Shooting hen turkeys

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Hobbes_mobile
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

To each their own, but I'm not into the hen killing, bearded or not. Spring in MT is"male turkey", so no hens. I don't (can't) shoot hen pheasants in the fall and have no desire to kill hen turkeys then either, legal or not. Until I can see clear evidence that there is a population explosion in MT and hen killing is needed, I've no desire.

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soiltester
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by soiltester »

Hobbes_mobile wrote: June 4th, 2019, 8:15 pm To each their own, but I'm not into the hen killing, bearded or not. Spring in MT is"male turkey", so no hens. I don't (can't) shoot hen pheasants in the fall and have no desire to kill hen turkeys then either, legal or not. Until I can see clear evidence that there is a population explosion in MT and hen killing is needed, I've no desire.

God bless the gobbler incubators!!!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


Last of 2 legal bearded hens I shot, had an egg in it when cleaned, waaayyyyy back when ..and that was the last of that stupidness :banghead:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by crow »

ICDEDTURKES wrote: June 4th, 2019, 5:32 pm I wonder why they don't open a hen season two weeks prior to gobblers season. It would help with all this henned up talk


Far too many gobblers would be accidentally shot while being mistaken for bearded hens
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Turkinator
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Turkinator »

crow wrote: June 4th, 2019, 9:16 pm
ICDEDTURKES wrote: June 4th, 2019, 5:32 pm I wonder why they don't open a hen season two weeks prior to gobblers season. It would help with all this henned up talk
:lol: :lol: :lol:



Far too many gobblers would be accidentally shot while being mistaken for bearded hens
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Hoobilly »

Turkinator wrote: June 4th, 2019, 9:34 pm
crow wrote: June 4th, 2019, 9:16 pm
ICDEDTURKES wrote: June 4th, 2019, 5:32 pm I wonder why they don't open a hen season two weeks prior to gobblers season. It would help with all this henned up talk
:lol: :lol: :lol:



Far too many gobblers would be accidentally shot while being mistaken for bearded hens
:LMAO: :LMAO: :LMAO:
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by timbrhuntr »

toasty wrote: June 3rd, 2019, 3:18 pm Looks like someone got the boot.

Dang I must have missed it could you repost so I can read it now dang it !
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by timbrhuntr »

soiltester wrote: June 4th, 2019, 8:20 pm
Hobbes_mobile wrote: June 4th, 2019, 8:15 pm To each their own, but I'm not into the hen killing, bearded or not. Spring in MT is"male turkey", so no hens. I don't (can't) shoot hen pheasants in the fall and have no desire to kill hen turkeys then either, legal or not. Until I can see clear evidence that there is a population explosion in MT and hen killing is needed, I've no desire.

God bless the gobbler incubators!!!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


Last of 2 legal bearded hens I shot, had an egg in it when cleaned, waaayyyyy back when ..and that was the last of that stupidness :banghead:
You shot 2 bearded hens ! Shame ! Shame !! :blackeye:
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by turkeyinstrut »

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 have actually seen a bearded hen with young, on two different occasions.
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turkeyinstrut
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by turkeyinstrut »

MKW wrote: June 2nd, 2019, 5:56 pm To me, fall hens are fine to shoot, but I'd never shoot one in the spring, legal or not.
What is the difference in shooting a "Legal" hen in the spring or shooting one in the fall? I'm not sure what your reasoning is here.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by kythunter »

Guys the bottom line is if it's legal to kill hens bearded or not that's up to the individual hunter. Nobody should fault him for shooting any legal game.
I personally believe all states should not allow hen harvest spring or fall. Why because obviously that's one less hen laying a nest. It has to hurt the turkey population. But I'm not a wildlife biologist and could be wrong.
Men you'll never win an argument on an online forum. Seriously we should act like men and respect each other and the hunting industry.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by guesswho »

turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:17 amWhat is the difference in shooting a "Legal" hen in the spring or shooting one in the fall? I'm not sure what your reasoning is here.
Personal choice, math and percentages would be my reasoning. If a hen makes it through the fall and into spring her chances of becoming a brood hen are far better than if she didn't survive the fall for whatever reason.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Turkinator »

turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:11 am
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 have actually seen a bearded hen with young, on two different occasions.
:thumbup: I wonder if the trait is passed on?
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guesswho
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by guesswho »

I hunt one area that I would estimate 25-30% of the hens have beards. That area also produces multibeard gobblers at about a 1 out of four rate. Over the years I've killed gobblers there that had from 1 to 7 beards. I'm not sure if it's related to bearded hens or not, but it sure seems to me areas with higher populations of bearded hens also have a higher percentage of multibearded gobblers.
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soiltester
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by soiltester »

Turkinator wrote: June 5th, 2019, 12:17 pm
turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:11 am
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 have actually seen a bearded hen with young, on two different occasions.
:thumbup: I wonder if the trait is passed on?
Yes it is, as I had a bearded hen in my backyard one time and had 4 bearded 2/3 grown hens and 3 jakes. :shock: :thumbup:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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soiltester
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by soiltester »

timbrhuntr wrote: June 5th, 2019, 10:04 am
soiltester wrote: June 4th, 2019, 8:20 pm
Hobbes_mobile wrote: June 4th, 2019, 8:15 pm To each their own, but I'm not into the hen killing, bearded or not. Spring in MT is"male turkey", so no hens. I don't (can't) shoot hen pheasants in the fall and have no desire to kill hen turkeys then either, legal or not. Until I can see clear evidence that there is a population explosion in MT and hen killing is needed, I've no desire.

