The Jake taker thread got me to thinkin. Here in WV the law for spring turkey season says bearded birds only. So therefore bearded hens are legal. How do other states handle this and would / do you shoot one? I personally have never seen a bearded hen during the spring season so I have not had to make the decision....depending on the season and date it would be hard to pass up!! However, hens do potentially have an impact on the population for next year so there is a biological reason to let her walk....may not make it easier though! :funnyturkey:
Its legal in Missouri. I saw one once, I believe it was 2009. I was home on leave during turkey season and was really tempted to shoot her as I hadn't been turkey hunting for years since joining the Marine Corps but a gobbler suddenly appeared in the field so my sights shifted to him. A buddy of mine killed one back when we were in middle school and did a fan mount of her. Looks pretty cool next to his gobbler fan mounts. Something different.
Legal here in PA.......won't shoot here in the spring......but come fall...... :smiley-char092:
I'm not killing the turkey factory.
They're legal here in NC. The only time I've seen one, I had just started hunting and my host/teacher didn't want it shot.
If it was at my place this season... not sure what I'd do.
Quote from: turkey harvester on March 12, 2013, 12:46:39 PM
I'm not killing the turkey factory.
Nobody wants the title of "Hen Killer"..
Hi, my name is David and I've shot two bearded hens.
I'm a hen killer. I see bearded hens pretty regular and killed one several years ago that had a nine inch beard. So far the population there is holding it's own. Some states kill'em in the fall and still have huntable populations. So I'm not sure how much the killing of hens impact the population.
Never would kill any hen, legal or not. The one you kill could not raise any poults. I know I may be old fashioned but in my neck of the woods, you would not want to known as the guy who killed a hen. You may as well have killed your Mama.
No hens, including bearded hens can be taken at any time here in Louisiana.
Legal here in pa. I would shoot one.
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In the spring, they get a pass to raise another batch of poults. I'll whack hens any day in the fall when I'm bowhunting though.
Shot my first bearded hen this past fall. Saw one last year that I passed on and said I would take one if I got an opportunity which I did. It is legal in Texas by the way.
Shot one in the fall probably 15 yrs ago,when populations were pretty high.Would not shoot a spring bearded hen,or any hen in fall(maybe with a bow)until the population gets high again(if ever :-\)Have really got a interst in trying to kill fall gobblers,but havent really taken the step forward to really focus on it yet........but I can see it happening soon!
I've never saw one in the spring, but I have saw several in the fall. I don't think I'd shoot one in the spring, as she may lay a nice clutch of eggs full of next spring's JAKES!!!!
And the ones I've saw in the fall, :fud:.. So far we still have turkeys to hunt!
I've never shot one in the spring before. Had the chance, but it's kind of hard when there's a gobbler headed your way. I did shoot one with my bow in the fall once though. Shooting one hen isn't going to make a ripple in the population.
Only hen I ever thought about shooten was a beard smokey phase that I saw twice during the season. Sure would have been an awesome mount but never saw her again after that. Something special like that is in danger if she comes to close other than that if she's just bearded ill toss her a razor as I don't like a hairy lady. ;)
I will shoot hens in the Fall, but will not shoot a bearded hen in the Spring even though it is legal in Missouri. My take on it is that the rule is for folks that can't tell a hen from a gobbler. Don't have scientific studies to back it, but it also seems that areas that I see bearded hens are areas I wind up killing multi-bearded toms. I have seen it enough to prevent me from avoiding shooting bearded hens even in the fall if I have a choice between a bearded hen and another hen.
Having said that, I think I have killed two.
No, I would rather see them sitting on a nest full of eggs.
I haven't seen one yet, but I doubt I'd ever kill one if I did. They are legal up here in New York State.
I suppose they would be legal in Arkansas if her beard was over 6" but with our population being the way it is I wouldn't dream of shooting one. We need every poult we can get right now.
Legal to shoot in OR.
I want to shoot one hen with a good beard and have her mounted. Then I would be over it.
My first turkey was a hen with a 8" beard, almost 18 years ago.
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Growing up we killed a lot of turkeys in the fall. Hens, jakes...didn't matter, whatever presented a shot. Bust the flock and whistle them back in. We had a very healthy population then too. I have had a few opportunities, but have never shot a bearded hen and don't really have a desire to. It is legal in Arkansas and a couple of other states we hunt in. I wouldn't mind having a beardless hen mounted some day, but not sure if or when I would ever shoot one again.
