I am fortunate to see turkeys scratching up cow pies in the pasture below the house. There was a bearded hen by herself and I got to thinking, would you take her if it we're legal in your state? :fud:
It is legal on my states and I have had the opportunity. She actually had a decent beard but I had no desire to kill her.
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Had a hen with a 6 inch beard strutting and hanging out for 15 minutes...not or me.
Buddy of mine was out today and shot a hen with a 5 or 6 inch beard.
I don't see any reason to kill the turkey factories.
Nope. The turkey population around here has been going downhill for several years now. We need all the egg layers we can get! In my opinion shooting a bearded hen in the spring falls into the "I just want to shoot something" category. The only reason that they are legal in some states is the game commissions think that people can't tell between a male turkey and a bearded hen.
Not for me
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Never would shoot a hen. For those that do open one up and see the eggs she has. Plus the nest that will be lost. You aren't just killing one bird.
If I have to shoot something that bad, I'll just do a drive by on a chicken. Never understood shooting hens. Earlier this year I found a hen carcass that somebody left in the woods after they breasted it out. They even cut the fan off.
Ive had multiple opportunities and have no desire for it.
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No. For all reasons already mentioned above. I do not believe in shooting hens. But to each their own...
Yes in the fall but not in the spring. Saw one a couple weeks ago
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Yes....Shot 1 in the Spring and 3 in the Fall
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No. When I was young I shot one in the fall. I felt bad after I did. I've seen several since then and have never had a desire to shoot another one. As previously mentioned, they are gonna raise the gobblers I'm gonna shoot in couple of years.
No desire to shoot a hen.
My very first turkey was a bearded hen in the spring. I was 6. I prefer not to shoot them in the spring. I've had a few opportunities to do so. Not going to say I never would though. If its legal and you are happy with it, go for it.
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No way, not ever.
I was hunting with a friend's father one day and we weren't having much action. We fired up a hen who was cutting and yelping harder than I've ever had a bird do. It was a blast calling her in and I thought for sure it would fire a gobbler up. Scared the crap out of me when he shot her. It was legal, his farm, but I never hunted with him again.
Hunting has to be about more than harvesting an animal.
Pass
It's legal in VA, our regs state "one bearded bird per day". I've seen a couple in the spring but I'd rather punch a tag on a male turkey.
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seen a few, had opportunities with a green light, but would not kill one.
I've seen several bearded hens but never had the opportunity to drop the hammer on one. But I would let her walk in the spring. It would not feel like harvesting a spring bearded hen would be an accomplishment. However in the fall game on!
I really don't understand the "Why" behind shooting a beaded hen, Like a can't even fathom thinking about it. Its a bit different they don't all have beards its also not overly uncommon most flocks have at least 1 in the mix
They dont, gobble, they dont strut, they won't come spitting and drumming, their fan and feathers aren't as colorful, they are half the size so much less meat and you have to waste a tag on it... no thanks
I am def not waking up at 3:30 to chase 6lbs of meat through the woods, turkey hunting for me is the enjoyment in the process of a kill not the actual harvest/punched tag another reason I actually enjoy calling for others more than myself is I enjoy the entire hunt just as much
Dead hens, whether they die in the spring or fall, do not lay eggs.
If you are in an area where are just way too many turkeys, if such an area exists, go for it. Otherwise you aren't doing yourself any favors.
I am not that hungry...
Ask yourself why bearded hens are legal. The answer: it is because some folks really don't know the difference and will shoot a bearded hen thinking it is a gobbler. Once they walk up to the bird and see that it is a hen, do we want them to walk off and leave it? Of course not. Don't let a mistakenly identified bird go to waste.
Those of us that know the difference,...in my opinion,...should not be shooting bearded hens in the spring (for all the reasons already noted by others).
I see a bearded hen or 2 every year around here and could have killed a white/smoke color phase bearded hen this year but didn't. Plus I would had to have her mounted and didn't have the $
At one point in my turkey hunting career, I really wanted to shoot a bearded hen. Had this idea for a mount. I had several opportunities, but it always seemed there was a gobbler working whenever a bearded hen was under my gun, so I never pulled the trigger. I finally realized it really wasn't nearly as important to have a mount I thought would be cool, still do think that, as it was to hunt gobblers. I've since passed on several.
Sooner or later I'll get busy finding a bearded hen through a breeder and get the mount done that way. Since the mount would include poults, I'd have to go to one anyway.
