Multi bearded birds

[Mkeller]

I have killed a hand full of multi bearded turkeys over the years of hunting in missouri and Kansas, one even had 4 beards.  I have hunted in wisconsin the last 2 years and my son and I both harvested double bearded Tom's last year and I harvested a double bearded tom again this year.  Last season they were taken within a mile of each other, this year was another property 30 miles away.  My question is it more common than I think for Tom's to have multiple beards? 

[Greg Massey]

I can't say either way, but I did see my first triple beard Jake this season. Had him around 20 yards - +

[Dougas]

In the 13 years I have hunted them, I have killed one with a split beard, meaning beards growing from separate papillae, but no more than an eighth inch apart, which I do not count as a true double beard, but cool anyway, two with double beards and one with nine beards. That is only 3 out of around 60, so not very common in my parts.

[Mkeller]

I figured the 2 my son and I got last year was due to genetics in that particular area we were hunting.  This year was just luck of shooting that Tom instead of the other one.

[Mkeller]

I can't say either way, but I did see my first triple beard Jake this season. Had him around 20 yards - +

That is really cool Greg, had never even thought about a multiple bearded jake.  Hopefully you will get a chance at him next season when he is another year older.

[Treerooster]

I believe it's genetics, so multiple bearded gobblers will be more common in one area than another.

I've heard that bearded hens produce more multi bearded gobblers. Don't know if that true or not.

I'm looking for a triple bearded tom. I ve got single, double, 4 beards and 5 beards. Just need that 3 beard guy so I can line em up numerically....I need to talk to Greg. 🙂

[Yoder409]

Regional (or local) genetics.

Seems some areas are more predestined to produce multiple beards than others.

In 46 years I've taken 3 double-bearded Eastern birds on the family property and one triple-bearded Rio in Texas.

That's not a huge percentage.

[Tail Feathers]

I've called three double beards in for others, but have never killed one.  Luck of the draw I guess.

[Turkeyman]

Got this one last Friday with four beards.

[Rockhound]

It's all location dependent. Ive got a couple spots that usually 50% of the birds have multiple beards. I got a pic this winter of a double bearded gobbler at my farm for the first time in 35 years.

[Dtrkyman]

I've shot a bunch of double bearded birds, passed a marginal shot through brush on a bird my buddy killed a few days later had 5 beards!

Finally killed a triple beard last year!

None of them I can remember coming from the same places?


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[Rio Bandito]

Yep, I think its genetics & location.

I've never heard the bearded hen thing producing more multi-beard birds. (Not saying there can't be something to that, I just haven't heard it before). I'll usually have between 3-5 bearded hens each year and have never seen or killed a multi-bearded gobbler. Not that the beard has influence one way or the other, but interestingly, none of these bearded hens have ever successfully shown up in summer with babies. Not sure if they lost the nest or are bad moms or what, but they've never shown up with poults.

I thought this was a multi-beard a couple years ago. I ended up killing the bird later on, and he just had a chunk of beard missing, like only part of it got rot or something . Strange deal. 

[zelmo1]

Not a high percentage. I have one freak of a 6 bearded Tom, one full beard, 2 jake beards and 3 1" beards. That one had 7 "pods" but hair only growing out of the 6. I think people get confused by "split beards" and multiple beards. I know I did when I first started. I think that the beards need to be separated by the individual"pods that the hair grows out, but I could be wrong. I have only killed 3 in 25 years of hunting and I think that is even pretty high. Z

[Dougas]

The "split beard" I killed had two separate pods, but they were almost touching. There was about an eighth of an inch separating them. I was under the impression that there had to be more separation of the pods to be considered a second beard, if not, then I guess it was a two bearded one also.

[Dtrkyman]

Oh and I killed a double this year, first one I ever "knew" was a double before I shot, he strutted by to some hens at 8 steps!