# 3 Colored Beard



## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)

10 1/2 in Beard 1in spurs, 24# This morning. O.K. here the story, I got up this morning and it was blowing and light rain. got to my spot and began putting on my gear when I realized I lost my face mask. Under the seat in my truck I had a black mesh bag that I kept my tow rope in. So I grabbed it a headed in the woods. I set up where I saw some birds on Saturday. I set a hen decoy low to the ground with a jake standing over her. I never heard the first bird gobble on the roost. I gave a couple of soft calls and heard a gobble just over the ridge. Within 2 minutes I saw him coming down the ridge. He hung up at 45yrds. I was only using box call and I had laid it down beside me to get my gun ready. When he hung up I reached down and made a few clucks with one hand and he started coming. At 23yrds and atanding in front of my Jake decoy I dropped him. I never saw his beard until I got to him. What a rush to know that I had killed a very unique bird.


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## dewman22 (Jan 3, 2008)

Pretty cool , never seen one like that.


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## autumnlovr (Jul 21, 2003)

That IS cool....nice big bird too. You don't believe in waiting til the last minute, do you?
Congrats!


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## bigrackmack (Aug 10, 2004)

I would be making a trip to the taxidermist......Very Cool......Mack


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## supersport (Apr 13, 2008)

That's awesome! Very unique. Great story as well. Thank's for sharing.


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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)




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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)




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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)

I found this while searching online, "Turkeys will occasionally get a melanin deficiency in their beard. Melanin is the pigment that makes the beard black and sometimes the melanin production is stopped during the growth of the beard and the beard gets a blonde or light colored streak across it. Usually the melanin production will pick back up and the rest of the beard will be black but the beard will always have that blonde streak through it. The light-colored portion of the beard is much more brittle and weaker than the black portions and the beards will often break off at that point or stop growing. Some turkeys suffering from this will have completely blonde beards."


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## beer and nuts (Jan 2, 2001)

Very nice...maybe some sort of winter kill on that beard.


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## double lung (Sep 7, 2007)

Man, that's a great bird. The beard is icing on the cake:coolgleam Congratulations!

The first LB I ever killed had a similar beard, but most of the strands broke off right where they started to turn color. Being my first LB, and having such a unique beard, I had a breast mount done. 

I have heard guys refer to that condition as "beard rot", and have heard several different explanations for it. I have seen several birds with light colored tips right at the end of the beard, but that thing you have is about as cool-looking a beard as a guy will ever find!

Here are a couple of pics of my goofy-bearded bird:


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

im pretty sure its due to freezing... a lot of the birds were like that this year... they werent like that last year because it was a more mild winter... i would guess that bird got his frozen off in the early part of winter then it started to grow back???

just a guess.... cool though thats for sure!


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## FixedBlade (Oct 14, 2002)

downeaster said:


> http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/546/medium/pic_331.jpg[/IMG]
> I never saw his beard until I got to him. What a rush to know that I had killed a very unique bird.


Arn't you supposed to identify your target meaning you need to know it has a beard before you shoot. Still it's a great bird and unique beard.


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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)

I should of said, I never saw the color of his beard until I got to him.


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Congrats on a nice bird


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Most excellent. Did it have any piercings?


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## stinky reinke (Dec 13, 2007)

FixedBlade said:


> Arn't you supposed to identify your target meaning you need to know it has a beard before you shoot. Still it's a great bird and unique beard.


It's amazing how you constantly have to reword stories so that people can be assured law breaking was not involved.


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## 12Point (Mar 18, 2008)

Awesome beard and great story....funny how things just come together quickly on certain days in the woods


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## FixedBlade (Oct 14, 2002)

Stinky. It's just my way of saying be careful of what you put in print. You never know when big brother is watching. After being peppered by shot from a trespasser this year I will be even more sure to identify my target and whats beyond it.


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## downeaster (Oct 2, 2006)




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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

sweet hooks


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