# Ever accidentally shot a hen...



## joejack (Jan 30, 2009)

Anyone ever shot a hen by accident ? Ill admit to killing 2. One was standing unseen behind a gobbler I shot and caught some of his lead. The other was shot out of the air after I had been working a bird and she flew up off the ground. Good case for not shooting flying birds. But not good enough. Proper authorities were notified. They both tasted good too. You guys shooting TSS better make sure there are no hens in back of your gobblers.


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## Medicine Man (Jan 30, 2009)

Never have but I would not say that it couldn't happen..


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## BookHound (Jan 30, 2009)

You mean like at 315-yards in a 5 mile cross wind with a 168-grain OTM round through the base of the neck?

Nope.  Never.


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## Cane_Creek (Jan 30, 2009)

I was with a guy that did..... It was the president of the hunt club and I had just joined.  He wanted to take me out on a hunt.  We got set up and he started his calling sequence.  I was about 10 feet in front of him (we had seen some gobblers in a field so we set up on them).

Anway after about 5 minutes or so I hear a bird clucking behind us in the road.  He swings around and shoots it!!!  It turned out the be a hen.  He said he thought it was a Jake.  He almost strated crying being the club President and all.  He burried the bird and ask me not to tell anyone.  That was about 10 years ago.  I never told anyone.


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## letsemwalk (Jan 30, 2009)

rules from my hunter education course.
identify your target.
if you shoot a hen out of the air,you did not identify your target before you pulled the trigger.


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## jonboy (Jan 30, 2009)

What's a hen???


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## joejack (Jan 30, 2009)

letsemwalk said:


> rules from my hunter education course.
> identify your target.
> if you shoot a hen out of the air,you did not identify your target before you pulled the trigger.



Sure I identified it. I certainly knew it was a turkey and not farmer Browns cow.


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## letsemwalk (Jan 30, 2009)

joejack said:


> Sure I identified it. I certainly knew it was a turkey and not farmer Browns cow.




did you indentify it as being legal game?


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## bnew17 (Jan 30, 2009)

Me and a good friend of mine were hunting in Pulaski Co and were calling to a nice tom that was out in the field strutting. He had several hens with him and we actually watched him "tend" to one. We had thick grass to our right along the treeline and a bearded hen snuck up on us. She had about a 4" beard and when i first looked over there her beard was the first thing i saw. I slipped my safety off and was gonna shoot until i looked up at her head and realized it was a hen not a tom.


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## gobbler10ga (Jan 30, 2009)

Not by accident


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## Resica (Jan 30, 2009)

Cane_Creek said:


> I was with a guy that did..... It was the president of the hunt club and I had just joined.  He wanted to take me out on a hunt.  We got set up and he started his calling sequence.  I was about 10 feet in front of him (we had seen some gobblers in a field so we set up on them).
> 
> Anway after about 5 minutes or so I hear a bird clucking behind us in the road.  He swings around and shoots it!!!  It turned out the be a hen.  He said he thought it was a Jake.  He almost strated crying being the club President and all.  He burried the bird and ask me not to tell anyone.  That was about 10 years ago.  I never told anyone.


Scary!!


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## pnome (Jan 30, 2009)

Cane_Creek said:


> He burried the bird and ask me not to tell anyone.  That was about 10 years ago.  I never told anyone.



Until now anyway.


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## TK1 (Jan 30, 2009)

There is absolutely no excuse in the world for shooting a hen in the spring....


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## dpoole (Jan 30, 2009)

I heard they eat pretty good, so i am told.


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## Lostoutlaw (Jan 30, 2009)

They do eat good!!!! Now I'm not saying I killed one


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## joejack (Jan 30, 2009)

TK1 said:


> There is absolutely no excuse in the world for shooting a hen in the spring....



I guess us Southern fellows can think on our feet a little quicker than most. Heck, I can think of 10 or 15 reasons without breaking a sweat. BTW..We seem to have lost Missouri.


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## Arrow3 (Jan 30, 2009)

Nope...Not ever but know some guys that have.


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## PoBoy (Jan 30, 2009)

Nobody is perfect, NOBODY.


