Hen Discussion.....

[fredfred]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

 

[Jcalder]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

 

[timberjack86]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

I see no problem killing a few hens when the population is high.

 

[Setterman]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

It's not possible to have too many hens, and saying that only shows a lack of understanding in turkeys and honestly turkey hunting.

Granted there are folks who generally don't like turkeys and prefer deer. They believe turkeys affect deer adversely so they want the turkeys gone.

Honestly, I can't believe what I just read, it truly blows my mind that mindset. I guess some of remember the days when seeing a turkey was a great day, and killing one truly epic. We weren't fortunate to start hunting after TWRA and others had worked for decades to restore the populations after people with the above mentality wiped out the native turkey flocks.

The new era of hunter, sheesh....

 

[Nealmeally]

I hunt a farm in Marshall county that has a lot of hens! When I say a lot, I mean I've sat and counted 100+ a flock, in more than one flock year round.. When you see 8+ mature longbeards together, all strutting together you think WTH... Well then you see 35+ hens come over the hill with em. It's hard to call a bird up with that many hens with em every single day, all day.. And you can go over the hill and see 30+ more hens and 5+ longbeards following them around. Every ridge you go over it's another flock.. The numbers are unreal and the hunting is very hard.. The noise of it all at daylight is a turkey hunter's dream. But by 10am you leave cussing 8 out of 10 times..Or you can stay all day and nothing changes..

I'm not an ambush kinda guy, I like calling him in. But even if I was an ambush guy it would almost be impossible to sneak in range with this many eyes.. The hens come to the longbeards and protect em. If you barely bump a call the hens lead the toms off..

As far as a population stand point I see why folks want to keep the hens alive. I also know and have farms to hunt with very low numbers of turkeys that used to be better. But the area in Marshall county has more than enough hens in my opinion. As far as a hunting view point of it, I do wish the hen numbers were lower on this place. It makes for very difficult hunting! I love a good challenge but I draw the line somewhere. I consider myself a good turkey hunter and great caller but having a place absolutley full of turkeys and you can't do nothing with em is frustrating..

You hear all the time, those birds will come when they get thru with the hens... these birds never get thru with the hens, at least not during the season anyways...

 

[fredfred]

I was just teasing about shooting them all. I've had a rough couple of seasons strung together so I shot her. She ate just as good as any gobbler I've ever killed. I almost didn't pull the trigger and If I'd killed a bearded hen before I would've waited on the gobbler that was undoubtable coming. Kinda like the 3 point I killed several years ago, I didn't have a 3 point in my collection. It's still the only 3 point I ever killed.

 

[AT Hiker]

Setterman,

I tend to agree with you on a lot of things but for the life of me I can not understand your relentless comments on the "new era of hunter". What exactly is the old hunter? Most of the old turkey hunters I know could care less how they killed a bird, the only method they knew was calling with limited calls. Blinds, dekes, super chokes, magnum loads, google earth, internet, etc didnt exist. They just wanted to hunt and hopefully kill a turkey. Just because a few successful hunters published a couple articles and books doesnt make them the father of turkey hunting, it simply makes them successful capitalist in the outdoor industry.


The jack leg you quoted is absurd to say he would kill them just out of spite, actually I feel his hunting tag should be revoked for life. The animals we pursue are due all the respect we can give them, to blatantly disrespect them is a disgrace to wildlife conservationist worldwide.

Whatever happened to the "hunt", my fondest memories turkey hunting are with my granddad, great uncle and there buddy (the only guy we knew who had a turkey call). We would camp the entire weekend; eat good, tell stories, shoot guns, hunt a couple hours, maybe hear/see a turkey, and most importantly go home with a ton of memories and the anxiety of getting back at it the next weekend. The kill was only part of the climax, but if it didnt happen it was not a complete loss.

If killing a hen brings it full circle for someone then so be it, but a bearded hen in the spring killed by a random hunter is likely not going make the species extinct.

What will make it extinct is all the bickering and judgment between fellow sportsmen, emphasis on sportsmen.

