Learned something yesterday

[GSP]

I think I figured out what happens to some beards. When the rain stopped Saturday, I sat on the porch and watched a tom for over an hour. He has a strutting zone about 200 yards away and I have not bothered him and won't. He half strutted, half preened/dried the entire time. I think I figured out what happens to many beards. He grabbed it several times and gave it a HARD shake to sling water out of it. If the rain was at freezing point, he would have snapped it in half like a razor blade.
I've killed several that had the end have a crimp in it and sheared off right below the crimp. I do believe this is what has happened to those.

[RutNBuck]

interesting thanks for sharing

[str8 shot]

wow...that actually makes since

[notimlmit]

That's weird never thought of that or seen before but it does seem reasonable - I have noticed crimps in some beards before but never knew what caused it

[mrdux]

I had the opinion that most crimps in beards are caused by the beard being dragged while feeding. I have seen some sort of fungus eat the beards off turkeys. I had a buddy who got all excited a couple years ago by a longbeard that was on his farm that had a white tip on its beard. As season got closer, the beard got shorter till it could barely be seen. That same year I killed a 25 pound, 1 1/8 spurred tom that had almost no beard visible. Sort of had to use you imagination to see it while he was strutting in to the gun. The tips of the beard looked like they had been burned off.

[GSP]

I've killed a few that looked like the end had been burnt also. Always wondered what caused that.

[turk2di]

Huh! Thanks for the tidbit;)