Aging Turkeys

[cajunhunter]

I am sure this has been covered at length, just trying to learn a bit more about Turkeys.  We are in Mississippi so I think they are Easterns.  So what will a first year male, second year male, and so on look like.  At what age is the Tom, a bird that you can harvest legally typically?  If you point to another thread or an article that would be fine as well.  Thanks

[Dray223]

A jake will have 5 or 6 tail feathers higher then the rest when at full strut. Thats really the best way to tell the diff between a legal and non legal bird. (atleast i think jakes are not legal in mississippi, but please someone correct me if im wrong.) When a bird gets to 2 years of age, there is no way to age him unless you can see his spurs. The only diff between a 2 year old and a 4 year old is, (minus the longer spurs)well 2 years. Some will say the older they get the harder they get to kill. Ive had 2 year olds act like old birds and old birds act like 2 year olds so it just depends.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

After 2 years old they are impossible to age.

Harvest studies of banded birds have revealed some 4-5 year old turkeys only to have 1 1/8" spurs and others to be 1.5".

There are also many environmental factors such as rocks and soil type that complicate the issue.

It's safe to say that a long spurred turkey is an old turkey... Other than that, you can't assume much.

[FullChoke]

Turkeys, like people, can show age in completely different ways. You can't go by indicators like beard length, full fans or spurs. I have seen longbeards with jake fans, longbeards with no spurs and mature birds with 1" spurs, full fans and 2" beards. The weight of the bird can vary wildly as well depending on where they are raised, the availability of high protein foods and genetics.

Short answer? Unless he was wing tagged at an early stage of his life, No. There is no true way to determine the age of a gobbler.

FC

[longspur]

The amber color at the end of his beard is a good indicator he's 2. If its gone he's probably over 2.

[redleg06]

It seems like you're wanting a pretty simple answer on how to tell if one is a Jake (first year bird) or a gobbler, in the field....

The two easiest ways are #1  beard length, or lack there of, on a jake.  They may not have hardly any visible beard but if you look at a bird that only has 3-4 inches of beard or less, in mississippi, there's a good chance he's a jake (i've never hunted merriams but I believe even the older birds may have shorter beards.).  After they get 2 years old, beards arent much good for telling age BUT like I said, for MOST easterns and Rio's, if they have little to no beard, they arent a mature bird.

The most definite way to tell, on the hoof, is the tail fan when he strutts.  If the fan is "full" then all the tail feathers are about the same length from one side of the fan to the other.  On a Jake, there will be several tail feathers that stick up a little taller than the rest, right in the middle of the fan.

Spurs are generally the best way to tell the age of the bird but it's hard to get a good look at them until you kill him.

[cajunhunter]

Thanks.  So a Jake is a male Turkey less than a year, correct?  Because the hen was bred between now and May of of last year, right?  So, would a second year male be considered mature and typically have a uniform fan and descent beard?
Thanks for the help, everyone.

[redleg06]

Thanks.  So a Jake is a male Turkey less than a year, correct? 

So, would a second year male be considered mature and typically have a uniform fan and descent beard?

Yes  & Yes

[BrowningGuy88]

A hen bred this spring will hatch off this summer. Those males will be jakes next spring and two year olds the next.

My criteria are in he has a full fan OR a long beard (> 6") he gets shot in the face!

[turkey_slayer]

Thanks.  So a Jake is a male Turkey less than a year, correct?  Because the hen was bred between now and May of of last year, right?  So, would a second year male be considered mature and typically have a uniform fan and descent beard?
Thanks for the help, everyone.

Correct. After 3 years and up its just a guessing game. Jakes sometimes have choppy gobbles but they also can have a full gobble so you cant go by that. An older tom can have a short beard due to beard rot so you cant go by that either. If the center tail feathers are higher than the rest its a jake. Another way to tell is by the shoulder patch. A jake want have a full patch like a 2+ year old. I can usually tell by the way they look. There body looks lanky and disproportionate to me.

[redarrow]

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=k%2Bm2wGyGrmQ%3D&tabid=19022

Pretty good info here.

[cajunhunter]

OK, Good Stuff.  Thanks.