Do you guys think multi bearded turkeys are becoming more common? It probably took me 30 or more turkeys before I ever killed one. Now its almost like a yearly occurrence that either I or someone I have always hunted with kills one. Not just double beards either we've been seeing a lot of 3+ beards. What's y'alls thoughts on this?
More multi beards?
- Thread starter Kyboy
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RoyalPrudent
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mutations could be occuring due to environmental concerns. It's pretty common in frogs for instance, but we'd need quantitative proof before we'd know that for sure.
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
In my opinion, it's genetic and therefore regional. I have no scientific data to support that, but it seems like certain places and certain farms produce them more often than others. I have a buddy in AL who seems to kill one every year or two in the same places, and I killed a handful off a farm I used to hunt in Carroll County. Maybe it was just in my mind, but it seemed like that farm also had a lot of bearded hens, so maybe there is some genetic correlation.
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
I've killed a few gobbler's with multi-beard's,killed one last year that had 3 beard's!See several bearded hen's in turkey season!
I killed my first turkey in 1995 and have never killed a multi bearded bird. 
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
It seems to be related to certain areas to me. I've never killed one with multi beards and actually never saw one alive or dead.
We have killed atleast one a season for the past 5-6 years with multi beards, from two big thick beards to five beards
Agree. The only ones I've killed have been while hunting in middle TN.
Have never seen or killed one in our county on the plateau.
killed my first last year.
I killed have killed 3. A 6 beard that hillbilly hunter called in for me in 2001, and 2- 4 bearded turkeys a day apart. I posted a pic on here of 8 beards together lol. I think that was in 2011. Not another one since and had no idea any of them had multibeards- really didnt care anyway. A tom is a tom to me
338lapuaman
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well you know recognizing as a transgender seems to be all the rave now a days so why should turkeys be any different....LMAO
I believe it's because of all the GMO corn these turkeys are eating!
exarcherman
Member
i rarely see multi bearded turkeys here in edge of hawkins/greene county... i'm sure you're in a genetically predisposed spot.. Some multi-beard genetics evidently is doing well there..
exarcherman
Member
i've seen more bearded hens than multi bearded toms! the beard on them is always pencil thin..
Wrangler95
Well-Known Member
Saw a bearded hen this spring that had a 7 or 8 inch beard that was pencil thin!!
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
We've killed several a couple decades ago, most was 7 beards. For whatever reason, haven't seen many past 5 years. We did kill a bird with 3 thick bears 3y ago, but none since. For some reason, I don't look at them as anything special. I'm more interested in the hunt itself and the spur length.
I'm with you on not caring about beards, but man do I love some sharp long spurs. I just find it interesting how multibeards are becoming more common, and honestly I think longer spurs are becoming more common as well.
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
Same here. Multi-beardedness is just a genetic fluke and as I understand it, they have multiple beards even as a jake. Hunt quality being equal, If I had my choice between a turkey with virtually no beard but 1.5" spurs, or a 2 yr old with 5 beards, I'll shoot the long spurred turkey every time.
Stlbaseball1
Well-Known Member
In my opinion, multi beards and long spurs are not more any more common. I think we are made aware of so many more kills due to all forms of Social Media.
Think about it… prior to social media the only kills you knew about were family/close friends and from the local checking station or coffee shop. Now we literally know about 10x more the number of kills. Same goes for big deer, in my humble opinion.
I agree to that, but I am also talking personal experience. Especially on multi beards, it was just like all of a sudden they became more common. I might just pay more attention to the beards when I kill one now, who knows.