 

[Jcalder]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

It's not possible to have too many hens, and saying that only shows a lack of understanding in turkeys and honestly turkey hunting.

Granted there are folks who generally don't like turkeys and prefer deer. They believe turkeys affect deer adversely so they want the turkeys gone.

Honestly, I can't believe what I just read, it truly blows my mind that mindset. I guess some of remember the days when seeing a turkey was a great day, and killing one truly epic. We weren't fortunate to start hunting after TWRA and others had worked for decades to restore the populations after people with the above mentality wiped out the native turkey flocks.

The new era of hunter, sheesh....

I guess I never learned the old fashioned way. Never had a mentor. I'm not so silly to think that turkeys are hurting my deer hunting. I'd rather eat a turkey 10 to 1. 70-100 turkeys on 150 acres is way too many. I bumped them several times in the fall and the woods just explode with them. Watched 3 hens raise 26 poults last summer and I'm sure I'll see a ton more this year. Every ridge where I hunt is full of sign.

I may not be an elitist like yourself but if it's legal who cares. If killing a legal bird, deer, coon, mountain lion or panther gets your rocks off I'm happy for you. But your I'm greater than thou attitude because you don't like blinds decoys calls or camo is ridiculous. You've done nothing but bash people for legal tactics.

 

[AT Hiker]

Jcalder,

Your turkey population on the farm you hunt is crazy high, but I can almost promise your farm feeds 90% of the other lands...basically your place is the turkey supply farm. Trust me, my farm is this place as well. Opening morning we had 8 toms and 15 jakes on 75 acres...now if I would have invited all my buddies and my brothers would have hunted too we would have killed prob 4 of the mature toms. Then by season end we would have wiped them out, so just because its legal doesnt make it right either. Judgement on our part is very critical. Main reason we dont kill any of the 100 plus hens that reside on us during the fall, because I know for a fact they are the stock for many hundreds if not thousands of acres in my area.

 

[Jcalder]

Jcalder,

Your turkey population on the farm you hunt is crazy high, but I can almost promise your farm feeds 90% of the other lands...basically your place is the turkey supply farm. Trust me, my farm is this place as well. Opening morning we had 8 toms and 15 jakes on 75 acres...now if I would have invited all my buddies and my brothers would have hunted too we would have killed prob 4 of the mature toms. Then by season end we would have wiped them out, so just because its legal doesnt make it right either. Judgement on our part is very critical. Main reason we dont kill any of the 100 plus hens that reside on us during the fall, because I know for a fact they are the stock for many hundreds if not thousands of acres in my area.

I don't exactly hunt a farm. It's all hardwoods except a few 2-3 acre fields and borders dale hollow lake. There is 2 bigger fields close by but I've never seen a turkey in one and the other field the sightings have went down in the past few years. This year they've stayed on my side longer than usual for the spring. In the first 9 days I seen 12 hens in 2 different spots. Could have killed any of them. That's not my goal. My goal is to learn how to be efficient. My goal is to learn how to hunt them. I'm not gonna stand back and let someone run me in the ground for legal methods. I'm not a good turkey hunter by any means. I enjoy the outdoors and that's why I go. I can see why some don't like sitting in a blind. I've used one a few times this year. It's kinda boring sitting there waiting on them to come by. I can't tell which way the sounds are coming from. But it allows me to watch them and learn. Watch their behavior and listen to the sounds they make. Killings turkeys doesn't really get my rocks off. Being in God's creation is what I enjoy.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

What will make it extinct is all the bickering and judgment between fellow sportsmen, emphasis on sportsmen.

I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but if so, you've misread my intentions. I've gone out of my way to be courteous and respectful in this entire thread, but the idea that a hen full of eggs is some kind of trophy because she has hair on her chest is misinformed. If that opinion means I'm "bickering" then so be it. But if someone puts something debatable on a public forum (e.g., hen killing on a turkey forum), then no one should get their feelings hurt when debate ensues. People are going to have opinions different from my own. I understand that. But just because fellow hunters disagree about something does not mean we're ruining the sport somehow.

