hunt for bearded hens but if one comes by i would maybe take her. If you want to harvest a hen and it is legal take one.
Have always wanted one to mount on the wall.....maybe this year??
Won't ever shoot one.
Hens are the most vital necessity for a healthy turkey population.
Not legal in Alabama so it is a moot point for me. But just because a hen has a beard I am no more interested in her than a non-bearded hen. Now... I have the most beautiful smoke phase hen on my property I would love to take and have mounted to go along side a strutting tom mount.
I am 59 years old and have taken one bearded hen in my lifetime. Have one on my place that I have seen in the fall but gave her a pass. I would take her if I saw her as she has an estimated 8 inch beard which is pretty long for a bearded hen, in my experiences.
It is legal in my state but have passed many since I already have one.
I have always thought that a bearded hen would make a great mount for my rec-room. I have never had the opportunity to shoot one, and as I get older and have killed a few gobblers, I don't ever see me shooting a hen of any stature. Not against it, because they are legal here and any hen is legal in the fall. Just can't make myself do it..
I've had multiple opportunities to kill bearded hens in Florida and never did it. Just didn't seem right. To each his own though.
I've killed two. One was sick and couldn't hardly walk much less fly. She looked as if she had been shot as she was full of infection. the second I accidentally pulled a double with the tom that was in front of her.
Last spring, after a fair morning of chasing longbeards, I was headed back to my truck around 10:30 AM when I heard what I thought to be a jake yelping. I eased in, set up, and begin to call hoping that the jake would be in the company of a long beard. The jake was exceeding vocal, so I poured it on, jake yelping right back at him. He came straight to me yelping all the way. Just before he crested the rise I was sitting under, he made noise that sounded like a jake gobble—albeit a strange weak sounding gobble for sure. When he crested the rise he was in range—25 yards or so. I had to take a double take---this was no jake—he turned out to be a she----a bearded hen. She continued to jake yelp and then tried to strut a little bit. I thought to myself "What on God's green earth is this?? This has to be the Rosie O'Donnell version of the turkey world. "I initially wasn't going to shoot her but decided I should take her out of the gene pool. I picked her up, put her in my vest and headed to the truck. I could help but hum this tune as I hiked out of there: Lola---Lo Lo Lo Lo'la.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/beared_hen.JPG)
No interest in killing a hen, bearded or not. If it is legal and you want to then by all means go at it. Just not for me
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I have been hunting turkeys for over 25 years and I have never seen one with a beard. I may have encountered some and didn't look for a beard on a hen.
Sot one about 10 years ago in another state 7 1/4 inch beard have seen couple since none in state I live in though passed on others even when I hunt Va. in fall I don't take a hen unless we have had really large hatch which in my area has been rare
since the goal of my landowners is to thin the seed stealers out, yes i will shoot every hen thats legal in the fall or spring, turkey taste very good no matter if its hen or gobbler!!! longest hen beard i have is 9.25 inches :funnyturkey:
Never have. Dead hens lay no eggs.
Have passed on several dozen over the years...very common....
mudhen
Have not, but given the chance on one with a nice beard she will get a face full of 6's and a trip to the taxidermist. I have always wanted one mounted, after that, I'd be good with passing them all.
Bearded hens are legal game here in Pennsylvania. That being said I would pass on one during the spring season, however she would not be so lucky during the fall season.
nope and never will. I have had opportunities to do so but no need to or want to. I don't believe in killing hens period beard or no beard. we can harvest hens in the fall and bearded hens in the spring in Tennessee. and I wish they would change it and they should change it. especially with our southern counties struggling with the population.
I did once. It happened quick and I was a fairly new hunter when it happened. I saw the beard dangling, it presented a good shot, and I took it. I hadn't had much time to look the bird over before the shot. Not until I walked over to her, did I realize it was a hen. I scratched that one off the list I guess, and I wouldn't try to do it again. But hey, if its legal then it's your choice!
I did last year. The only one I have taken. She had a nice 7.25 beard. That will be my only bearded hen I kill.
nope. see probably 3-4 each spring.
Beards are great, fans are nice but Spurs... Spurs are where its at for me so a bearded hen has no interest unless shes sporting a set of hooks
I shot a bearded hen a number of years ago in the fall. Wouldn't shoot another now though no matter what time of year.
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Never seen one, and I would not hesitate to drop one should I ever see one!