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## Phillip Thurmond (Jan 30, 2009)

Was hunting with a guy one time and saw several gobblers strutting in the field.  Anyway I'm behind him on my knees looking over his shoulder.  He is waiting for the hen's to clear the gobbler.  Finally one of the gobblers is standing all by himself and the closest hen is 10 yards away to his left.  He shoots and the hen to the left drops like a rock and the gobbler never came out of strut.  I don't know what happened as he said he was aiming at the gobbler.  All I know is I don't hunt with him anymore.


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## Gadget (Jan 30, 2009)

joejack said:


> You guys shooting TSS better make sure there are no hens in back of your gobblers.




Especially the ones that may be 70yds away..........



I have never shot a hen, but thought for sure I had on one hunt! 

 shot a Tom on a little rise, never saw another bird, when I got up noticed there was another turkey laying about 10yds behind him, automatically I was convinced it was a hen but after walking over I was sorta relieved to see that it was Jake; put me at the limit and ended my season.


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## coyota (Jan 30, 2009)

Fall hunting with an "Any Turkey" tag-shot a turkey from a flock that I assumed was a jake or gobbler because of its size. When I got to the bird I looked for spurs (none) and then a beard (none). When I picked it up and felt the weight of it,  I looked for spurs, again (still none). 15.7 lbs on the scale, but no picture to show you because even though it was all legal and according to plan (I preferred a gobbler, but would have gladly taken a hen) the fact was I did not know EXACTLY what I was shooting to kill and by the time I got back to the truck I was not in the mood for a "hero shot".


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## brucemacgee19 (Jan 30, 2009)

back in the day I shot into a group of birds as soon as I saw big daddy........   didn't kill a hen but shot two big daddies with one shot........   but it could have been easily hen.   I try to do better nowadays......  try to wait for the right shot


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## Arrowhead95 (Jan 31, 2009)

I've shot two over the years, but not by accident.

First turkey I ever shot was a bearded hen. Shot another about 10 years ago.


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## thomas gose (Jan 31, 2009)

i shot a tom and a jake running across a powerline in front of me, it was really foggy but i could see a beard. i killed them both with one shot by accident. turns out they were both hens. the one in front had about an 8 inch beard. i havent been so hasty to shoot ever since.


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## blong (Jan 31, 2009)

Shot a nice tom in high grass once and when I jumped up and ran out there, there was a jake and a hen behind him about 10 yds flopping. It was an accident but they sure ate good.


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## Turkeycaller (Jan 31, 2009)

Can't get one of these if you don't
And it ain't by accident.


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## Nicodemus (Jan 31, 2009)

I haven`t ever "accidently" shot anything.


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## rhbama3 (Jan 31, 2009)

In answer to the question:
No. It has cost me a gobbler twice, waiting for the hens to get out of the line of fire. I was sorely tempted, though!


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## flatwoodsgobbler (Feb 1, 2009)

No. But I know several others that have.


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## georgiabuckbuster (Feb 1, 2009)

never killed a hen before but the first turkey i ever killed i shot him because he had spooked and i killed him and a young jake that was with him


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## redneckcamo (Feb 1, 2009)

*yea buddy !!*



Nicodemus said:


> I haven`t ever "accidently" shot anything.



the correct answer !!!  ........................................................................................................................................................... I coulda shot a bearded hen 2 years ago but hens make more gobblers !!!!!!  she was less than 20 feet lookin at me layin in the grass ...... her mate did not fair so well....bigole loggerheaded rascal


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## celticfisherman (Feb 1, 2009)

2

One bearded hen that had 3 beards on her. She came in steppin high and following a smaller tom. 

Shot at a nice tom once. He spoked right when I raised the gun and shot. Didn't see the hen that stood up from where he was tending her. Popped her dead as 4 o'clock...


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## gamechaser (Feb 1, 2009)

No , but i also  have lost oppertunities due seeing  toms wrapped up with hens.


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## joejack (Feb 1, 2009)

Nicodemus said:


> I haven`t ever "accidently" shot anything.



Heck, Ive shot lots of things accidently. I shot a tree once when I was trying for a buck.I turned my garden hose into a sprinkler hose once cause it was laying in some high grass behind my pattern board. Im a menace I tell you. The turkey woods wont be safe for you guys this spring. Might be best if you just stay at home.


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## brucemacgee19 (Feb 2, 2009)

bubba shot the jukebox last night..... remember that song?


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