The Hunting Beast

i hunt near tomah wi,
i had the first season this spring. This was the worst hunt ive had in 11 years! it raind every day 20to 30 mile per hour winds and even snowed! saw turkeys but they were still in thier feeding paterns so it was hard to hunt them. pretty much right place right time! they were gobbling on the roost but when they hit the ground they shut up! on the third day of my hunt a bearded hen cam right to my decoy! she had at least a 10 or 11 inch beard. She pecked my decoy to death! that was the only beared turkey that cam into rang that week!

10-11 inch beard on a bearded hen?? Would I shoot? I dont think thats even a question!

if i had my bow....heck yes i would stab her!

Bow = yes - Gun = no

Yes... I would shoot her most likely. Always wanted to shoot one. Passed a chance a long time ago and regret it.

I would shoot a bearded hen if a 30 pound tom with a double beard was standing next to her.

i got her on file attacking my decoy for about 4 min

A hen with a 10-11" beard would be very tempting for me but whether I would shoot that hen would depend on where I was hunting and how big or small the local turkey population was. Bearded hens aren't really all that rare but one with a 10-11" beard seems rare to me. Even though I would prefer a tom, if the local turkey population could handle a hen being removed in the spring, I would probably shoot. If I felt the population couldn't afford the removal of that hen I would pass.

I passed on a bearded hen a couple of years ago in SE WI. I was bowhunting and her beard was about 3-4". She was in range at maybe 20-25 yds. and I passed. It was the 5th week (mid-May) and I'm fairly confident she had a nest in a grassy fencerow where I saw her come and go quite frequently. That year there didn't seem to be a lot of turkeys in that area and I wanted a tom (they were in the area but wouldn't come in) and I ended up eating my tag. I have no regrets about passing that bearded hen.

But to each his own. If it's a legal bird to shoot I wouldn't hold it against someone for shooting a bearded hen no matter what the beard length.

I wouldnt shoot a bearded hen and I have seen a lot of them.

I passed one this year, it ended up being my only shot. I kinda regret it now too. I think it would be cool, to shoot a bearded hen.

Black Squirrel wrote:I passed one this year, it ended up being my only shot. I kinda regret it now too. I think it would be cool, to shoot a bearded hen.

i should of shot that was the third bearded ive past, the best all so!

Sure, my first turkey was a bearded hen, I was pretty green and didnt even know hens could have beards. A biologist told me a lot of bearded hens dont reproduce anyway. Not sure I believe him cause mine had an egg inside.

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GRUD wrote:...A biologist told me a lot of bearded hens dont reproduce anyway. Not sure I believe him cause mine had an egg inside.

Just because yours had an egg in it doesnt mean that the biologist was necessarily wrong.. Id say alot of bearded women dont breed either, but I suppose you could get the occasional one here and there

Yes I would definately shoot a bearded hen.

I shot one that had a 6 inch beard several years ago.Rainy windy day and I had passed her up earlier that day.She had 12 eggs inside in May. Toms had all been called to death. They would actually run away if called at. Have'nt seen any other bearded hens since. Stan