Shooting hen turkeys
Shooting hen turkeys
I just watched with disgust the crowd on THP sneak up and shoot a dusting bearded hen. The bird may have been legal game, but so are jakes. The point is, a hen turkey has a hell of a time avoiding predation, nesting and raising her brood with no guarantee of success, but if you shoot a hen, bearded or not, she is guaranteed not to nest and reproduce. What a sad ending and commentary on the ethics of the hunters on THP. It's one thing to slip and slide and sneak into shooting position on a wary gobbler, but a hen? What high sport, about as ethical as sneaking a pond and shooting sitting/sleeping ducks on the water.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Although I may not agree with Sam's decision to shoot the hen, the episode was more entertaining than watching a grown man sit in a pop up blind and stare at decoys. They have put out two springs worth of some of the best turkey hunting content out there. I'm not going to trash them over one episode where the shooter (who is more of a 'guest' than 'cast') decides to take a legal turkey. I'm sure they will learn from this and ol' Sam will feel some remorse.
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Ethics and morals belong to each individual its not a universal set of rules.....decoykrvr wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 6:44 am I just watched with disgust the crowd on THP sneak up and shoot a dusting bearded hen. The bird may have been legal game, but so are jakes. The point is, a hen turkey has a hell of a time avoiding predation, nesting and raising her brood with no guarantee of success, but if you shoot a hen, bearded or not, she is guaranteed not to nest and reproduce. What a sad ending and commentary on the ethics of the hunters on THP. It's one thing to slip and slide and sneak into shooting position on a wary gobbler, but a hen? What high sport, about as ethical as sneaking a pond and shooting sitting/sleeping ducks on the water.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Don't mean to ruffle any feathers but what is the difference in shooting a hen or gobbler or jake? Guess what it all tastes the same. If the game is legal then by all means. If your are a trophy hunter which it sounds like most are then a bearded hen would be the cream of the crop? Would you say shooting a doe during deer season is a horrible thing as well because they will produce more deer in the future? You need a balance in male and female animals to sustain a healthy ecosystem. Now if you have a small amount of turkeys then yes hold off on the hens until you get the population where you need it to be but please don't be trophy hunters it only brings out the worst in hunters.
I haven't watched the show so I am just going by the recount posted. As far shooting the hen while she is dusting or just finished dusting does it make a difference if it was a gobbler was dusting or just walking in the woods feeding and you shot him?
I haven't watched the show so I am just going by the recount posted. As far shooting the hen while she is dusting or just finished dusting does it make a difference if it was a gobbler was dusting or just walking in the woods feeding and you shot him?
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I think its sad that because of one episode the heros of turkey hunting jump on with the I'm disgusted and I'll never watch another episode. The hunting public guys took this Sam guy who normally has a great message about public land and public land hunting. He doesn't seem to be a die hard turkey hunter. He seemed to be in a bit of indescision as to whether he should shoot that hen on one side it was legal on the other it was something I think he believed the others thought was wrong for some reason. I think he probably figured he would never be able to get a shot and when he did had to take it. Plus I'm sure all the misses he had previous had something to do with it. I guess you are also not going to watch the pinhoti thing anymore to because Dave was there and he didn't jump all over the guy and say how disgusted he was so he is just as bad as the THP guys right !!
Where I live you can shoot turkeys off the roost and only hunt until 7 pm, in Michigan where I hunt you can shoot them going to the roost at a half hour before sunset ! Some paces you can only shoot a male turkey in the spring others its any bearded bird including hens . Some places you can't hunt in the afternoon because they say it messes with hen nesting its all over the place.
I know guys that wouldn't hesitate to shoot a jake every chance they get for me I don't shoot jakes or hens in the spring but I'm not going to get all high an mighty on them because they are a terrible hunter for doing something that the state DNR deems legal !!
Where I live you can shoot turkeys off the roost and only hunt until 7 pm, in Michigan where I hunt you can shoot them going to the roost at a half hour before sunset ! Some paces you can only shoot a male turkey in the spring others its any bearded bird including hens . Some places you can't hunt in the afternoon because they say it messes with hen nesting its all over the place.