 

[fredfred]

The jack leg you quoted is absurd to say he would kill them just out of spite, actually I feel his hunting tag should be revoked for life. The animals we pursue are due all the respect we can give them, to blatantly disrespect them is a disgrace to wildlife conservationist worldwide.

Guess you missed my post were I said I was just teasing and explained why I killed it. But I really don't care how you kill your prey, you buy your license just like I do. That being said I don't own a decoy, a blind or any of that crap. I don't want to hunt them that way. I don't sit on a field edge and wait on them either that's no fun for me. I've actually only killed 1 turkey in a field and I called him to it. The only way I like to hunt turkeys is to call them in Gobbling..... If it don't get my heart pounding and make me shake I don't want to do it. Now If I could hunt them with dogs I would be ruint completely

 

[catman529]

Jcalder,

Your turkey population on the farm you hunt is crazy high, but I can almost promise your farm feeds 90% of the other lands...basically your place is the turkey supply farm. Trust me, my farm is this place as well. Opening morning we had 8 toms and 15 jakes on 75 acres...now if I would have invited all my buddies and my brothers would have hunted too we would have killed prob 4 of the mature toms. Then by season end we would have wiped them out, so just because its legal doesnt make it right either. Judgement on our part is very critical. Main reason we dont kill any of the 100 plus hens that reside on us during the fall, because I know for a fact they are the stock for many hundreds if not thousands of acres in my area.

you wouldn't wipe out the turkeys, well maybe if you had several guys hunt real hard, but the birds learn to move to adjacent properties when they are hunted. Seen it on public land a few times. They stay on other farms and will gobble but won't move

 

[catman529]

What will make it extinct is all the bickering and judgment between fellow sportsmen, emphasis on sportsmen.

I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but if so, you've misread my intentions. I've gone out of my way to be courteous and respectful in this entire thread, but the idea that a hen full of eggs is some kind of trophy because she has hair on her chest is misinformed. If that opinion means I'm "bickering" then so be it. But if someone puts something debatable on a public forum (e.g., hen killing on a turkey forum), then no one should get their feelings hurt when debate ensues. People are going to have opinions different from my own. I understand that. But just because fellow hunters disagree about something does not mean we're ruining the sport somehow.

it's not good to kill a bunch of egg-bearing hens especially where population isn't stellar... But look at the number of bearded hens and the number of people who actually will shoot one. I don't see it ever hurting the population... And you may not think the meat is worth it, but some people will gladly take the 5 or 6 lbs of meat and the scraggly 6" beard because they don't see a bearded hen every day. Me id rather kill only longbeards in the spring, but a bearded hen is on the bucket list and I'd like to get one maybe in the fall season.

 

[Setterman]

Setterman,

I tend to agree with you on a lot of things but for the life of me I can not understand your relentless comments on the "new era of hunter". What exactly is the old hunter? Most of the old turkey hunters I know could care less how they killed a bird, the only method they knew was calling with limited calls. Blinds, dekes, super chokes, magnum loads, google earth, internet, etc didnt exist. They just wanted to hunt and hopefully kill a turkey. Just because a few successful hunters published a couple articles and books doesnt make them the father of turkey hunting, it simply makes them successful capitalist in the outdoor industry.

The new era in my view is a kill at all cost only concerned with punching a tag and nothing else. They care nothing about the actual hunt and a hunt is only successful if it ends with death. Killing is the only fun thing to them about hunting.

Turn on the outdoor channel most any day and you can see an endless parade of this type.

The old breed and most everyone I know that hunts sees things completely different. Sure we love punching tags and punch a ton each year, but the hunt is as important as the killing if not more.

There's almost no way to describe in words the new era, but it's not hard to spot them or understand the traits I refer to. There is a new generation and on this hen thing many times they view them as a nuisance causing them to not kill the gobbler, therefore they need to die so it makes it easier for them to tag that longbeard. They could just learn how to hunt and deal with henned up birds, but that's too hard, it's easier to take the shortcuts to kill said longbeard.

