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10% of turkey harvest is female?

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Goshen Valley Boy

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Are these all bearded hens? What is up with all the female harvests? I looked at the harvest totals ans was shocked to see over 1000 female harvests out of 10,000 total birds so far. Are female birds legal in some counties?

It seems awfully unlikely that there are THAT many bearded hens harvested...or is it? Just curious.
 
I realize bearded hens are legal...I just didn't know they were that common. I would be shocked if 10% of the harvests so far were actually bearded hens. Something just doesn't seem to add up there.
 
They are common as dirt, and we should follow other states in the SE and outlaw them being harvested in the spring. There is no reason to kill hens, especially during the spring. Fall, okay, I guess but even then...


I have never understood the infatuation with bearded hens, it is just another hen that has a genetic mutation, there isn't enough meat on them to make that the reason. The only reason I can see, is that it is another body to add to someones list.
 
Well, I did a little research. I would not go so far as to classify bearded hens as "common as dirt", but they are more common than I thought. From what I was able to find, as many as 10 to 20 percent of hens in some areas will have visible beards. That is quite a few, but it still is a HUGE number to have 10% of the total harvest to this point be hens.
 
When I look at the harvest report page for 2010, I see a total harvest of 9,346 turkeys with 54 being females.
 
InfoMan said:
When I look at the harvest report page for 2010, I see a total harvest of 9,346 turkeys with 54 being females.
Click to expand...

^^This^^


GVB, the 1000+ you are seeing are jakes not hens.
 
Something is screwy. I just checked again and you are correct.

This morning when I checked the total harvest was around 10,000 and there were over 1,000 hens listed.

Perhaps there was some sort of glich in the system.
 
Swamphunter said:
Carlos Viagra said:
Shooting hens helps to control the population which is necessary in the counties that have a season for female turkeys set by TWRA.
Click to expand...

Trap them and move them to other counties. And, why is population control neccesary for turkeys? They don't cause car wrecks or eat up all the food if there are too many.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the turkey population is much more fluid then deer, and huge population swings can happen from year to year depending on weather conditions and food supplies. I do not believe in ever shooting hens, EVER. Fall or Spring, however in the fall a few probably doesn't hurt much, and based on our fall harvests I would say there isn't much impact. But who knows, our spring gobbler harvests have declined since the inception of liberal fall harvests. So draw your own conclusions.

Shooting bearded hens is unnecessary IMO, the thrill of spring turkey hunting is gobbling strutting toms, not sneaky hens. JMHO

Maybe everyone should be required to read the Tenth Legion before being issued a turkey permit, written by a man who hunted when there were no turkeys, and truly understands what this sport is all about.
 
It gets really old you telling others how they should and shouldn't hunt setterman.You can feel how you want but you always seem to put down other styles of hunting you don't agree with.

If people want to stalk gobblers,shoot bearded hens,take turkey at 50 yards why act like they don't know what turkey hunting is all about?I don't see why you act like your style of hunting is the only way to do it and others should do it like you.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but you just need to let others hunt thier way and stop putting other down for hunting.
 
RAFI said:
It gets really old you telling others how they should and shouldn't hunt setterman.You can feel how you want but you always seem to put down other styles of hunting you don't agree with.

If people want to stalk gobblers,shoot bearded hens,take turkey at 50 yards why act like they don't know what turkey hunting is all about?I don't see why you act like your style of hunting is the only way to do it and others should do it like you.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but you just need to let others hunt thier way and stop putting other down for hunting.
Click to expand...

Don't think I put anyone down in my post, just stated my opinions. Is that illegal now? I didn't say something really idiotic like "folks who shoot bearded hens are losers", and would never say anything like that. I just stated my opinions on the subject.

Just because I differ in my opinions doesn't mean I am putting someone down. I just don't see the point personally. I would say there are plenty here that would not agree with drinking 20 beers in one night, and if they said such I wouldn't take it as a slam on me for downing a bunch of beers. It is just their opinion.

Don't really know what else to say, if you wish to shoot a hen then have at it, I just personally do not believe it is necessary to ever shoot hens.
 
Swamphunter said:
Carlos Viagra said:
Shooting hens helps to control the population which is necessary in the counties that have a season for female turkeys set by TWRA.
Click to expand...

Trap them and move them to other counties. And, why is population control neccesary for turkeys? They don't cause car wrecks or eat up all the food if there are too many.
Click to expand...

have you ever seen the results of a flock of turkeys on an oak flat in the fall? they will clean the acorns up in about 3 days. and i know of several instances where they have gone through windshields and/or caused wrecks.

i think they are feathered rats and should be year round season with no limit!!
 
stik said:
Swamphunter said:
Carlos Viagra said:
Shooting hens helps to control the population which is necessary in the counties that have a season for female turkeys set by TWRA.
Click to expand...

Trap them and move them to other counties. And, why is population control neccesary for turkeys? They don't cause car wrecks or eat up all the food if there are too many.
Click to expand...

have you ever seen the results of a flock of turkeys on an oak flat in the fall? they will clean the acorns up in about 3 days. and i know of several instances where they have gone through windshields and/or caused wrecks.

i think they are feathered rats and should be year round season with no limit!!
Click to expand...

:grin:

I wondered when you would chime in, they can do some damage to the food supply, but so can deer. Just depends on what your priorities are I guess.
 
i take my shotgun on a walk through the woods a time or two every spring in hopes of getting the satisfaction of killing one.
 

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