As someone said in an earlier post bearded hens are legal game here in Pennsylvania. I have never seen one during the spring, but if I do see one in the future she would be safe. I can't see killing a hen during the breeding season. I would kill her during the fall season though and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
Legal to shoot in Cali, but I've passed up maybe 30-40 over the years in the spring seasons.
Shot a few hens in the fall, but never a bearded one, usually just one of 100+ hens wandering inside a vineyard, that are destined to be wiped out by the ranch workers anyway....
mudhen
They are legal in Florida - I've seen probably more than I realize , you have to be about 10 foot away in good light to see the beard on the ones we got down here - people very rarely kill one in Florida
I have never seen one in my 26yrs of turkey hunting except on TV. It is legal here in VA, and given the chance I would probably take her. I would like to have a bearded hen mounted and then probably wouldn't never harvest another.
Also being from WV, I have killed hens in fall before. My first bird was a run of the mill hen that weighed about 10 pounds. When I was 13, it was awesome to know I had just shot my first turkey. That was 16 years ago. I will still kill hens in the fall because in the Fall, either sex is the regulation. Now in the Spring, Ive never seen one, but I would given the chance shoot a Bearded hen, if only once, because that might be my only opprotunity.
Maybe in the fall. NO in the spring.
I be a hen killer and proud of it.Bearded birds are fair game where I hunt.I had a friend that thought he had killed a small jake one spring.When he got back at home cutting up the bird,he discovered an egg in the cavity of his so called "small jake".This friend was very surprised to say the least.
I have taken two bearded hens in the fall with archery gear.I havn't killed one in the spring season,but I'm not ruling it out if the right one comes along.I see several each spring and fall.I do think that they need to be passed up in the spring for the simple fact that she probably has a nest full of eggs.
When I first started turkey hunting I said I would never kill a hen and it was wrong to do so.An ole turkey hunter told me one time,"If you ain't killed a hen,then your not a real turkey hunter".I don't claim to totally agree with his statement,but I have changed my opinion on killing hens and look forward to killing my next one... :fud:
shoot what you think is a trophy
I have been fortunate to hunt turkeys all over the united states. Populations in all of those places have varied significantly but I've seen the robust, seemingly unlimited supply of turkeys in places like Nebraska, and Wyoming and I've seen staggeringly low populations in some areas of Mississippi and the mountains of Virginia.
What I have realized is that each place
is only several consecutive poor weather springs and tough winters away from a scary decline in numbers, The area I hunt in Wyoming was a fantastic example of this and is just now rebounding.
With all that being said, hens are sacred to me. They are the most critical member of the breeding process and mortality rates on turkeys are high. In my eyes, every hen represents several gobblers and hens next year, and consequently, I couldnt ever justify shooting one.
Can't spare the tag, she'd need to strut gobble and have a set of spurs with that beard.
Killed one a couple of years ago one of the best hunts ever. Took over two hours to work her in she would fan out and strut even turn her head blue and white. 6 inch beard you could see at 90 yards. Thought it was a submissive gobbler it never made a sound the entire time.
Quote from: TauntoHawk on March 17, 2013, 11:11:18 AM
Can't spare the tag, she'd need to strut gobble and have a set of spurs with that beard.
I actually saw a hen strut and gobble a few years back.. She didn't have a beard though. She sure was one confused turkey.
Quote from: guesswho on March 12, 2013, 01:11:48 PM
I'm a hen killer. I see bearded hens pretty regular and killed one several years ago that had a nine inch beard. So far the population there is holding it's own. Some states kill'em in the fall and still have huntable populations. So I'm not sure how much the killing of hens impact the population.
The area I hunt is loaded with turkeys. This being said I do hunt birds in the fall & have no problem shooting a hen. In the spring I would let a normal bearded hen walk UNLESS it had a nine inch beard like guesswho seen. That would be rare for my neck of the woods and would look great next to a huge gobbler mount.......
I've killed hens in the fall season. If I see a bearded hen in the spring and she's in range, I might shoot her. Would be a unique bird to shoot, don't see em often at all. I'd rather shoot all gobblers in the spring but there would be exceptions in certain cases...
Done it once cause it was rare at the time. See a few every year now. Guess this was around 1998
Not in the spring... In the fall with my bow I say hammer down if legal >>-------------->