Taking Jakes

[TauntoHawk]

My first two birds were jakes, about 5 and 6 in thick beards. Now I don't but that's because the hunt would be over way toooo soon. Lot of good birds where I hunt on NY so no point when I know I'll have plenty of chances at long beards.

[longspur]

If its late in the season and I've not killed a bird and I see one i'm going to eat fresh turkey meat. thats all it is though. I don't feel like I've killed a bird. Twice in my 15 years of hunting turkeys I've killed 3 birds. Both times one was a jake, second time it was accidental, and I don't count myself as ever tagging out

[Dan Mallia]

I have been turkey hunting a long time and have killed a few Jakes. I choose not to shoot Jakes anymore but that is my decision. I took a friend out a few weeks ago that has killed several turkeys, most of them Jakes. He killed a Jake that day and was very upset because he wanted to kill a longbeard. I reminded him that it's not the size of the game that makes a good hunt. It's the hunt itself. If you want to kill a Jake and it's legal, thats your call, have a great hunt. That Jake is a Turkey and we are Turkey hunting.

TRKYHTR

My thoughts exactly. 

During gun season, I won't but during bow season, I just might.............

[Ruger M77]

I hunt public land here in Pennsylvania and it gets hunted hard.I'm also a construction worker so I pretty much only get to hunt saturdays and rainy days so any gobbler is good enough for me

[BHhunter]

A jake is a legal bird, you achieve the same outcome taking a jake as a 2 year old or older bird. You harvested a male turkey. Nothing to be ashamed of. They eat real good!

[Ol'Mossy]

A few years ago I had 2 longbeards hang up on me in some laurel, I couldn't see them but I know they were longbeards. Suddenly I hear some yelping above me angling down towards me, I thought right away a hen. Well this "hen" turned out to be a jake. He came in strutting and stopped in front of me 20 yards away.  I figured since he was man enough to come in strutting I would take him and I did.

[takemrarely]

I don't take jakes, but last year I was having a dry spell and was soooooo peed off at turkeys, I busted a jake in the head at 10 yards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, apparently, you do.......

[Number17]

Silly Hunters, Jakes are for Kids! 

[fallsflight]

Silly Hunters, Jakes are for Kids! 

 

When I first started turkey hunting, I shot a few Jakes.  That was a long time ago.  I no longer shoot Jakes and that is a personal preference.  It's up to the individual hunter to make that choice, but for me I wanted to take the hunt to the next level and let the Jakes walk and become Toms to hunt in the next year or two.   You just have to determine what you want out of the hunt itself as an individual. 

[coyotetrpr]

Simple quote."A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush." If you want a turkey and have the opportunity, kill a jake. If you pass on him to let him grow into a longbeard then 2 things are very possible. 1- he does grow up and leaves the property you hunt. 2- someone else fills their tag with him. Either way you still go home empty handed. This however is a mute point if you can hear a gobbler coming, as now the jake just becomes another decoy. Just my thoughts.

[Number17]

This however is a mute point if you can hear a gobbler coming, as now the jake just becomes another decoy.

Good thing the gobbler's not mute, you'd never hear him coming!  Once you killed the gobbler, then you'd have a moot point.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I don't shoot jakes and don't understand why any seasonsed hunter would.
It's an immature animal with less than a year of life under its belt.

That being said, I encourage newbies to take the opportunity to harvest one if they've never taken a bird.

JMHO

You don't shoot 2 years olds do you? I have called in way more 2 years olds then jakes so IMO that makes jakes smarter then 2 years old and more of a trophy right?

Nope, I don't shoot two year olds either...since Roy taught me how to age them by the gobble


Your attempt to get philosophical was unsuccessful.  I didn't mention 2 year olds in my post.  Any gobbler, i.e. bird with what appears to have a  7" beard or better and a full fan gets shot.

Furthermore, you call in far more two year olds because they are more established in the chain of dominance and are typically far more vocal than jakes in attempt to breed.  Statisticaly, there are more jakes running around the woods than  2 year olds due to the fact that a jake only has a 64% chance of making it to its second year in hunted populations.  In unhunted populations, a jake has a 94% chance of making it to 2.  Both statistics further validate the fact that there are always more jakes than 2 year olds running around in the woods.

I just personally feel that there should come a point in an individuals hunting career where they challenge themselves to pursue more mature animals.  In turkey hunting I believe that point should be roughly around the time when an individual has harvested multiple animals.  That point is where they should no longe define success by harvesting an immature animal but define success through learning about the quarry they hunt, learning how to call proficiently, and committing oneself to a higher standard by harvesting mature animals.


My mentality isn't shared by many, but that's ok.

I guess I just don't see how some guys can be satsified putting their hands around the same .5" spurs, 4" beard, 15lb bird year in and year out.  

[longbeardlife.com]

if it is what you want to do then do it.  I think everyone should be able to fill their tag anyway they want...  good luck with babie and hunting...