just wondering whats everybodies opinion on shooting jakes i personally have never done it although i have had several opportunities and in 8 years of hunting have yet to kill a turkey in my home state of louisiana. the reason i asked the question is because i was watching a fairly popular hunting show the other night and they ended up shooting 3 or 4 jakes on camera and it just kinda struck me as odd that they did that.
:popcorn:
I don't have a problem with it. I certainly shot my share when I was starting out... I probably would not brag about it, but I would not feel bad about it either on a tough year or with limited hunting time.
On the last day of the season, if I had not filled my tag, I would probably have to think about it, if the jake presented itself. Otherwise any other time I would let him grow to gobble the next year.
If it is legal and there are plenty of birds, he is riding home with me. First legal bird eats just as good as the rest of them. My pecker is long enough. I don't need to shoot a "trophy" to prove it.
No problem with it at all. Some of my most memorable hunts were shooting jakes.
I don't have a problem with someone else shooting one, I let them walk every time tho. Longbeards only for me.
Also, my turkey spots that are local are sensitive and I have a "no jake" rule in place when I take others to some of those spots. Other than that, have at it.
I've shot a few. They're pretty tasty! Nowadays I let them walk but if one comes in and my son is with me its probably going to get it.
We r I hunt on public land if you let them walk they keep walking right in front of another hunter.
so I have no problem with it. It does not happen very often but sometimes it does. sometimes i think.its almost as hard to call a jake in as a 2 yr old. Jakes are usually afraid of a butt woopin were as those 2 yr olds are at that age were they think who they are since they have been around for a season already.
Quote from: HogBiologist on June 11, 2014, 12:35:31 AM
If it is legal and there are plenty of birds, he is riding home with me. First legal bird eats just as good as the rest of them. My pecker is long enough. I don't need to shoot a "trophy" to prove it.
Never crosses my mind to shoot one, but I don't fault anyone who does. My pecker is long enough. I don't need to kill "the first legal bird" to prove it. ???
I've never shot one myself. Strictly personal preference on my part. I've had jakes in front of me on the last day of the season with a tag left in my pocket, but I knew I'd rather see them next year when they'd be bigger and more challenging. I've called in jakes for others to shoot, though they'll always get a free pass from me every time.
I'd also say a lot depends on where you're hunting. If the hunting land is yours (or your lease), the hunting pressure is light, and a gobbler stands a good chance of surviving to maturity, why not let the jakes walk? You'd only be robbing yourself of future longbeards by taking the young birds out.
If you're hunting on land that you won't get many more chances to hunt, you're on a paid hunt away from home, and the mature gobblers just ain't showing up, go for it. It is your tag, spend it however you choose.
Jim
I was told when I first started turkey hunting that it was OK to take jakes until you killed your first gobbler, once you killed your first gobbler you couldn't cross back over. I have stuck to that rule. At this point in my life, I would rather eat tag soup then shoot a jake but I don't have a problem with someone who does.
I don't shoot jakes anymore, either,...but if I thought it would make my pecker grow, I would have to reconsider! :TooFunny: :toothy12: :TooFunny:
My personal choice is to let them walk even though they are legal here. I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
Quote from: mikejd on June 11, 2014, 07:32:01 AM
We r I hunt on public land if you let them walk they keep walking right in front of another hunter.
so I have no problem with it. It does not happen very often but sometimes it does. sometimes i think.its almost as hard to call a jake in as a 2 yr old. Jakes are usually afraid of a butt woopin were as those 2 yr olds are at that age were they think who they are since they have been around for a season already.
With this reasoning every jake on the property will walk in front of a hunter and be killed and turkeys will be extinct there in a few years. Shoot em if you like, but that reasoning doesn't make sense to me.
I have killed two in 20 plus years chasing these crazy birds, one on accident, thought he was a tom in the thick stuff, he hammered like a mature bird, the other one I had two tags and only a couple days to hunt so I whacked a jake with the bow when 5 came to the dekes!
I have zero issue with it, but personally they just don't do it for me, with I never shoot a jake again, maybe not, but you never know!
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 11, 2014, 08:06:07 AM
I don't shoot jakes anymore, either,...but if I thought it would make my pecker grow, I would have to reconsider! :TooFunny: :toothy12: :TooFunny:
I was wondering when that was coming!!!