I know guys that wouldn't hesitate to shoot a jake every chance they get for me I don't shoot jakes or hens in the spring but I'm not going to get all high an mighty on them because they are a terrible hunter for doing something that the state DNR deems legal !!
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I prefer the approach of some states that prohibit the killing of bearded hens. It puts on the hunter to make sure he or she is shooting at a male bird. States that allow the killing of bearded hens probably do so because they don't want to criminalize someone shooting a turkey with beard mistakenly thinking it's a male, in other words "an honest mistake". In this episode, they absolutely knew it was a hen and I wouldn't have shot nor do I think Sam should've shot. It's one episode that should've stayed in the can. Gil
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I wonder if they put it out there on purpose like the poacher episode just to see what kind of reaction they would get !
My second year hunting turkeys I watched as 3 birds approached in the woods one was tom with a long beard the other a jake and the third I couldn't really tell. They went behind some bushes and when they came out I saw a long beard and shot killing the bird the other two flew off. When I walked up I saw that the bird looked kinda weird and then I realized it was a bearded hen . I shot when I saw the beard because I already knew a tom was there but I guess the third bird was a bearded hen and she stepped out first ! For me it was an honest mistake and of course in this instance it was not but still if you are new to turkey hunting unless someone you are hunting with straight out tells you we don't shoot hens even with beards I can see how you might be tempted. I believe the THP guys would not have shot that bird but I think they had a hard time telling the guy no because it was legal !
My second year hunting turkeys I watched as 3 birds approached in the woods one was tom with a long beard the other a jake and the third I couldn't really tell. They went behind some bushes and when they came out I saw a long beard and shot killing the bird the other two flew off. When I walked up I saw that the bird looked kinda weird and then I realized it was a bearded hen . I shot when I saw the beard because I already knew a tom was there but I guess the third bird was a bearded hen and she stepped out first ! For me it was an honest mistake and of course in this instance it was not but still if you are new to turkey hunting unless someone you are hunting with straight out tells you we don't shoot hens even with beards I can see how you might be tempted. I believe the THP guys would not have shot that bird but I think they had a hard time telling the guy no because it was legal !
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
This exemplifies why bearded hens are legal in some places in the spring hunt. Wildlife managers understand that there will be mistakes made by less-experienced hunters,...and rather than create a situation where those bearded hens get left in the field, some states have decided just to make them legal.timbrhuntr wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 10:41 am My second year hunting turkeys I watched as 3 birds approached in the woods one was tom with a long beard the other a jake and the third I couldn't really tell. They went behind some bushes and when they came out I saw a long beard and shot killing the bird the other two flew off. When I walked up I saw that the bird looked kinda weird and then I realized it was a bearded hen . I shot when I saw the beard because I already knew a tom was there but I guess the third bird was a bearded hen and she stepped out first ! For me it was an honest mistake and of course in this instance it was not but still if you are new to turkey hunting unless someone you are hunting with straight out tells you we don't shoot hens even with beards I can see how you might be tempted. I believe the THP guys would not have shot that bird but I think they had a hard time telling the guy no because it was legal !
Having said that, the entire premise behind spring turkey hunting is based on the fact that, because turkeys are polygamous, a few gobblers can insure that the hen population is getting bred,...and therefore, many of the gobblers can be harvested without impacting the overall resource. The bottom line is that spring seasons are set up to harvest MALE TURKEYS. A hunter making the mistake of shooting a bearded turkey that they think is a gobbler is one thing. A hunter that intentionally and knowingly shoots a bearded hen in the spring season is just behaving irresponsibly and, in some cases, is actually hurting the resource.
Moral: Learn to identify bearded hens and do not shoot them in the spring, regardless of your desire to kill a turkey!
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I won’t ever use a tag on a hen or a Jake. I want the gobble, the fan, the beard and spurs. That being said he’s certainly allowed to fill his tag as he sees fit, but dead hens don’t lay eggs..
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I shoot any legal bird. Hens ,Jakes, longbeards.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I was once in New Mexico and came across a bearded hen who was strutting and trying to gobble...i tried my hardest to go to it but no luck...believe you ke if i had the chance it would be in living room right now...
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Not trying to derail the topic, but is there any genetic abnormalities in a bearded hen that would affect her ability to nest? I’ve wondered the same about does who have a rack. I wouldn’t waste a tag on one.
