Garry, about five or six years ago I had eight toms right in my driveway, three longbeards and five jakes… But there was a ninth bird with three beards, the longest being about nine or ten inches and the shortest about four or five inches. It was a hen and she was traveling with a flock of males who paid her no attention. It was right in the beginning of their breeding season so maybe bearded hens are not attractive to toms…?
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"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."
George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
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