I haven't shot a Jake in over 25 years. Maybe that's the problem with me!!!! :toothy12: :help: :TooFunny:
i aint knocking anybody for doing it its there choice. i just found it odd that they showed it on that hunting show
Quote from: guesswho on June 11, 2014, 07:33:44 AM
Never crosses my mind to shoot one, but I don't fault anyone who does. My peckers long enough. I don't need to "kill" the first legal bird to prove it. ???
Now that's funny
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Quote from: laturkeyhunter on June 11, 2014, 10:35:12 AM
i aint knocking anybody for doing it its there choice. i just found it odd that they showed it on that hunting show
For a hunting show, it's all about killing footage. If they are hunting a property and there down to the last day of their hunt with no kill footage and the producers are breathing down their neck for footage, you best believe a jake will go down if the opportunity presents itself. They don't care if the shooter is a kid, first time hunter or a vet.
I will let my son pull the trigger on one for his first bird.
Other than that I choose to let them walk to get bigger.
I don't have a problem with someone shooting them, but its a personal preference in my book.
When I take kids, new hunters, vets out I tell them to shoot whatever makes them happy and gets their blood pumping. If a jake comes in strutting and gobbling the shot is theirs to take. I have had some blast em and some decide to hold off and wait for a longbeard.
My first two NY birds were jakes, and im proud of those little stubby beards because they represent the start of this passion I have for turkey hunting. I wouldn't shoot one now for the same reason I wouldn't ever shoot a yearlying buck. I know I can do way better and the hunt/season would be over far too fast.
Shooting any animal or bird should never be about "just filling a tag" if the excitement/challenge isn't there its time for a new hobby but the size of the animal doesn't determine the excitement/challenge. If you work your butt off for a jake and the kill gets you all jacked up than its a trophy kill
Quote from: Gumby on June 11, 2014, 10:42:02 AM
Quote from: guesswho on June 11, 2014, 07:33:44 AM
Never crosses my mind to shoot one, but I don't fault anyone who does. My peckers long enough. I don't need to "kill" the first legal bird to prove it. ???
Now that's funny
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aint it
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I have shot a few in my 30+ years of turkey hunting. The first one was on purpose, the other 2 were on accident. They both had full gobbles, and showed there heads. I am more careful now. If it makes you happy, go for it. Not everyone has a lot of time off to hunt.
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 08:17:13 AM
I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
I have heard this alluded to previously... I am hunting Rio's in California, and cannot for the life of me tell the difference between a jake and a tom gobbling. Seems to me that a weak gobble is a nervous or hesitant bird, and that a strong gobble is a horny or confident one...
Can you guys actually tell the difference between a jake and a tom from the gobble?
Quote from: Marc on June 11, 2014, 02:58:31 PM
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 08:17:13 AM
I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
I have heard this alluded to previously... I am hunting Rio's in California, and cannot for the life of me tell the difference between a jake and a tom gobbling. Seems to me that a weak gobble is a nervous or hesitant bird, and that a strong gobble is a horny or confident one...
Can you guys actually tell the difference between a jake and a tom from the gobble?
More often than not, yes you can tell the difference. They sound a bit forced and cut off at the end. It's not the full thunderous gobble you get from an older bird. Having said that, I've shot several Jake's over the years and kind of take a few factors into play. How much time do I have, is the area hunted hard, how many long beards have I heard there, what's the population looking like in the area, etc. If things are looking good and the hunt was fun, I'll shoot. If things are not looking so good and it happened way too fast/easy, he's got a good chance of walking away.
I highly encourage kids and newbies to shoot a jake if presented with the opportunity.
But.... Experienced hunters shooting jakes leaves a pretty foul taste in my mouth.
I enjoy a jake encounter just like I do a hen encounter. They're fun to observe and interact with but the thought of killing them never enters my mind. I go to the woods to shoot gobblers and that's all I walk out of the woods with.
I don't understand why guys can't be happy with the memory of the encounter with a young bird instead of feeling the need to kill it.
Back in the day I killed my share of jakes and from time to time I still do. I don't go to the woods looking for one but over the past say 5 years I've killed 3 or 4.
I've shot a few over the years with no regrets. They were a thrill to me. At this stage of my hunting career, I would rather not. Last year I called one in for a 14 year old. He was so excited and so was I.
As for telling a jake gobble.... Sometimes. This spring at my shop I heard a bird gobbling and thought " man that bird has a good gobble". Yep, it was a jake.
My first bird I shot was a jake, and unless I get fooled, he will probably be the last. I also encourage newbies and youths to pull the trigger if one presents itself.
