Bearded Hens / Have You?

[mudhen]

Never have.  Dead hens lay no eggs.

Have passed on several dozen over the years...very common....

mudhen

[jblackburn]

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.

[WildTigerTrout]

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.

[tnturkey]

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.

[Tommythreetoes]

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!

[captin_hook]

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.

[Gobble!]

nope. see probably 3-4 each spring.

[TauntoHawk]

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

[fallsflight]

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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[MiamiE]

Never seen one, and I would not hesitate to drop one should I ever see one!

[fsu33952]

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.

[Bamastrutter]

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.

[DirtNap647]

I have and would

[njdevilsb]

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 hate turkeys]

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.