Face it there's not enough meat on a turkey, especially a hen to make that the sole reason any of us hunts them. Granted they are delicious, I hunt turkeys to play the chess game and deceive a gobbler or the whole flock into coming to me. This is what turkey hunting was and still is where I come from and for the folks I interact with daily. Without the chess game, it's just killing IMO

 

[Setterman]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

It's not possible to have too many hens, and saying that only shows a lack of understanding in turkeys and honestly turkey hunting.

Granted there are folks who generally don't like turkeys and prefer deer. They believe turkeys affect deer adversely so they want the turkeys gone.

Honestly, I can't believe what I just read, it truly blows my mind that mindset. I guess some of remember the days when seeing a turkey was a great day, and killing one truly epic. We weren't fortunate to start hunting after TWRA and others had worked for decades to restore the populations after people with the above mentality wiped out the native turkey flocks.

The new era of hunter, sheesh....

I guess I never learned the old fashioned way. Never had a mentor. I'm not so silly to think that turkeys are hurting my deer hunting. I'd rather eat a turkey 10 to 1. 70-100 turkeys on 150 acres is way too many. I bumped them several times in the fall and the woods just explode with them. Watched 3 hens raise 26 poults last summer and I'm sure I'll see a ton more this year. Every ridge where I hunt is full of sign.

I may not be an elitist like yourself but if it's legal who cares. If killing a legal bird, deer, coon, mountain lion or panther gets your rocks off I'm happy for you. But your I'm greater than thou attitude because you don't like blinds decoys calls or camo is ridiculous. You've done nothing but bash people for legal tactics.

What exactly makes you qualified to determine how many turkeys are too many?

You can get into the name calling if you like and call me an elitist or whatever makes you feel better.

We didn't have mentors, we went to the store bought calls as teenagers and went to the woods. You know what, we got our butts kicked a ton, but slowly we started to figure it out and consistently kill birds. We learned from our mistakes, we learned to kill henned up birds, we learned to kill field birds, basically we learned to turkey hunt. Sure at times it was frustrating and there were seasons were we didn't kill much, and there were times we were ready to throw in the towel. But the way we were raised, we did things the hard way and you earned your success it wasn't given to you on a silver platter.

None of this makes me better than anyone, and it doesn't make others bad hunters etc etc., it's just a completely different outlook on things. And it's not limited to hunting, in fact it's even worse in other areas of our lives.


From your posts and the way you speak your mentality is completely different from what I can gather. Sure you want to learn but you are more concerned with instant success rather than really understanding this stuff. It really bothers you that there are folks like me who fully believe in the approach of a call, shotgun, and tree is the way turkeys are meant to be hunted. You point and call names when we express we don't like new additions to the turkey hunting market like blinds, decoys, etc etc. Remember some of us began when decoys were illegal and learned to hunt without them.



Please go on and continue to accuse me of bashing, elitism, etc etc it makes zero difference to me.

 

[Jcalder]

I shot a bearded hen last weekend. Its the only hen I have ever killed. It was kind of a novelty to me. I don't feel bad about it. I might shoot another one if I feel like it or maybe not. Hate on me and I'll shoot em all LoL just out of spite.

I feel the same way lol. Wish half my hens would go somewhere else. Have way too many

It's not possible to have too many hens, and saying that only shows a lack of understanding in turkeys and honestly turkey hunting.

Granted there are folks who generally don't like turkeys and prefer deer. They believe turkeys affect deer adversely so they want the turkeys gone.

Honestly, I can't believe what I just read, it truly blows my mind that mindset. I guess some of remember the days when seeing a turkey was a great day, and killing one truly epic. We weren't fortunate to start hunting after TWRA and others had worked for decades to restore the populations after people with the above mentality wiped out the native turkey flocks.

The new era of hunter, sheesh....