I now let them walk, and get a kick outta watching them strut and gobble. Good stuff!
Quote from: Marc on June 11, 2014, 02:58:31 PM
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 08:17:13 AM
I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
I have heard this alluded to previously... I am hunting Rio's in California, and cannot for the life of me tell the difference between a jake and a tom gobbling. Seems to me that a weak gobble is a nervous or hesitant bird, and that a strong gobble is a horny or confident one...
Can you guys actually tell the difference between a jake and a tom from the gobble?
With Rio's in particular, it seems a lot of the jakes can sound like mature birds. In the places I have hunted them, it is very often difficult for me to tell them apart. Of course, there are exceptions. Some jakes just gobble with that short, jake warble, while others seem to master the full gobble at an early age. From my experience, this holds true for all of the subspecies to some degree, however.
The bottom line is that anybody that shoots at a gobbling bird that they can't clearly see the fan and/or the beard will eventually be looking at a dead jake when they walk up to it.
I've been hunting them 23 years, with plenty of long beard kills under my belt. I have, will, and still do kill jakes on occasion if the mood or a specific situation strikes me to do it. I let plenty walk, and my goal is a long beard but if the blood lust sets in for one reason or another they will die. I will never apologize or never make an excuse that killing one was an "accident". As a hunter I was taught to properly identify my target before ever putting my finger on the trigger. I'm sorry, if you as a hunter have followed this golden rule of hunting, then you know you squeezed on a jake, and in no way was it an accident. Own it, the sky wont fall in because you shot a legal gobbler that didn't have 3/4 spurs and a 8 inch beard. Bet your family couldn't tell the difference at the dinner table.
I don't have an issue with it, and never will. Don't have an issue with guys not wanting to do it either. To each his own. What I have an issue with is guys pulling the trigger on something they didn't clearly identify.
Quote from: Marc on June 11, 2014, 02:58:31 PM
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 08:17:13 AM
I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
I have heard this alluded to previously... I am hunting Rio's in California, and cannot for the life of me tell the difference between a jake and a tom gobbling. Seems to me that a weak gobble is a nervous or hesitant bird, and that a strong gobble is a horny or confident one...
Can you guys actually tell the difference between a jake and a tom from the gobble?
In the early part of our season down south, yes you can. By the end of our season a lot of the jakes have full gobbles. Their full gobbles sometimes are still faster and higher pitch than an older mature 3 or year old gobbler.
I'd have no problem in shooting one if I felt like it--I just haven't felt like it in 20 years or so.
Quote from: Marc on June 11, 2014, 02:58:31 PM
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 08:17:13 AM
I love to hear a long beard gobble. I love the challenge of an older bird even though they often win. Long beards and sharp spurs.
I have heard this alluded to previously... I am hunting Rio's in California, and cannot for the life of me tell the difference between a jake and a tom gobbling. Seems to me that a weak gobble is a nervous or hesitant bird, and that a strong gobble is a horny or confident one...
Can you guys actually tell the difference between a jake and a tom from the gobble?
Usually, I think I can. But if a turkey comes in gobbling, I will continue to call him in. When he gets close, it's easy to see the beard and tail. I let them pass. That's my choice. It may not be yours. I'm not putting you down in anyway. I just like long beards and sharp spurs. I'll let him grow a few years.
Now I will confess to shooting a turkey with a 5" beard. Not a jake. He came in gobbling hard. I called him across a small creek and up a very steep bank. He showed with a full fan and a full gobble. BANG. I rolled him over and thought I shot a jake. 1 1/4" spurs so I was very happy with an older bird with a snow shortened beard.
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 07:26:01 PM
Usually, I think I can. But if a turkey comes in gobbling, I will continue to call him in. When he gets close, it's easy to see the beard and tail. I let them pass. That's my choice. It may not be yours. I'm not putting you down in anyway. I just like long beards and sharp spurs. I'll let him grow a few years.
I passed on some jakes... Frustrating to work a bird for an hour and it turns out to be a jake.
Had a jake come in this year with a thunderous gobble (after working him for almost 2 hours); he got a pass... Had a tom come in with that warbly uncertain gobble... Although he did light it up towards the end.
Had a tom come in this year after working him for a while with no beard... Full tail fan and good spurs, but a big hole where his beard should be (he came within about 10 feet of me). Maybe he lost it in a fight or a gambling debt... Who knows...
Maybe cause our breeding season takes place earlier, or maybe it is the subspecies, or maybe I just have crappy hearing and am tone deaf (which is true)... Sure wish I could tell them apart from the gobble, cause it would save me a lot of frustration.
