Are you a Jake taker?

[turkey_slayer]

then killed one on accident and felt bad. There was him and a jake with 4 hens in a thick pine bottom. I had been staying with em all morning and finally got in a position to kill him. I heard him spit then seen a head pop up and kaboom. I shot the jake. The longbeard was behind him and I knew what I had done when I seen him go air born. Have no problems with someone else wanting to bust em though.

These are the ones I don't understand. Sounds like a great hunt. You got the same hunt out of that Jake as you did the longbeard. The only difference between those was in beard length/spurs. But if thats what you're into..


**And I don't specifically mean turkey_slayer. People can shoot or hold out for whatever they want. I might shoot 1 jake for every 5 longbeards. It all depends on how exciting the hunt is.

I see what your saying but I can't help I feel bad when I shoot one. They just don't do anything for me. Same way with a buck. If he's not big I don't want him. But I love to shoot does with my bow. It's all about what gives me a rush and a Jake and young buck nor does, unless its with a bow, just doesn't do it for me.

[TurkeyTom]

Thank you to everyone that participated in the poll and gave your honest answers.   

As you can see it was almost even. Forty four hunters said they don't shoot them.  Thirty Eight said they do.   

As I said before, I do not care if you do or not and I think it's your tag, your hunting area and your choice.

Thank you.... all my hunting brothers and sisters. Good luck with your season this year!   

[yankeedeerslayer]

I have shot two jakes. One because I had just returned form Afghanistan on the last day of the season. My good buddy from KY said go get you a license and meet me at the house. With only about 3 hours to hunt no longbeards showed and I was happy to have a jake. Second time was hunting with my son. Called in the jake on a fairly windy day. That one went home with us. Probably won't take any more unless it's last weekend and haven't killed a bird.

[TurkeyTom]

I have shot two jakes. One because I had just returned form Afghanistan on the last day of the season. My good buddy from KY said go get you a license and meet me at the house. With only about 3 hours to hunt no longbeards showed and I was happy to have a jake. Second time was hunting with my son. Called in the jake on a fairly windy day. That one went home with us. Probably won't take any more unless it's last weekend and haven't killed a bird.

God bless you for your service! 

[Gooserbat]

Usually not, out of the last 20 or so birds I've killed I think 2 were jakes.

[Rockhound]

I had never killed one until 3 yes ago, something happened to the turkey population in my area a few yes ago and I went 4 years without killing a bird, I kill the first legal bird now

[moonman]

Yep.

[Borat]

Leave those poor, defenseless, naive baby turkeys alone.

Shoot the Gobblaz.

[remmy1187]

Yes I have killed them in my first few years of turkey hunting.  I however do not shoot them any more.  I have no problem if anybody shoots them or not, if you buy a license and just want a bird have at it, if you want a longbeard then pass them up-  up to you personally.  Good luck to all.   

[Clif Owen]

I've seen this happen twice in the last 3 years...one year I will see and pass up 8 or 9 different jakes and the next year.....you can't even hear a bird. I blamed it on a die-off last year. No idea if there was (nobody here seems to have heard of one) but we not only saw 8 or 9 jakes the previous year but also saw 4 mature birds. I guess we listened or hunted about 8 or 9 days in those spots and never heard a bird and could not find a single track either.
This year...I'm hunting a spot that has always held birds and haven't heard one but it has been windy a bunch. Very possible that they are just a bit out of hearing range. Hogs invaded it too. No idea if or how they impact turkeys.

[MEbeardlover]

I started turkey hunting last spring. Did not get a shot in the limited times I had to hunt (bow-hunted only), but I am hooked. Hoping for different results this year!

I appreciate the replies from those who state they do not look down or pass judgment on those who take jakes. Like beauty, a trophy is truly in the eyes of the beholder.

Where I will do the majority of my hunting this year (private land with limited pressure), I know there are several mature birds. I have also scouted several "super jakes", whose body size is quite comparable to the mature toms. I cannot say for sure how I am going to react when that first legal bird gets in range of my Mossberg (you're darn right I'm using a shotgun this year!), but I sure hope to find out.

