I recently got an email that I can't answer. So I thought I'd get your help in answering this question: Why do some turkeys have multiple beards and what causes them to have them?
PS-I have some biologist friends who know the answer, but I wanted to see who really knows their turkeys. I'll give the person with the correct answer and autographed Team Realtree hat. How does that sound?
Have at it,
Travis
PS-I have some biologist friends who know the answer, but I wanted to see who really knows their turkeys. I'll give the person with the correct answer and autographed Team Realtree hat. How does that sound?
Have at it,
Travis
A wild turkeys beard grows through a featherless oval of skin called a papilla. When a turkey has more than one papilla on it's breast, it can grow multiple beards.
Hey T-bone,
Bowhunter4life is correct that the papilla of the turkey is where the beards are produced and with multiple papilla grow multiple beards. Do i get a hat too? :0)
Todd NC
T-Bone,
A signed hat sounds great but I don't have any idea. I have turkey hunted for years and thought I knew as much as anyone else about turkeys but I haven't gave this question any thought.
If I was a betting man I would think what bowhunter4life said makes sense, I can't wait to hear the answer. Take care.
P.S. If you don't get the correct answer can I have the hat? HaHa!!
Scott-Ga.
Hey T-Bone,
That's a great question. I have no clue b/c I don't know much about turkeys. But let us know the correct answer when you get it. Talk to ya later.
God Bless & Good Huntin'
Kristle Oberlander
PS Turkey season just 1 week away :)
Dang I knew that question too!!!
I was gunna say that the multiple beards are the result of multiple papillae, which each contain bristles and then form seperate beards. Can there be two winners T-Bone??? lol
When turkeys have more than one "papilla" on their breast they can grow multiple beards......I agree!
I will take a stab at it. I am no biologist by no stretch of the imagination, but to answer the two part question only requires one part. It is genetics. The same as if why some guys have a hairy chest and some guys don't. The same as deer having typical or non-typical racks. Heck, I had a high school buddy that had three nipples! If he was a turkey I bet he would've had multiple beards! Well I don't know if that is right but that is what I think.
Got back from my Hog hunt at Ken Moody's place. Had a Blast! My wife took a 200 lb sow with one shot! It ran 50 yards and was done. I was up next, and took a 250 lb full blood russian sow. It had 5"-6" hair! I made a great shot and 5 steps later she was done. My buddy took a 300 lb boar, I mean 300 lb of meanness. Three shots to the boiler room finally took down this bad boy. I would like to thank Johnny Thompson (our guide) for a hunt I will never forget! Thanks for the arrow set up advice!
Slap the chops to the grill!
Todd - Indiana
I THINK THAT THE TURKEY GOT TOO CLOSE TO WILLIE NELSON AND BREATHED IN SOME SPECIAL BEARD GROWING SMOKE.
If a buck damages his pedicle, he can grow multiple main beams. could the papilla get damaged and and cause multiple beards?
Jay-NewYork
Bowhunter 4 life is correct. When a turkey has multiple papilla they can produce numerous beards.
Shawn-Indiana
Now for question for number 2 what the heck is a papilla?
Scott Withers-MI
Well T-Bone, from school i have learned about this kind of stuff..so here it is. Turkey beards do infact grow threw a featherless patch of skin thats called a papilla, turkeys that have more than one papilla can grow that many more beards and this is how: the male must be purebred for more than one papilla so that it passes it on threw genetics, the hen may also be purbred for this trait... anyhow the genetics would be purbred and that it would have to be recessive and and for that it would then be passed on to the baby's. In other words the purebred turkey would have to be homozygous dominent genotypes... and by the way i have quite the collection of the team realtree movies and i was watching the monsterbucks 4 video and i have the same bow you used.. i like it a bunch.. it inspired me to use it.. i hope this payed off for the hat that would be pretty awesome.. realtree all the way!! Thanks, Ventzen Marr