God bless the gobbler incubators!!!
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


Last of 2 legal bearded hens I shot, had an egg in it when cleaned, waaayyyyy back when ..and that was the last of that stupidness :banghead:
You shot 2 bearded hens ! Shame ! Shame !! :blackeye:
How'd you know I said the same thing to myself and got severely reprimanded also :stir: :banghead: :slap:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by SwampDrummin »

decoykrvr wrote: June 3rd, 2019, 3:32 pm I never intimated that I had a problem w/ someone jump shooting ducks. However, there is a vast difference w/ jump shooting ducks or geese and sluicing them while they are sitting/sleeping on the water.
I always go sluicing a few times a year to get some ducks to eat. Fun slipping up on them buggers. The art is trying to get your limit of woodies with one shot. Never shoot hens though.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by turkeyinstrut »

Turkinator wrote: June 5th, 2019, 12:17 pm
turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:11 am
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 have actually seen a bearded hen with young, on two different occasions.
:thumbup: I wonder if the trait is passed on?
I'm sure it is, just like multi bearded birds. I hunt Missouri every spring and there is a little patch of woods out there (maybe 10 or 12 acres) that I have killed 5 multi bearded birds in over the years. I'm sure the bearded hens is a genetics thing also.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by turkeyinstrut »

guesswho wrote: June 5th, 2019, 12:24 pm I hunt one area that I would estimate 25-30% of the hens have beards. That area also produces multibeard gobblers at about a 1 out of four rate. Over the years I've killed gobblers there that had from 1 to 7 beards. I'm not sure if it's related to bearded hens or not, but it sure seems to me areas with higher populations of bearded hens also have a higher percentage of multibearded gobblers.
"it sure seems to me areas with higher populations of bearded hens also have a higher percentage of multibearded gobblers."

Agreed
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by MKW »

turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:17 am
MKW wrote: June 2nd, 2019, 5:56 pm To me, fall hens are fine to shoot, but I'd never shoot one in the spring, legal or not.
What is the difference in shooting a "Legal" hen in the spring or shooting one in the fall? I'm not sure what your reasoning is here.
My reasoning has nothing to do with populations or genetics, it's more about the traditions of turkey hunting. Mostly, hens, jakes, and jennys are killed in the fall. It seems that a lot less gobblers are killed in the fall. Spring is gobbling season and gobbler killing season. From my prospective, the 2 are totally different.
But, for the record, I have never been on a fall turkey hunt cause I've never lived where it is legal. I have had the chance to kill several bearded hens in the spring that would have been legal, but declined. Hell, I don't even care about beards on gobblers...I like spurs.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

I can recall one instance where I was looking hard for a beard on a hen so my young son could kill her. However, it wasn't so he could fill a tag, but instead would have been considered a mercy killing (I was out of tags). She hopped on one foot all morning due to some injury. She held that foot and leg up close enough to her body that I'm not sure if it was all there. She wasn't going to survive the local coyote population for very long. However, there was no beard to be found so we had no legal means to kill her. She may well have had a nest, but I supposed that she couldn't successfully raise them.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

With populations bustling over the country why not introduce "Earn a Gobbler" much like "Earn a Buck" no gobbler tag till you have shot your hen. Help get sex ratios in order
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Hobbes_mobile »

QTMA
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Hognutz »

ICDEDTURKES wrote: June 5th, 2019, 4:37 pm With populations bustling over the country why not introduce "Earn a Gobbler" much like "Earn a Buck" no gobbler tag till you have shot your hen. Help get sex ratios in order
This plus you must use a blind and at least one decoy of each sex!
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by turkeyinstrut »

MKW wrote: June 5th, 2019, 3:44 pm
turkeyinstrut wrote: June 5th, 2019, 11:17 am
MKW wrote: June 2nd, 2019, 5:56 pm To me, fall hens are fine to shoot, but I'd never shoot one in the spring, legal or not.
What is the difference in shooting a "Legal" hen in the spring or shooting one in the fall? I'm not sure what your reasoning is here.
My reasoning has nothing to do with populations or genetics, it's more about the traditions of turkey hunting. Mostly, hens, jakes, and jennys are killed in the fall. It seems that a lot less gobblers are killed in the fall. Spring is gobbling season and gobbler killing season. From my prospective, the 2 are totally different.
But, for the record, I have never been on a fall turkey hunt cause I've never lived where it is legal. I have had the chance to kill several bearded hens in the spring that would have been legal, but declined. Hell, I don't even care about beards on gobblers...I like spurs.
Point taken.

I too have had the opportunity to take a few bearded hens over the years and passed on them, although I did nearly shoot a bearded hen one time when she came in in full strut. :banghead: I had already moved my finger to the trigger when I realized what I was looking at.
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Re: Shooting hen turkeys

Post by Turkinator »

Hen strutting in Alabama
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