One thing that gets increasingly frustrating is some of the mentality from the hunting shows that seems to spill over to us normal people. Watching a professional hunter on closed, private land that is manged specifically for game make comments like, "I had nice 2-1/2 year old 8 point come in to my rattling but he is not the deer we are looking for. We are looking for that mature, big-bodied, blah, blah, blah..."; and then seeing or hearing that mentality in a hunter like me is a sad state of affairs, in my opinion. The overwhelming majority of us have full-time jobs (other than hunting), families, and other pursuits, obligations, and responsibilities. Our time afield can be limited and precious, and we treat it as such. Consequently, any game animal taken legally and ethically using fair chase methods needs to be respected by fellow hunters. If you thing it is a trophy, then it is! And I have a feeling if I take one of those jakes this spring as my first bird, that uneven tail fan is still going up!

[BrowningGuy88]

I started turkey hunting last spring. Did not get a shot in the limited times I had to hunt (bow-hunted only), but I am hooked. Hoping for different results this year!

I appreciate the replies from those who state they do not look down or pass judgment on those who take jakes. Like beauty, a trophy is truly in the eyes of the beholder.

Where I will do the majority of my hunting this year (private land with limited pressure), I know there are several mature birds. I have also scouted several "super jakes", whose body size is quite comparable to the mature toms. I cannot say for sure how I am going to react when that first legal bird gets in range of my Mossberg (you're darn right I'm using a shotgun this year!), but I sure hope to find out.

One thing that gets increasingly frustrating is some of the mentality from the hunting shows that seems to spill over to us normal people. Watching a professional hunter on closed, private land that is manged specifically for game make comments like, "I had nice 2-1/2 year old 8 point come in to my rattling but he is not the deer we are looking for. We are looking for that mature, big-bodied, blah, blah, blah..."; and then seeing or hearing that mentality in a hunter like me is a sad state of affairs, in my opinion. The overwhelming majority of us have full-time jobs (other than hunting), families, and other pursuits, obligations, and responsibilities. Our time afield can be limited and precious, and we treat it as such. Consequently, any game animal taken legally and ethically using fair chase methods needs to be respected by fellow hunters. If you thing it is a trophy, then it is! And I have a feeling if I take one of those jakes this spring as my first bird, that uneven tail fan is still going up!

Well stated!

I wish you luck on your first bird. I remember my first well and he was a jake shot at 7 yards with a 20 gauge single shot.

[remmy1187]

I started turkey hunting last spring. Did not get a shot in the limited times I had to hunt (bow-hunted only), but I am hooked. Hoping for different results this year!

I appreciate the replies from those who state they do not look down or pass judgment on those who take jakes. Like beauty, a trophy is truly in the eyes of the beholder.

Where I will do the majority of my hunting this year (private land with limited pressure), I know there are several mature birds. I have also scouted several "super jakes", whose body size is quite comparable to the mature toms. I cannot say for sure how I am going to react when that first legal bird gets in range of my Mossberg (you're darn right I'm using a shotgun this year!), but I sure hope to find out.

One thing that gets increasingly frustrating is some of the mentality from the hunting shows that seems to spill over to us normal people. Watching a professional hunter on closed, private land that is manged specifically for game make comments like, "I had nice 2-1/2 year old 8 point come in to my rattling but he is not the deer we are looking for. We are looking for that mature, big-bodied, blah, blah, blah..."; and then seeing or hearing that mentality in a hunter like me is a sad state of affairs, in my opinion. The overwhelming majority of us have full-time jobs (other than hunting), families, and other pursuits, obligations, and responsibilities. Our time afield can be limited and precious, and we treat it as such. Consequently, any game animal taken legally and ethically using fair chase methods needs to be respected by fellow hunters. If you thing it is a trophy, then it is! And I have a feeling if I take one of those jakes this spring as my first bird, that uneven tail fan is still going up!

Very well said MEbeardlover, best of luck on your first bird, be it jake or tom. 

[SheGotHoOks]

My husband introduced me to turkey hunting just last year.. (btw I am hooked) I remember how he aggravated me the morning of my first hunt, continuing to ask me time and time again if I was gonna kill a Jake! My first bird was a longbeard.. and I still had a tag to fill.. when on a hunt three jakes come in and we waited forever for them to leave.. lol we'd think they was leaving and they'd just come back.. They done that over and over,  and my last tag filled was another longbeard =) so I haven't killed a Jake.. And don't really plan to, but who knows bc we do love to eat wild turkey

[Grant Flaming]

I was lucky enough to kill a long spurred bird as my first turkey. Since then (6 seasons?) I have killed only one jake. It was probably the most exciting hunt I've ever had. I certainly prefer a longbeard if given the choice, but with it being my senior year, and endless projects being due and extracurriculars going on, I will not hesitate to shoot a jake this year if the hunt is exciting. Life is whatever you make of it! I am after the thrill of the hunt.