Boss bearded hen

[Pygmy]

This afternoon I came around a bend in a secondary road and had to slow down for a flock of  about 30 turkeys..They appeared to be gravelling on the shoulder of the road..

They appeared to be a typical flock of hens and poults....

Then I spotted a bird with a long beard..At first glance I thought it was a tom, but as I looked closer it was a hen..She wasn't more than ten yards away, so I got a good look at her..

She had a beard that was at least nine inches long..Maybe pushing ten....And while it was not a real heavy beard, it was heavier than any hen beard I have seen. Probably about the size of an average two year old tom...

Over the years I have seen quite a few bearded hens, but most had fairly short, spindly beards..

This old girl had a DANDY beard...  She'd make a nice mount for someone who wanted a unique turkey mount...

As por MOI, I would just as soon see her survive and raise a few more poults... ....

[Doewhacker]

Wow thats pretty neat, I can't remember ever seeing a bearded hen. I will put on the list of stuff I wanna see.

[sodfather]

I have never seen one that long before only ones that you mentioned short and stubby. I think I would pass and let that girl go bye or maybee work for me.

[WNY Bowhunter]

Bearded hens are pretty common in my neck of the woods.  I typically see 3 or 4 every spring while scouting/hunting.  I have killed two of them, one in the fall several years ago and this one during the Spring '09 season.  She came in and assaulted my decoy.  Typically, I wouldn't even consider shooting a bearded hen in the spring, but it was the last morning, it was about to start pouring out and this particully hen screwed me up several times that season so I decided to get a little payback...

Here's another one that I've been watching for several years on a friends farm.  I killed her boyfriend in the bottom pic...

[Geno C]

thats pretty neat, i never heard of this

[Culvercreek hunt club]

thats pretty neat, i never heard of this

Geno....every one has an Aunt "Murna".....big old scarey moustache.....same thing...lol.

there are two of these in the flock where I took my buck this year. I have never seen one during season and not sure if I would take it or not....but they are as described...kinda like a jakes beard

[Geno C]

LOL thats funny! yeah ive never seen one. its odd but its not uncommon i guess. learn something new everyday lol

[TH41]

The longest bearded hen i took was 7 1/2 on a fall hunt. Thin as a pencil. And had a couple come in the spring two years ago with 6 inch beards. That was the first time I had two together. My buddy had to do a double take. He came close to pullin the trigger on the one. That fall they both had maybe 8 to 10 poults a piece .And their beards were the same length. Those are some cool pics.

[G-Man]

I have a bearded hen on video fromabout 12 years ago spring season gobbling and strutting,sounded like a sick jake, definately a hen didn't shoot her though... nys says its legal but i'll pass everytime..

[TH41]

I have a bearded hen on video fromabout 12 years ago spring season gobbling and strutting,sounded like a sick jake, definately a hen didn't shoot her though... nys says its legal but i'll pass everytime..

And ya know what. If I didn't have witnesses with me to hear a hen gobble and see her spit and drum in a full strut. People think your full of s#!t. I have had old hens do it in the fall. I think they get so agitated and excited,they basically flip out. The last one was last spring. I think she had a nest close by. She went back and forth in front of us for nearly two hours. She'd walk off. I'd start cutting,and she would come marching back. Cuttin,struttin, and gobble here and there. We call them butches,lol. And yes it is a weird gobble,hard to explain?? I gobble back at them on the mouth call,and really stir them up. :D

[WNY Bowhunter]

About 7-8 years ago I was hunting with my dad and I called a hen in that started strutting and even gobbled several times too. 

[Pygmy]

Les-B-Hens...... ...

I've never seen that phenomenon myself, but a good friend of mine who is a "no BS"  kind of guy told me about calling in a hen that strutted and gobbled...

I guess turkeys suffer from sexual identity crises too....

[TH41]

Les-B-Hens...... ...

I've never seen that phenomenon myself, but a good friend of mine who is a "no BS"  kind of guy told me about calling in a hen that strutted and gobbled...

I guess turkeys suffer from sexual identity crises too....

LOL!!! I call em he she's