Last edited by Turkinator on June 2nd, 2019, 3:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Yes!
Right there folks!
I want a slam. One of each mounted. And would also try and have one of each mounted also of bearded hens.
For some reason in our area we have a lot of bearded hens
My niece has killed a couple.. we both thought was gobblers u til we walked up to them. Had reddish heads and all.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
No I have a stack of turkey and turkey hunting and remember an article by lovett William's saying noTurkinator wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 3:58 pm Not trying to derail the topic, but is there any genetic abnormalities in a bearded hen that would affect her ability to nest? I’ve wondered the same about does who have a rack. I wouldn’t waste a tag on one.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
No....I shot a bearded hen on a Fall archery hunt that had a beard almost 10" with a kink in it. The kink is caused during incubating eggs. I also shot the hen that was with her. May have been one of her poults.Turkinator wrote:Not trying to derail the topic, but is there any genetic abnormalities in a bearded hen that would affect her ability to nest? I’ve wondered the same about does who have a rack. I wouldn’t waste a tag on one.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
To me, fall hens are fine to shoot, but I'd never shoot one in the spring, legal or not.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Turkinator wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 3:58 pm Not trying to derail the topic, but is there any genetic abnormalities in a bearded hen that would affect her ability to nest? I’ve wondered the same about does who have a rack. I wouldn’t waste a tag on one.
I know some women who also have a nice rack and it sure doesn't seem to effect their ability to have off spring,,,
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Yer killin me, Grumpster!!
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I should have knownGrumpy wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 6:28 pmTurkinator wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2019, 3:58 pm Not trying to derail the topic, but is there any genetic abnormalities in a bearded hen that would affect her ability to nest? I’ve wondered the same about does who have a rack. I wouldn’t waste a tag on one.
I know some women who also have a nice rack and it sure doesn't seem to effect their ability to have off spring,,,
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
It's just like shooting a doe. If it's legal, and I want to, then I will. My decisions, as long as I am law abiding, are of no one elses concerns and should be treated as such.
But then again this is the internet...
But then again this is the internet...
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
It is perfectly legal to shoot a wild covey of quail down to numbers that imperil the survival of the remaining birds in the covey during the winter. Legal? Yes. Ethical? Hell, no, and it is a bona fide concern of mine as a wild bird hunter. Since THP uses the internet to sell calls, etc. and show-off turkey hunting "skills", they more than earn to take the bitter with the sweet. They don't get discounted "20% off" criticism by wearing a THP hat.
Bushwhacking a dusting hen with the only "skill" evident was walking behind a wall of piled logs without falling down doesn't sit right with me, legal or not. I wonder how many eggs were left on the nest...
Bushwhacking a dusting hen with the only "skill" evident was walking behind a wall of piled logs without falling down doesn't sit right with me, legal or not. I wonder how many eggs were left on the nest...
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
Dont force your ethics on others....
Re: Shooting hen turkeys
If you’ve not hunted turkeys long enough to know that hens are a lot easier to call up than a Gobbler you haven’t been at this long enough for your opinions to matter.
In this instance there was no skill involved just creeped up and bushwhacked hen. The worst part to me was all the stupid giggling and carrying on afterwards, as if they actually accomplished something. This wasn’t a live show they edited and posted it they could easily have left this one out. I won’t be watching anymore of them. But that probably doesn’t matter the ones wasting money on the gay hats and shirts are the true fan base that also get all excited when they finally kill something , anything lol. There should be a participation trophy for turkey hunter wannabes, there used to getting one every time they do anything, and it would maybe save a few hens and poults.
In this instance there was no skill involved just creeped up and bushwhacked hen. The worst part to me was all the stupid giggling and carrying on afterwards, as if they actually accomplished something. This wasn’t a live show they edited and posted it they could easily have left this one out. I won’t be watching anymore of them. But that probably doesn’t matter the ones wasting money on the gay hats and shirts are the true fan base that also get all excited when they finally kill something , anything lol. There should be a participation trophy for turkey hunter wannabes, there used to getting one every time they do anything, and it would maybe save a few hens and poults.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys
I bin a huntin them longbeards for nigh on a century and knows way more than all ya'll gay hat boys. And I wears flannel !!!!