How many hens killed each season

[Marc]

Reading the post on hunters shot, and people shooting at "a sound," I have to wonder how many hens are shot illegally during the spring season (accidentally or on purpose)?

Probably a few "hunters" who just want to shoot a turkey...  Some maybe would not shoot at a hen if they knew it was a hen, but shoot first and ask questions later...  And a growing percentage of hunters that simply cannot tell the difference (if it looks big enough it is a boy)....

I did stop and talk to some guys that were "pig and turkey hunting," and they were asking me how to gender the birds...  I am guessin' that they would have shot any turkey they saw...  Previous to, and prior to our conversation.

[btomlin]

I'm going to say there has to be a few, on purpose or accidental.  Same as I'm guessing their are a few hen pheasants shot every fall both on purpose or accidental.  Both categories of birds have far worse enemies than a few slob hunters in the grand scheme of things.....predators and bulldozers come to mind.

[GobbleNut]

I have to wonder how many hens are shot illegally during the spring season (accidentally or on purpose)?

That is a question that will never be answered other than through speculation.  There is no doubt that it occurs.  Whether or not it is significant enough to impact turkey populations is an unknown.  I would tend to agree that there are lots of other factors that are probably more significant in impacting turkey numbers. 

However, with turkey populations declining in a number of places, hunters (if they care) need to become more vigilant about things like shooting bearded hens and accepting localized practices of poaching that, from some reports, hunters just turn a blind eye to in some parts of the country.   

[Happy]

I am sure it happens plenty. I have never personally understood how it can happen. Even a bearded hen is pretty easy to identify. But after seeing some of the stuff I have seen in 20 years of turkey hunting not much surprises me.

[bbcoach]

No hens for me, bearded or otherwise.  Illegal to kill a non bearded bird in our state any way.  I'm sure hens are killed because many don't verify they are shooting birds with beards as well.

[fallhnt]

I'm sure it's illegal to shoot a non bearded hen in any state during the spring.  Every year hens get shot due to being near a gobbler that gets shot,you can bet on it. I bet it's more than 1% too. Appox 1% of any states harvest is bearded hens where legal.

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[Greg Massey]

I'm sure it does happen, but no need for it happening at all. But i will agree some people are just kill happy..

[TRG3]

I've turkey hunted for over 30 years and have only seen one bearded hen. I passed on her since I felt that I could be shooting a clutch of eggs if I took her. 

[GobbleNut]

I've turkey hunted for over 30 years and have only seen one bearded hen. I passed on her since I felt that I could be shooting a clutch of eggs if I took her.

Good attitude,...everybody should have it!

[AppalachianHollers]

You'd be surprised how few people know there is such a thing as a bearded hen.

Years ago a hunting buddy of mine shot a jake while trying to sneak up on a Tom right before roosting. As most often happens, the Tom wasn't going to get snuck up on. But unexpectedly the Jake showed up within range.
Boom, he comes out carrying his quarry, and me and another buddy are pumped—each of us killed a Jake or gobbler that opening day. We take pictures, field dress (noticing more fat than usual), go to the checking station, head home, etc. Only when I posted pictures on another hunting forum, and someone mentioned something saying we had in fact gotten one of each kind of bearded turkey did any of us know.

This season I passed on a turkey at 20 yards because s/he was quartering to on an overcast day only a short time after shooting light. I have a greater than 50% hunch it had a small beard. But by no means was I going to shoot unless I was certain. On another occasion I bumped a turkey at 15 yards in a creek bottom and pulled up ready to shoot, but kept my trigger finger on the guard until I could see a beard. That never happened, and I was 100% sure it was a hen.
In both situations, a significant number of hunters would have simply pulled the trigger.

To wrap this up, I have one point of puzzlement: in TN, our harvest reports show at least 1 female turkey harvested in at least half of our WMAs. I wonder if all of these are correctly identified bearded hens (makes you wonder how many aren't correctly identified), or if someone actually fesses up to shooting a hen on accident.


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[Turkeyman]

Got a picture of this lady walking in front of my truck recently. Legal? In most states I imagine. Would I shoot her...wouldn't even think about it.

[Spurs Up]

My guess is there are lots more hens killed collaterally when shooting at nearby gobblers than there are bearded hens deliberately killed or mistaken for gobblers. No one tags or talks about them.

[bonasa]

In my area only 1:4 states that I hunt it is illegal to shoot bearded hens, that is NJ. It's legal in ny/pa/ct and I do not have a problem with that. The low numbers of bearded hens that I have seen WHILE hunting has been 2 in the last few decades. I can't imagine many are observed much less shot, if they are shot however that portion of the take is so insignificant that I believe it hardly matters. For I see many more roadkilled hens per season than shot bearded hens.

Poaching is illegal and it is impossible to manage a game population for that, again I can't imagine there are outlaw turkey hunters that pursue hens out of greed, spite or table fare. Not like you can have a tailgate shot of hens?

Accidents happen at what rate we may never know, but those stepford hunters that do make a mistake turn themselves in, a lecture ensues and the bird is confiscated and used for dog training of k9's. That rate is low , less than 1%.

I am sure the rate of poaching, as in those that are caught. Legal bearded hens taken. Accidental hens taken and those not reported can be extrapolated on a larger scale to develop a matrix analyses of what proportion of hens in general respective to a population on a whole are taken.

Now some peckerwood that is turkey hunting that doesn't know a hen from a Tom despite purdy lil pictures in the state's regulation books...well, there ain't no cure for stupid!

[Marc]

I am sure it happens plenty. I have never personally understood how it can happen. Even a bearded hen is pretty easy to identify. But after seeing some of the stuff I have seen in 20 years of turkey hunting not much surprises me.

It happens due to apathy, lack of understanding (or desire to understand), and/or largely to simply wanting to kill a bird irregardless of gender or legality.

My guess is there are lots more hens killed collaterally when shooting at nearby gobblers than there are bearded hens deliberately killed or mistaken for gobblers. No one tags or talks about them.

I witnessed a hen being accidentally killed in this way...  NOT the shooters fault.  The bird was accidentally killed was quite far behind the tom that was killed (i.e. 40-50 yards).  Granted, I would not have shot were it a person sitting there, but it did not occur to me, not to shoot the tom at the time.

[TauntoHawk]

I've seen several bearded hens killed by ppl seeing a beard and thinking jake/Tom without further identification.

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