Had a bird hammering earlier this week. Must have gobble 150 times on limb. Been hunting more than 20 years and from my ears he was full roll gobbling and in no way sounded like a Jake. Long story short I call him in by himself right off the roost and he tops up 20 yards from me and I hesitate to make sure he has a beard to be sure. He steps up and it's a dang Jake. Couldn't believe it.
He never strutted for me to check fan feathers length nor could I see spurs. But he could absolutely thunder the ground gobbling. I didn't shoot out of abundance or caution. Anyone ever called up a "super Jake" that could gobble and fooled you? I'm still not totally convinced he wasn't mature but I had no indicators I could see to confirm it. Super frustrating.
You don't see them that often, but some of those jakes can absolutely scream. I think it has to do with their physical size and how much they've practiced gobbling.
I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV
I've had quite a few run-ins with super jakes over the years with full booming gobbles. I've had them spitting and drumming out of sight shaking the woods gobbling only to strut into sight with a obvious jake fan and stubby beard.
Maybe it's more common in the northeast? In the spots I hunt with larger flocks almost all the jakes can make something close to resembling a gobble but there are a few most seasons that could've fooled me.
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Yes, it's more common than you think. You can't always tell by the gobble and some of them will absolutely spit and drum too as mentioned in earlier post.
Fooled me 2 years ago. I had one hammering all morning and turned out to be a Jake. When he approached and had that little beard sticking out I couldn't believe it.
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Quote from: simpzenith on March 27, 2021, 05:33:00 PM
I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV
The wing patch is probably the best way to tell it would seem. I've seen jakes with near even tail fans and the full skull cap before.
This was a jake I shot as a younger hunter still learning. Was on a heavily hunted piece of state where we'd been on a gobbler multiple hunts. I got excited because I though it was the tom we were on sneaking in. Had the big white head and everything.
I'd like to think I've gotten more patient since then...(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210327/ea0827c2f8cf35b6d381f3ce5fd20f7e.jpg)
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Quote from: simpzenith on March 27, 2021, 05:33:00 PM
I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV
Shane I actually have watched that video of yours before months ago and could not for the life of me remember what I should have lol. I need to watch again and study. Thank you for posting it.
Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on March 27, 2021, 05:55:33 PM
Yes, it's more common than you think. You can't always tell by the gobble and some of them will absolutely spit and drum too as mentioned in earlier post.
X2 Missouri and Kansas.
As far as practice, we had one years ago that got better as the morning went on , could barely tell it was a gobble first thing but by 10 or so he was really getting the hang of it.
I've been fooled more than once by some Jake's, about 15 years ago I called in and shot a full fan Jake
Yes, they can rock the woods sometimes, if you turkey hunt long enough you will deal with those Jakes..
Dad and I had a pair come in gobbling like any tom, couldn't tell any difference. We could tell there were two both had the guns up and ready and said first shot we can take, take them. As they crested dad said good, I confirmed and before in full view we doubled up on them. Dad got up to his and says, It's a Jake, I look and same. Dad's had nearly full tail and was a great hunt! I called it the double whoops :)
MK M GOBL
Granted, I have lost some hearing... But I cannot tell a jake from a tom by the gobble at all (Rio's).
Today was our opener, and I followed a gobble down a fairly steep canyon... And a pair of jakes came in... Biggest one sounded like every other turkey I have shot, and the smaller one had a deeper gobble (with almost no beard at all).
Admittedly, I start to get nervous if they are too vocal though... Jakes tend to gobble more than toms. But I have heard half-arse gobbles from mature birds, and heard jakes that sounded like thunder.
My 7 year old got his lst turkey here at home this year , listen to his gobble and tell me if you can tell the difference between a bull jake and a older long beard ?
Look up laikens lst turkey " on t3 custom calls or " life in focus media "
No rhyme or reason. Last two springs have taught me not to judge a bird by his gobble. I hunt every gobbling bird as if he were a tom, but spend a little more time confirming the bird is a tom before shooting. Full tail fan or swinging beard are my criteria for shooting. It'll cost you a bird every now and then, especially hunting without decoys, but it's the price to pay if you only want to shoot toms.
Quote from: JMalin on March 28, 2021, 10:31:13 AM
No rhyme or reason. Last two springs have taught me not to judge a bird by his gobble. I hunt every gobbling bird as if he were a tom, but spend a little more time confirming the bird is a tom before shooting. Full tail fan or swinging beard are my criteria for shooting. It'll cost you a bird every now and then, especially hunting without decoys, but it's the price to pay if you only want to shoot toms.
X2. It works both ways. Last year, I also learned to never walk away from a shy gobbling bird that sounds like a Jake. Late in our season, I struck a gobble. It sounded very short, squeaky, (Jake-like) and he gobbled very infrequently. He kept skirting around me, seemingly avoiding coming in close. After 2 hours, and 7 move set-ups, I almost said to myself this is a Jake, time to get up and move on. At this point, I pretty much shutdown my calling, limiting to leaf scratching and real soft purrs. I decided to stick it out, and after a 20 minute silent period, he gobbled about 35 yards away. He was behind a knoll, I adjusted facing his direction. Next thing I saw was a full fan coming over the knob. The brilliant red/white /blue head confirmed a Tom. He weighed 23 pounds, 11 inch beard, long sharp spurs. I will never walk away from a different sounding gobbler.