I'd still have no issues taking a jake towards the end of the season though... My first bird was a jake, and it remains to be the most exciting bird I have killed to date.
Quote from: Marc on June 11, 2014, 09:27:39 PM
Quote from: West Augusta on June 11, 2014, 07:26:01 PM
Usually, I think I can. But if a turkey comes in gobbling, I will continue to call him in. When he gets close, it's easy to see the beard and tail. I let them pass. That's my choice. It may not be yours. I'm not putting you down in anyway. I just like long beards and sharp spurs. I'll let him grow a few years.
I passed on some jakes... Frustrating to work a bird for an hour and it turns out to be a jake.
Had a jake come in this year with a thunderous gobble (after working him for almost 2 hours); he got a pass... Had a tom come in with that warbly uncertain gobble... Although he did light it up towards the end.
Had a tom come in this year after working him for a while with no beard... Full tail fan and good spurs, but a big hole where his beard should be (he came within about 10 feet of me). Maybe he lost it in a fight or a gambling debt... Who knows...
Maybe cause our breeding season takes place earlier, or maybe it is the subspecies, or maybe I just have crappy hearing and am tone deaf (which is true)... Sure wish I could tell them apart from the gobble, cause it would save me a lot of frustration.
I'd still have no issues taking a jake towards the end of the season though... My first bird was a jake, and it remains to be the most exciting bird I have killed to date.
Once they get that big the smart ones shave there beard and start to gobble like a jake.
:TooFunny: :toothy12: :TooFunny: :toothy12: :TooFunny:
:TooFunny: :TooFunny:
You don't get old by being stupid.
I don't have a problem with it the ones we have shot have been very good to eat! They gang up on the toms and run them off
Quote from: savduck on June 11, 2014, 06:21:43 PM
I've been hunting them 23 years, with plenty of long beard kills under my belt. I have, will, and still do kill jakes on occasion if the mood or a specific situation strikes me to do it. I let plenty walk, and my goal is a long beard but if the blood lust sets in for one reason or another they will die. I will never apologize or never make an excuse that killing one was an "accident". As a hunter I was taught to properly identify my target before ever putting my finger on the trigger. I'm sorry, if you as a hunter have followed this golden rule of hunting, then you know you squeezed on a jake, and in no way was it an accident. Own it, the sky wont fall in because you shot a legal gobbler that didn't have 3/4 spurs and a 8 inch beard. Bet your family couldn't tell the difference at the dinner table.
I don't have an issue with it, and never will. Don't have an issue with guys not wanting to do it either. To each his own. What I have an issue with is guys pulling the trigger on something they didn't clearly identify.
I agree that the point about positively identifying your target is one of the fundamental rules for all hunting and shooting, and it should be strictly adhered to. However, there is a difference between being sure of your target and being sure that the turkey you are aiming at is a mature gobbler or a jake.
I believe if the truth be told, that there are very few turkey hunters that have not been in situations where they positively identified their target as a male turkey, but could not tell if it was a mature bird or not.
I have been in numerous situations where I have had birds come in at bad angles, or from behind, and have had to make snap decisions on whether or not to shoot a bird that was clearly a gobbler, but was not in a position where I could see the fan or beard. Being completely honest, I have shot a handful of gobblers over the years that I "speculated" on.
No, I did not speculate that they were gobblers,...I knew with 100% certainty that they were,...but as to whether they were mature birds or not, I relied entirely on my best judgement that they were, based on my experience and their behavior. Only one time in those instances has one of them turned out to be a jake,...and that jake was one of the toughest birds I have ever hunted, and I would have bet my last dollar before I pulled the trigger that he was a wary old longbeard.
Now, I may be mistaken, but I would bet my last dollar again right now that the great majority of turkey hunters, if they have hunted much, have been in that same position and have had to make the choice, on the spur of the moment, as to whether to pull the trigger or not. I also have absolutely no doubt that many of them have pulled the trigger on birds that they thought were mature gobblers only to find out that they had shot a jake.
Anyone here that can honestly state that they have been in the position of watching a bird that was clearly a gobbler walk away where they could not see the beard or tail fan and have never pulled the trigger,....well, you guys have my admiration. But if you are one of them, there is no doubt in my mind that you are in a very small minority here.
