Bearded hens

**turkeydude** · 05-27-2009, 09:24 AM

I was kinda thinking the other day about bearded hens. My buddy came down to the last day and he shot a bearded hen. I wonder what a tom thinks when he sees a hen with a beard. Does he wanna breed that hen or does it not effect anything? My opinion is that it will not effect how he sees it but its possible it could make him change his mind. Any opinions?

**maytom** · 05-27-2009, 10:11 AM

A hen is a hen. To a gobbler, the fact that she's sporting a beard, wouldn't effect his attitude at all about mating. My 2 cents.

**camoman1** · 05-27-2009, 01:44 PM

I had posted a story about this a while back...it was kinda interesting for me to watch.

Before my season started I was watching fields where I was going to hunt. A hen with a pretty good beard came out in the field where two gobblers were already out and gobbling...Neither one of the toms ever really strutted much and they never got very close to her. That same evening the toms were out again strutting around a group of hens. I had seen that hen multiple times while hunting and scouting and she was always alone or with a hen or two.

Im sure this is not the norm, but it made me wonder the same thing you are wondering

**layin on the smackdown** · 05-27-2009, 02:29 PM

How many guys do you know like a woman with a hair lip?

I'll wait for another one...

Nuff said...

**Dakota** · 05-27-2009, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by layin on the smackdown

How many guys do you know like a woman with a hair lip?

I'll wait for another one...

Nuff said...

My sentiments exactly!

Well put, Dan!

Dakota

**redkneck** · 05-27-2009, 05:31 PM

I was thinking what Dan was onto. Me thinketh if she would stop by the electrolosys clinic she may find herself more popular.

**2labs** · 05-31-2009, 03:07 PM

I seen a hen a few yrs ago with a 7" beard and she had a clutch of chicks, so they must breed!!

**western NY bowhunter** · 05-31-2009, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by 2labs

I seen a hen a few yrs ago with a 7" beard and she had a clutch of chicks, so they must breed!!

They sure do. I know for a fact that they lay eggs because I shot one this morning that had 3 eggs inside of her. Normally, I wouldn't have even concidered shooting her, but it was the final morning of season, I still had a tag to fill and there's WAY too many hens around here as it is. They sure threw a monkeywrench into my season. So, I decided to do some hen management and get a little revenge at the same time cause this little bearded lady screwed me up on a monster longbeard during opening weekend...

Here's another bearded hen from a different farm that I hunt. She been hanging around for several years now.

This gobbler desn't seem to mind the fact that she has "whiskers"...

Sadly, their love affair was short lived...

.

**2labs** · 06-02-2009, 07:14 AM

Nice hen, I agree with the way too many hens around!!!

**turkeygirl** · 06-05-2009, 08:59 AM

Apparently as long as it's a hen, they don't care! The morning I shot my gobbler...he had a bearded hen with her...and she's been around for a good 4 or 5 years now...I've seen her at least each spring for awhile.... She actually left him and I had a shot at her and passed, glad I did because later on that morning:

**Covehnter** · 06-08-2009, 02:48 PM

I've killed several longbeards over the head of bearded hens, they liked them enough to follow them to the gun. In GA we can't legally take bearded hens but that's something I wouldn't do personally bc one less hen equals several less birds next year. Hens are just part of the game.