I read an article a few years ago that said that lots of times bearded hens are sterile. Some sort of infection in their girl parts causes the hormones that would normally go to egg production is diverted to something else. This causes them to grow beards and sometimes strut. There was a strutting bearded hen at the Birmingham zoo a few years ago. I will see if I can find that article, it's around here someplace.
lve had the opportunity in another state but didn't its illegal in the state of Alabama. I have had 2 different properties with bearded hens and I've killed several multi bearded toms off of those places. I'm a firm believer that your bearded hens are the ones that produce your multi bearded birds.
I have and would
My dad and I passed on a bearded hen on the opening day of the spring season last year. We got pretty good footage of her messing with our decoys. I won't say that I'll never take one, but I'd rather not in the spring. If she came by in the fall I probably would have taken her. She was a pretty regular visitor on our cameras last spring so I'm hoping she's still around.
I have killed one, probably one of the best hunts I have ever had. She had a 6" beard that I could see at 90 yards. It took about two hours to call her in and she strutted most of the way. She never made a sound but would change head colors as I called and during strutting. In hind sight she never changed her head color to red just blue and white at the time I thought it was a submissive gobbler late in the season.
Nope. I have had one in the back yard the last couple of years.
I saw one last year. Legal to shoot here in Michigan, but it was opening day, so I kept on huntin!
This will be my 51st Spring season and I have never killed one although I've had opportunities. Just didn't feel like taking an "egg layer" out of the population.LOL
Quote from: gobbler777 on March 18, 2014, 09:48:51 PM
This will be my 51st Spring season and I have never killed one although I've had opportunities. Just didn't feel like taking an "egg layer" out of the population.LOL
I hope I get 51 springs to hunt turkey..good for you man. Keep going. :z-guntootsmiley:
Its legal here in ky spring or fall. I've seen lots of them but only taken one. She had a 7 3/4 inch beard. Very interesting bird. When i checked her in my friend which worked at the place at the time was freaking out!! Thought i was gong to jail and gonna be in the paper.lol. I doubt i'll ever shoot another one other than with my bow in the fall.
We have bearded hens all over the farm. I haven't felt the urge to shoot one yet
I shot one in '06. She was sporting a 10 3/4" beard. Only hen I've ever shot
Have seen a few, watched mostly. If it has a very substantial beard I would take it only to have one in the trophy room. Just one time only. It is legal in TN. :newmascot:
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j103/chuckscalls/chuckscalls%203/P3121474.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/chuckscalls/media/chuckscalls%203/P3121474.jpg.html)
have seen numerous bearded hens and have never wanted to shoot one. as said before, they can breed just like any other hen. seems kind of stupid to shoot one to me.
I've seen a couple on some properties I hunt and it just give em a pass. One of em has a rope! :drool: I'm hoping she passes on those traits to the male turkeys she hatches out. :you_rock:
I've passed on several. Over here in NC we have small but growing turkey population. I try not to hinder their growth in any way. In other areas that have a strong and established turkey population with more tags, I might think about it. However, I can never see myself passing on a gobbling longbeard for a bearded hen.
I've killed 2, legal here in Ky. Its been a few years, not sure I'd kill another.
Never have and most likely never will. I have seen a couple different color phase hens that would make beautiful mounts but I've never shot them either. To each his own...
I have been told that bearded hens carry the gene that produces gobblers with multiple beards. I do not know if this is true but have 2 bearded hens on my place that have been there for about 6 years. 3 seasons ago I took the first bird with more than one beard that has ever been killed on my place and I have been hunting 20 years. It had 3 beards (10, 9&1/2 & a 3"). Last season I saw a gobbler with at least 2 beards. Is this a coincidence or is she producing gobblers with multiple beards I don't know but I will definitely not be shooting her since they are not legal in Alabama.
I've killed 2, 1 fall, 1 spring. Interesting story on the spring bird. Years ago I hadn't hunted spring birds long a buddy and I were walking out down the edge of a clearcut when a bird erupts from a slash pile. I say "hen" and lower my gun but he hollers "it's a gobbler, shoot, shoot" so I swing and kill the bird. I said "dang it, that was a hen". he replied " I know I saw a beard on that bird". Sure enough the hen had a 6 inch beard. I've always told him he was lucky, 'there's no way you saw that little beard on that turkey!" I was sure we had busted a nest but there wasn't one, at least there. I wouldn't kill a hen in spring maybe in fall but haven't for 30 yrs. Other one had 8" beard btw.