Absolutely!! Doesn't happen often, but every few years I call in a hard gobbling jake that thinks he's the man. Most jakes realize they're jakes, but not all.
Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.
One out of 500 gobblers doesn't have a beard. I called one in a few years ago for a friend and it was strutting, gobbling, fanning, etc. the whole way in. Tall weeds so we couldn't see a beard. When he got it and we looked at it there was no sign it ever had a beard. The OR regulation for a legal turkey says, "a male turkey or a turkey with a visible beard". That covers everything.
Later seasons in the Midwest it is a common thing, maybe a combo of an early hatched Jake and late season.
I smoked one once and almost did several other times!
One in Missouri luckily jumped on a dead fall 6 feet off the ground or he would have gotten it too!
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I think more than we think of the birds that gobble like mad but won't commit and we credit with being willey are actually jakes or sub dom 2yr olds and aren't man enough to commit to the call.
I played cat and mouse with a bird for 5hr last year, everytime I'd close in on him he'd go quiet and pull back once outside 100yds he'd gobble at everything again. Finally snuck into sight of him and there he stood with a jake beard, glassed him up and he had spurs. He was runt of a 2yr old but full fan and wing patches round little 3/4 spurs, light weight and stubby 5.5in beard.
But yes I've been fooled by loud mouth jakes, sometimes 2 or 3 jakes are hard to judge the gobbles because they run all together and sound fuller than a single bird.
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Yes. One year my brother came out to KS to hunt. He already filled one tag. We agreed to go hunt the last morning but would only have a half hour. Loud mouth, deep throaty "gobbler" hangs up behind a terrace. We can see his head and he keeps strutting. Looked like a full fan...he was a Jake. Killed him at 657 am, had agreed to leave the woods at 7
On the other side of the coin I once was hunting on a friend's lease, bird "gobbled" he's like that's a Jake I'm going to the gate.
I said I'll hunt here, killed him, 10 in beard 1 1/4 daggers!
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For me...gobble like a big boy he's gonna die like a big boy. That said I've killed several with full fans and spurs but short beards. Beard rot looked to be the culprit.
I actually had two experiences this weekend that relate to this thread.
Yesterday, I worked a bird that gobbled like a lion. When he came in, he was with another bird, and he was a jake.
Today, I was working a bird with a very immature sounding gobble... Gobbled like a jake, but acted like an older bird (stayed just out of range, and every time I moved, he would again circle around just out of range).
It was the only bird giving me any action, but after an hour, I decided to see if I could get another bird to play... And then he got some high ground on the ridge across from me, and he was swinging a paintbrush. Looks like a bird I was chasing last year, with a huge chest, full fan, and long, thick beard... And, I got to actually watch him gobble, and it was the same weak gobble I had been working. Maybe he had COVID?
I stayed with him another hour playing that frustrating game... He won (this time).
Yes. I have been fooled a few times. Also I killed one once that when he gobbled , it sounded like ball bearings in a coke can. The first few times he gobbled , I wasnt even sure that it was a gobble. I called his hen in and he followed. 11" beard with 1-3/8ths spurs. Crazy. I have never heard another like it.
Quote from: Spitten and drummen on March 28, 2021, 08:25:17 PM
Yes. I have been fooled a few times. Also I killed one once that when he gobbled , it sounded like ball bearings in a coke can. The first few times he gobbled , I wasnt even sure that it was a gobble. I called his hen in and he followed. 11" beard with 1-3/8ths spurs. Crazy. I have never heard another like it.
I killed one about 12-15 years ago similar to that. I was with a friend and hit the call and heard a noise. I said to him, "what was that"? He said he didn't know so I hit the call again and we heard the same thing. I can't even describe what it sounded like. We could tell it was getting closer and
it was a longbeard with one inch spurs. I killed him at about 30 yards.
Hunt long enough and you'll see and hear some crazy things.
LOL! We call it the "coffee can full of marbles".
Quote from: simpzenith on March 27, 2021, 05:33:00 PM
I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV
good resource thanks for posting
I put no faith in to judging of gobbles. I've heard Jake's sound like big Tom's and heard Tom's sound like what people think jakes should.spund like. After 26 seasons I've come to the conclusion that if the experience of the hunt is exciting and satisfying I don't care if it's a Jake or longbeard. I've got a freezer full of beards and legs...for what and why? Can't eat them. But I dont have any breast meat in the freezer. Fried nuggets taste to good!
Quote from: simpzenith on March 27, 2021, 05:33:00 PM
I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV
Shane I do agree with some of what you linked to your website. However inventory in your example pics the characteristics are not distinguishable. The crown, snood and curnicles on the Jake in strut look just like a a big tim.
I think the wing primary feathers & tail feathers (if strutting) are the primary visible clues. Secondary is beard (beard rot may be misleading) and spurs (not easly see till bird is dead).
Yep, had one last year that gobbled up a storm and came in strutting. He strutted around the decoy and gobbled like a big boy for a while.