I have tried 1/4 oz on my Med-Heavy St Croix Legend Spring bobber rod… as James said, it was all but useless. I prefer using a lighter action rod… Medium to Medium-Heavy maybe… and watching the tip. most fish that are going to hit a 1/4… you will see it at the rod tip. Just like the spring bobber, have to pay attention. I use the St Croix Premier for those cases.
Someone i know passed on a beared hen to shot a tom. He was shunned by the outfitter and was almost sent packing. Ive heard that a bearded hen is rare? Are they a “trophy?” Whats the big hype.
I’ve seen a few around here. I don’t consider it a trophy. I guess I would be looking for a new outfitter if they shunned me for shooting a tom turkey…. That would be the whole point of the hunt.
I have seen maybe 3 in 20 years of hunting so I would say they are rare but I still wouldn’t spend $450 to mount one so I would take a Tom if one was present at the same time as the bearded hen. I am a meat hunter first, trophy second and Toms weight 5 to 10 pounds more, lots of delicious breast meat there!
About 4% of all hens are bearded, making them fairly rare, but genetically this can be seen more often in certain areas. Seems like we always have one around, though it’s been a year or two since I’ve seen one myself. I’ve passed on a few myself, and would likely pass again to shoot a tom.
That said, from the position of not shooting bearded hens because they would be mother to many more turkeys, I’m not so sure about that. I’ve had time to observe how the rest of the flock treats them at bird feeders and also out in the woods….most often they’re shunned. Other hens pick on them, and toms seem to ignore them. I have never seen a tom show interest in one of them as the lead hen in the flock, and in a food situation, other hens chase them away from the food source. This might not be true everywhere, it’s just what I’ve observed.
Joel
As Joel said it depends on the areas. My place we hunt in MN I see a few every year. NE I see a lot of them I might of see 7 or 8 different bearded hens this spring in NE. In the fall I would take one but spring it will be tough for me to harvest that bird. Not saying I never will but just can’t get myself to do it. A friend shot one last spring great long beard on it but had 8 eggs in it when we dressed her out. 
The last couple years is an exception by my farm. We had what i considered a lot before the last few severe winter kills. On average, we would see about 6 to 8 out of about 75 birds. So that’s a little higher average than Joel stated with 4%.
I disagree on the reproduction side of what Joel stated. However, this is observations from a different area than where Joel was watching. My dad and a few clients have shot bearded hens in the later seasons, and they had eggs in them. I also have seen them on nests while picking mushrooms, and leading their brood while working around the farm. I’ve had toms bust off coarse from my decoys to catch up with a bearded hen in the earlier seasons, so I think they breed as any other hen would. Also, in the fall as they walked across my fields in pecking order, I’ve seen a number of bearded hens leading the way or nearly up front in the pecking order. So socially, I don’t see them getting shunned by the rest of the order. Maybe its because of the higher density???? I have no idea why…. Though, those days are over and I still haven’t seen a bird on my farm yet this year – alive… 
As for the outfitter shunning a hunter for not taking a hen – Fire the outfitter. Heck, I’ve had guys pass on really nice toms because they were hunting a “trophy” – not an average or above average bird. I get a pay check either way, so if a hunter makes the decision to not fill his/her tag, so be it. No need for me to cause any drama. As long as I work my butt off and try to put them in the best position to have an opportunity, I sleep good at night!
In my opinion it’s up to the hunter if he wants to take the hen or not. I see it as a unique opportunity personally and may have taken it. IMHO the guide is supposed to get me into the position to have a chance at seeing and possibly taking a bird. It up to the sport to pull the trigger. If I see game or not and the guide had access to nice land accommodations good camaraderie etc and it seemed the guide did there best I’d consider it a good hunt even if a shot was not fired. Unless canned hunt nothing except opportunity is guaranteed. I do not know why guide would be upset. Unless there is a biological reason to cull bearded hens. Then that should of been discussed when hunt was booked.
Mwal
Cool to hear all the different takes from different places. The 4% stat is from a study in West Virginia many years ago now, and it’s the reported statistic our DNR uses for the turkey clinics I teach. Cleaning a bearded hen with eggs in it would be enough to sway my decision, but by all means it’s a personal decision.
I’ve spoken to our DNR about it on numerous occasions, mostly CO’s, and they feel the law is in place primarily for enforcement reasons. For some who aren’t sure what they’re looking at, they would shoot because it has a beard and not know that it was a hen.
Joel
Yes law says bearded turkey same as antlered deer since some does have antlers.
Mwal
Also people do like them as a unique bird. Some people have never see one. Some day if that works out I will take one but will try in the fall if I can help it. There is a spot I do hunt in SD on tribal they open up hens during the spring at times.So there would be one of the places I would take one in the spring if given the chance. A few white ones running around there also that I tried to get a few years ago. Just didn’t work out.
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