First for Me

[hunter22]

One of the birds I harvested in Oklahoma this spring was a bearded hen. Out of all the turkeys I have taken this was a first. I have seen several but never pulled the trigger before. I actually thought this bird was a gobbler. The sun was behind the bird's back and I was looking right into it early one morning. She came to my calling and actually fanned out and I recognized the full fan. I could also see the beard hanging down. Some Rios don't have much of a beard and I thought this was one of them. When I walked up to the dead bird I thought it was a gobbler until I turned it over and saw the grey head.

[sbbow]

Looks good !!!


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[outdoors]

                      NICE
MAN CAVE     OR  SHOW ROOM   

[mgm1955]

Great trophy!

[kyturkeyhunter4]

Looks good

[jepcho]

I like your display!  Very cool trophy too.  I have seen a few and had opportunities to take one before but have always held out for a tom.  If I ever get a shot in the fall though, I will gladly take one.  It is definitely a goal of mine.

[surehuntsalot]

  nice

[sixbird]

Nice man! I hear people say, all the time about how rare bearded hens are. In this part of N.J. they're actually fairly common. I've had them in my yard a number of times and a few years ago one hatched out 10 or 11 young here. I'd say, this past year I probably saw 3 while hunting...

[The Cohutta Strutter]

 

[ncturkey]

Do you have a picture of the hen.

[HunterMc23]

Nice! 

[Neill_Prater]

I'm glad you posted the circumstances behind killing your bearded hen as it is a textbook example of why the laws in some states allow the taking of any bird with a visible beard, so as to not penalize someone for making an honest mistake.

[jperch]

Here in upstate NY bearded hens are fairly common, I see one or two every year.  My rough estimate might be that 10% of the hens have beards.  The beards I have seen on hens are always much thinner than on an adult gobbler.  Other than the beard they act and look like other hens.  I have seen them with poults. 

[owlhoot]

Nice display