Hunting Washington Forum

Community => Photo & Video => Topic started by: Decker on April 11, 2010, 03:24:12 PM

Title: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: Decker on April 11, 2010, 03:24:12 PM: Did a little scouting the other morning and was surprised when I got home to find just how many bearded hens I had gotten photos of in less than a couple hours. The last picture is of a hen strutting along side the Toms. Make sure to look on the original size, or you might miss some.

How many do you count between the two different groups?
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: Tom Reichner on April 12, 2010, 03:18:47 PM: Hey, Decker, cool photos!

I'm having a hard time seeing the detail of the hen's beards. Not sure how to view at original size. I'm sure if I could figure out how to see the full sized files I'd see the beards on the hens - do you know how I can see the images larger than they appear here?

I actually didn't know that hens regularly had beards. I guess all those "young jakes" I've been seeing are actually hens? I'll have to take a closer look at the birds I've been photographing and look for any hens with beards. Is it a rather common occurrence, or rare?
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on April 12, 2010, 03:23:39 PM: click on the jpg code on bottom of picture.
It is kinda hard to see, but I count 3 in both pictures ?
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: KimberRich on April 12, 2010, 03:34:16 PM: I see 3 in each also..

I think there are quite a few with beards but from what I've seen in the woods the beards are thin and whispy and vary hard to see at 30 or 40 yards. I would have to have one at about 20 feet to really feel comfortable with making sure of the beard before shooting one. :twocents:

I think I would set up my "blind" under the trampoline!
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: wackmaster on April 12, 2010, 04:51:53 PM: I see 4 2 in each pic :dunno:
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: Decker on April 12, 2010, 07:34:29 PM: Quote from: KimberRich on April 12, 2010, 03:34:16 PM
I think there are quite a few with beards but from what I've seen in the woods the beards are thin and whispy and vary hard to see at 30 or 40 yards. I would have to have one at about 20 feet to really feel comfortable with making sure of the beard before shooting one. :twocents:

I agree with you about not being able to see them while hunting. I carry quality optics with me on all hunts and have found they can be invaluable even for turkey hunting which most people consider a "close range" hunt.

Tom, when you click and open the file, you (should) be able to zoom in on the hens with whatever viewer you're using. I for sure count 3 in the "trampoline" picture, and 2.5 in the hillside picture. (One I'm not positive about.)
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: Tom Reichner on April 16, 2010, 09:26:42 AM: This thread is great! I wasn't aware that hens could have beards until I read it here. So when I was out photographing wild turkeys a few days ago I looked closely at the hens, and sure enough, 3 of them had beards! Here is a pic that shows a bearded hen close up:
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: boneaddict on April 16, 2010, 10:35:42 AM: Nice post guys. I understand they often have multiple beard, usually sparse and short, but morelikely to have multiples. I wonder if its a hormonal thing like women growing "beards". I had a pheasant that started growing male feathers as well.
Title: Re: Bearded and Strutting Hens
Post by: tlbradford on April 16, 2010, 01:18:25 PM: In the Cheney area the ratio is pretty high. I would guess around 1 in 10 have beards. They are a lot more rare in other parts of the country.