I guess I never learned the old fashioned way. Never had a mentor. I'm not so silly to think that turkeys are hurting my deer hunting. I'd rather eat a turkey 10 to 1. 70-100 turkeys on 150 acres is way too many. I bumped them several times in the fall and the woods just explode with them. Watched 3 hens raise 26 poults last summer and I'm sure I'll see a ton more this year. Every ridge where I hunt is full of sign.

I may not be an elitist like yourself but if it's legal who cares. If killing a legal bird, deer, coon, mountain lion or panther gets your rocks off I'm happy for you. But your I'm greater than thou attitude because you don't like blinds decoys calls or camo is ridiculous. You've done nothing but bash people for legal tactics.

What exactly makes you qualified to determine how many turkeys are too many?

You can get into the name calling if you like and call me an elitist or whatever makes you feel better.

We didn't have mentors, we went to the store bought calls as teenagers and went to the woods. You know what, we got our butts kicked a ton, but slowly we started to figure it out and consistently kill birds. We learned from our mistakes, we learned to kill henned up birds, we learned to kill field birds, basically we learned to turkey hunt. Sure at times it was frustrating and there were seasons were we didn't kill much, and there were times we were ready to throw in the towel. But the way we were raised, we did things the hard way and you earned your success it wasn't given to you on a silver platter.

None of this makes me better than anyone, and it doesn't make others bad hunters etc etc., it's just a completely different outlook on things. And it's not limited to hunting, in fact it's even worse in other areas of our lives.


From your posts and the way you speak your mentality is completely different from what I can gather. Sure you want to learn but you are more concerned with instant success rather than really understanding this stuff. It really bothers you that there are folks like me who fully believe in the approach of a call, shotgun, and tree is the way turkeys are meant to be hunted. You point and call names when we express we don't like new additions to the turkey hunting market like blinds, decoys, etc etc. Remember some of us began when decoys were illegal and learned to hunt without them.



Please go on and continue to accuse me of bashing, elitism, etc etc it makes zero difference to me.

I'm not lookin for instant success. If that was the case u woulda quit hunting 10 years ago. It's not about the kill. If that was the case I wouldn't own a blind call or decoy. I don't even own the decoys I have. I've used them twice this yr and neither time did it make a difference if they were there or not. But I would burn a ton of gas and shoot em out the window. But that ain't my style.

I'm not doubting your ability and I'm not saying you're a bad hunter. The point I'm making is you bash anyone that uses a legal method to take a legal animal if it doesn't fit your style. There's 13000 members here and you'll get 13000 different opinions. But if 13000 people are doing it the legal way what does it matter. I don't understand what's so bad about blinds and decoys in your book. I can see why some don't like using a blind.

This new age hunter you speak of and put down so much with be the death of hunting. It's not about the kill. I've went home way too many more times empty handed than I ever have with something in the back of the truck. I will agree with you on the hunting shows. I don't watch them because how ridiculous they've become.

 

[woodsman87]

I wish I had too many turkeys. Sounds like heaven to have a turkey per acre like.

I have never once bet upset or mad and complained and griped about hens "ruining" a hunt. To me that is a part of turkey hunting. Some of you act like hens are the enemy, and they are there to make your misfortune.

This may sound harsh, but if anybody thinks they have "too many hens" then I honestly think they should quit turkey hunting, that it isn't for them. I get the picture that if you think there are too many then you will just kill them to be killing them. You also honestly weren't around turkey hunting when there weren't many turkeys or in the population decline areas.

 

[VolHunter22]

Just started hunting turkeys last year. A couple of weeks ago I killed my first tom on Sunday and then called back and forth with a hen for the first time on Monday. Learning to imitate her calls right back to her to see what would happen was great. I had her getting closer and closer until my dad had to move a little bit and she took off before she got to the top of the ridge. That was just as exciting as killing the longbeard.

Not every young guy/new hunter is this "new breed" of hunter. I think it just depends on who you learn from.

 

[Frank G]

IMO can not have a better decoys then "live" hens roaming around. The boys will be there! I even like to have them roaming around during WT season, confidence decoys ...... the deer know if the turky are not spooked the area is OK. I believe that turkey hunting will make you a much better WT hunter overall.