Beard rot

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  • remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    How common is beard rot on mature gobblers in Md?

    About 15 yrs ago I shot a tom in Baltimore County.His beard had a rust color line across it.I researched it and found it was where the beard was going to fall off at that spot because of beard rot.

    About 5 years ago, I shot a tom on the Eastern Shore and his beard had a few hairs that reached 10 inches and the rest of the beard was only 4 inches because of beard rot.

    Today ,I shot a tom with only a few hairs that measured 9 inches and a really short part of the rest of the beard.
    This turkey was killed on the same Baltimore Co farm.

    All three were mature toms with decent spurs.
    Anybody else having the same kind of luck with shooting toms with messed up beards?
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,176
    Mt Airy
    I butcher 3-6 turkeys each of the last three Novembers, and some of their beards are still sitting in the grass where they were butchered, 1 and 2+ years later, and not of millimeter of them has rotted away. Now, if there is some parasite that attacks them, I don't know about it, but out in the weather they don't just "rot".
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    I have read and been told that their beards sometimes freeze to the roost and they have to rip them free.
     

    Mike3888

    Mike3888
    Feb 21, 2013
    1,125
    Dundalk, Md-Mifflin,Pa
    I have read and been told that their beards sometimes freeze to the roost and they have to rip them free.

    This^ . And add deep snow to that. Long beards will accumulate packed snow in thick beards and it will freeze and break. Even though we didn’t have deep snow this year I have see it in past years.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    You see it more where it gets colder for some reason. I killed a few with poor beards over the years mostly up north. I understand poor diet -forage freezing cold weather can wear birds down. When it was froze hard over into March is when I noticed it the most. I have also had some around home with thin scraggly beards but still of decent length. I cant say how the weather plays in here, it doesn't get that cold where I'm at for that long a period.
    IMG_1135.jpg
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    You see it more where it gets colder for some reason. I killed a few with poor beards over the years mostly up north. I understand poor diet -forage freezing cold weather can wear birds down. When it was froze hard over into March is when I noticed it the most. I have also had some around home with thin scraggly beards but still of decent length. I cant say how the weather plays in here, it doesn't get that cold where I'm at for that long a period.
    View attachment 258878

    I dont know how to post pics,but what I have seen is nothing like these beards at all.The ones I shot ,have a distinct rust color line across the beards.The hairs rot(break off) straight across at that rust colored line.

    I can text pics to anyone who is interested.Just PM me
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Gotcha

    Do you think the poor beards are weather related or genetics?

    Me? Im going to say weather/forage but I'm just guessing. I think genetics thins the weak ones out quick in colder climates. I found some dead ones before shed horn hunting but the heads were still there so I don't think it was birds of prey.

    Theirs a lot of misconceptions on turkey hunting I think because they are so hard to observe. Things like they won't cross a ditch, fly uphill from the roost, will not go in water saturated ground etc. I'm sure different parts of the country flocks have some peculiarities but I've seen them do all the things I mentioned at some time or another.

    I used to do a lot of turkey hunting but not so much anymore. One of the biggest things I get a kick out of is blaze orange. I have had them nearly right in my lap deer hunting and wearing blaze while sitting on the ground. Maybe they were just dumb ones or not as wary because they weren't breeding/lack of predation.
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    I wish I would have kept the shells for holding beards like you have.
    That adds another part of the hunt for memory sake.
    Of course two would be the ugly ,broken up beards....lol.
     

    gtodave

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 14, 2007
    14,176
    Mt Airy
    BUMP

    I have some interesting info to add to this discussion. My 4 year old Tom just lost half his beard, for no apparent reason. It was probably 7-8" long, and now it's about 3". It happened all at once. Didn't see any "rot" or freezing or anything like that...just gone. So, maybe it just happens naturally?
     

    remrug

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,762
    manchester md
    BUMP

    I have some interesting info to add to this discussion. My 4 year old Tom just lost half his beard, for no apparent reason. It was probably 7-8" long, and now it's about 3". It happened all at once. Didn't see any "rot" or freezing or anything like that...just gone. So, maybe it just happens naturally?

    Does it have a rust colored line straight across where it dropped off?

    I have 3 of them like that.

    It really isnt rot.The hairs get brittle and break off
     

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