As with other hunting topics, my opinion is this. If it's legal, and it makes you happy, go for it!! It may or may not be the choice someone else might make, but other people aren't facing the same circumstances as you. Some people have lots of primo private land to hunt, plenty of time to scout and hunt, and plenty of opportunities at gobblers. Others don't. It's up to you to evaluate your opportunities, and your preferences, then do what is right for YOU!!
Personally, I've shot a few jakes in my career for various reasons. I hold out for longbeards these days. But I don't fault anyone who shoots a legal jake.
no reason for anyone to look down on someone elses trophy
Good post GobbleNut
I haven't shot a jake in a long time, but I have absolutely no problem with anyone who does as long as it's legal where you hunt. I've taken many first timers out, both kids and adults. Some of them have shot jakes and they were all just as excited as those that shot mature gobblers.
Be proud of your hunt and enjoy your trophy.
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 11, 2014, 11:18:22 PM
I agree that the point about positively identifying your target is one of the fundamental rules for all hunting and shooting, and it should be strictly adhered to. However, there is a difference between being sure of your target and being sure that the turkey you are aiming at is a mature gobbler or a jake.
I believe if the truth be told, that there are very few turkey hunters that have not been in situations where they positively identified their target as a male turkey, but could not tell if it was a mature bird or not.
Living in a state that does not allow shooting jakes any more, you better know what it is. I can honestly say every turkey I have shot was positively ID'ed as a jake or an adult. If you pull the trigger without knowing if it is an adult or a jake, then they need to get closer. There is no excuse in not positively identifying the fact of Jake/Adiult in a bird that is 40 yards away. If it is to thick to see then it is too thick to shoot.
No problem shooting one and I did this year, I was calling to a longbeard that was coming in, these five gobbling jakes came in ran off the old gobbler and I shot one of them. They gobbled like they were two year olds and strutted too. I will say, he was real good in my deep fryer too!
Quote from: HogBiologist on June 12, 2014, 11:19:13 AM
Quote from: GobbleNut on June 11, 2014, 11:18:22 PM
I agree that the point about positively identifying your target is one of the fundamental rules for all hunting and shooting, and it should be strictly adhered to. However, there is a difference between being sure of your target and being sure that the turkey you are aiming at is a mature gobbler or a jake.
I believe if the truth be told, that there are very few turkey hunters that have not been in situations where they positively identified their target as a male turkey, but could not tell if it was a mature bird or not.
Living in a state that does not allow shooting jakes any more, you better know what it is. I can honestly say every turkey I have shot was positively ID'ed as a jake or an adult. If you pull the trigger without knowing if it is an adult or a jake, then they need to get closer. There is no excuse in not positively identifying the fact of Jake/Adiult in a bird that is 40 yards away. If it is to thick to see then it is too thick to shoot.
Granted, your situation is a different matter altogether. I'm not sure how many states have a no-jake regulation, but in those cases, it would be imperative that the bird be identified as a mature bird before shooting. My point in this debate was based on the presumption that jakes would be legal birds.
As for the 40-yard rule, I have been in many situations where I could not see the beard on a gobbler until he was much closer than 40 yards. Low light conditions, thickness of cover, angle of approach,...all of those factors can make it difficult to ascertain whether a bird is a jake or mature bird.
That's not to suggest that hunters should ever have a "shoot first and look later" attitude about it. It is always best to know for sure before pulling the trigger. My point, however, is that there are times when every hunter reaches that moment of truth where they must decide about whether to shoot a bird that they have not been able to discern whether it is a mature bird or a jake (in those places where both are legal).
Again, I would bet that many hunters in those situations have chosen to shoot birds that they knew were gobblers but were not certain of their age class. ...And once again, if anybody here can honestly say they have never pulled the trigger in a situation like that, then they have my utmost respect in that regard.
I had not shot a jake in a long time until this year. I have wanted to many times but only having 2 tags in Missouri always pulled me to wait for a longbeard. This year my 7 year old daughter really wanted to go with me on a hunt so I took her down to the creek bottom where I have been very successful in years past. All we heard in the trees were jakes gobbling and when 1 came strutting in to the decoy she was able to watch me harvest a turkey. I guess on this trip getting a bird was much more important to me than the size of the bird.
I only get one bird a year so I make it count or I let them grow. I like taking a mature bird.
Agreed!!
I have no problem with it and still do it occasionally. One of my birds this year was a jake.