I had the opportunity once in an area that it is legal and the numbers of turkeys are good. As many above me have mentioned, it didn't even cross my mind to shoot her. My favorite thing on a gobbler is his spurs and well, a bearded hen doesn't usually have spurs so I chose to wait for a gobbler. I went home (and the rest of the season) without punching a tag after that trip and I didn't regret not pulling the trigger on her.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 05, 2017, 10:46:53 AM
Ask yourself why bearded hens are legal. The answer: it is because some folks really don't know the difference and will shoot a bearded hen thinking it is a gobbler. Once they walk up to the bird and see that it is a hen, do we want them to walk off and leave it? Of course not. Don't let a mistakenly identified bird go to waste.
Those of us that know the difference,...in my opinion,...should not be shooting bearded hens in the spring (for all the reasons already noted by others).
I discussion on bearded hens over on Archery talk led to a guy stating that "All Hens have beards in PA" accompanied by posting a pictures of 3 jakes
These are the people we get to share the woods with :fud: :funnyturkey:
Quote from: TauntoHawk on May 05, 2017, 12:22:58 PM
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 05, 2017, 10:46:53 AM
Ask yourself why bearded hens are legal. The answer: it is because some folks really don't know the difference and will shoot a bearded hen thinking it is a gobbler. Once they walk up to the bird and see that it is a hen, do we want them to walk off and leave it? Of course not. Don't let a mistakenly identified bird go to waste.
Those of us that know the difference,...in my opinion,...should not be shooting bearded hens in the spring (for all the reasons already noted by others).
I discussion on bearded hens over on Archery talk led to a guy stating that "All Hens have beards in PA" accompanied by posting a pictures of 3 jakes
These are the people we get to share the woods with :fud: :funnyturkey:
That is awesome!
I was at a large that of WIHA ground hunting pheasants in KS a few years back. Was talking to a C.O. back that the truck and we heard some pretty good shooting action out in the filed. He asked if they were with us and we said no, but they seemed a little goofy when we saw them earlier.
They were probably 200 yards form the trucks and kicked up a rooster and made a nice shot on it. They get back to the truck, GW asks if they had been doing any good as he heard a good bit of shooting. Guys says 'yup, but this is the first pretty one...' :TrainWreck1:
If I owned a very large tract of land and managed it aggressively for turkeys with great success, I could see a situation where I would pull the trigger. But barring a lottery hit, I don't ever see that happening. Only had one really easy chance to kill one, but there was a bird gobbling right nearby so it never even crossed my mind to squeeze the trigger. Of course, the gobbling bird stepped out and it was a jake! So I had fun that day, but did not kill a bird. Saw the hen many more times that year, but never tried to call her in after that day.
For me, I really enjoy the hunt. The whole hunt. And the challenge. But if someone wants to shoot a legal hen on property I do not control, no judgement from me. I worry about me.
Meh. I shot one in the fall one time with my bow. Regretted it ever since. Probably won't do it again.
not for me. see plenty every year. no desire to pull the trigger on one
Quote from: kjnengr on May 05, 2017, 12:08:30 PM
I had the opportunity once in an area that it is legal and the numbers of turkeys are good. As many above me have mentioned, it didn't even cross my mind to shoot her. My favorite thing on a gobbler is his spurs and well, a bearded hen doesn't usually have spurs so I chose to wait for a gobbler. I went home (and the rest of the season) without punching a tag after that trip and I didn't regret not pulling the trigger on her.
Sounds like my season last year. I hunted the entirety of the long KS season last year, and on a hunt in the first week I set up in a tiny little honey hole strut zone that had a picnic table in the middle. Could've doubled that day on two bearded hens. One was a mega beard, 10" plus easily. The other was a knobber. It was only like 15 minutes into the hunt and I was sure gobblers were going to be in behind them. Well I was wrong, and continued to be wrong the rest of the season everywhere I went. Didn't punch either tag when I could've killed the two bearded ladies with one shot. I don't regret it tough as I killed two long beards there this year in four hunts and heard a ton of other birds gobbling.
At one time I thought I wanted one mounted. A couple years ago I called one in that had a 6-8 inch beard and I'll be honest ......I thought about it,but a thundering gobble changed my mind fast. I dont really see the difference in killing one in the fall vs the spring,you are still killing a hen. Right now my answer is no,but that might change one day.
Never shot one, don't plan on it...
They are common, 10% of hens are bearded...
They only thing we know for certain in wild turkey biology is that a dead hen will not lay any eggs...
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