Quote from: HogBiologist on June 12, 2014, 11:19:13 AM
Living in a state that does not allow shooting jakes any more, you better know what it is. I can honestly say every turkey I have shot was positively ID'ed as a jake or an adult. If you pull the trigger without knowing if it is an adult or a jake, then they need to get closer. There is no excuse in not positively identifying the fact of Jake/Adiult in a bird that is 40 yards away. If it is to thick to see then it is too thick to shoot.
I have killed a bird with a thick 7" beard that did not have a developed tail fan, and I have killed birds with a developed tail fan and a 5" beard (shot him strutting in knee-high grass)... Would I be getting a ticket for either of these birds?
Also had tom come in this year with no beard (full tail fan and long spurs for a bird in my area)... As a bird has to have a beard in my area, he got a pass... But looking at his size and tail fan, I could easily see making a mistake in tall grass.
What legally classifies a bird as a jake or a tom?
I saw a beardless gobbler in Chatham County last year a couple of times in the same piece of woods. He was full fan and had obvious spurs, but the North Carolina Hunting Regulation digest says it has to have a beard to be legal. What's funny is the gobbler that was running with the beardless bird had a double beard. I called in the beardless and the double bearded bird for my best friend to tag on 2013 opening day.
On the last day of the turkey season last year, I killed a full fan gobbler in Orange County that had beard rot. I could clearly see the orange tips on his 3" beard and his spurs before I shot (11 yard kill), though when I first saw him, I thought I was going to have to let him pass.
Jim
Quote from: Marc on June 12, 2014, 05:00:35 PMWhat legally classifies a bird as a jake or a tom?
I want to know this as well...
MMMMMM, Jakes are yummy. Especially wraapped in bacon. You guys can chew on them long spurs and brush your teeth with them heavy beards while Im having some tender meat. ;) ;) ;)
Quote from: Marc on June 12, 2014, 05:00:35 PM
Quote from: HogBiologist on June 12, 2014, 11:19:13 AM
Living in a state that does not allow shooting jakes any more, you better know what it is. I can honestly say every turkey I have shot was positively ID'ed as a jake or an adult. If you pull the trigger without knowing if it is an adult or a jake, then they need to get closer. There is no excuse in not positively identifying the fact of Jake/Adiult in a bird that is 40 yards away. If it is to thick to see then it is too thick to shoot.
I have killed a bird with a thick 7" beard that did not have a developed tail fan, and I have killed birds with a developed tail fan and a 5" beard (shot him strutting in knee-high grass)... Would I be getting a ticket for either of these birds?
Also had tom come in this year with no beard (full tail fan and long spurs for a bird in my area)... As a bird has to have a beard in my area, he got a pass... But looking at his size and tail fan, I could easily see making a mistake in tall grass.
What legally classifies a bird as a jake or a tom?
In Arkansas:
ADULT GOBBLER – Male turkeys having at least one of the following characteristics: a) tail feathers which are the same length, b) wing feathers that have white barring all the way to the tip or c) a beard more than six (6) inches in length.
X2 gobblenut!!!
If they wanna play like a big boy they can die like a big boy. WHO CARES WHAT OTHERS SHOOT.
I have shot a jake or three in my day. Final hunt of a trip, tons of jakes...I took some meat home.
Not my preference these days but I won't say it will never happen again.
Have I ever?? Yep. Do I now? Nope. Do I care if someone else does? Nope.
Jakes are fair game ,no law against it . Plus you have to start somewhere ,not everyone has all season to wait on that big old Tom .and Jakes eat well .I shot some back when I started over 30 years ago .
Sent from my C811 4G
Havent killed one in several years, but I might again.
To each his own within the law. Just have fun and be safe and go turkey reaping.
I have passed on a few jakes over the past few years. It is hard to do because I love to eat turkey meat. I am trying to get a bunch of older gobblers on the farm I am hunting so I have decided not to shoot jakes myself.
Quote from: RutnNStrutn on June 12, 2014, 12:16:36 AM
If it's legal, and it makes you happy, go for it!!
This.
When I was cutting my turkey hunting teeth, I shot a few jakes. The last one I shot was in a double with my Dad. It was his first ever spring turkey and a memory I will NEVER forget. That was 20+ years ago. Since then I have never even considered taking a jake. Just my personal preference.
The ONLY way I would shoot another is if it were in a double with my 9 year old daughter or 7 year old son as their first bird.
I shot a few jakes back when I first started turkey hunting but haven't killed one in 40 yrs. I like hunting mature birds and jakes are your future long beards. When you see lots of jakes you know there will be plenty of gobblers the next season....