How big are your jakes?

[JDogg]

My 8 year old son shot a jake during the youth season this year.  As it was coming in I thought it was a two year old that had a broken beard.  After he shot it, it wasn't until after I got a good look at the tail feathers that I was sure it was jake.  It weighed just under 17lbs.  I thought that seemed large for a jake. That was until I shot my jake.

I had four birds come right to me off the roost.  I knew that some of them were jakes because of the gobble but two of the birds sounded almost like mature birds.  As they came over the hill I shot the lead bird hoping he was a two year old.  The birds lingered around for about 40 mins.  I didn't spook them because my buddy was 25 yds from me and I was hoping he could call them over.  It didn't work though because they wanted to go by me to get to him and they weren't sure about coming right by me.  Anyway the whole time one of the birds decided to let my bird have it.  He kept spurring him, gobbling and strutting.  His gobble sounded just like an adult bird and he was clearly larger than the others.  I could clearly identify him as a jake however.  Finally when I got my bird and weighed it, it tipped the scales at 17lbs 9 ounces.  Isn't that large for a jake?  My buddy couldn't believe how large he was.  Is this normal?  the last spring jake I remember weighing came in at 14lbs and that was in big farm country.

[Jay]

Depends on where you live, which is why I push people to put their state in their avatar. In Iowa those are average Jakes, and the only Jake I shot weighed over 18#s. Big Jakes Gobble here like the big boys. I had 2 Jakes and 2 Toms come in once that were all Gobbling their heads off, and no difference at all between the 4.

[neal]

We run it to that up here in Northern WI a few years back I had a kid out on a mentor hunt and he shot a Jake that weighed 20lbs. 6oz. and I've seen others that have gotten close to that 20lb. mark.

Congrats on your birds!!

[Hootowl]

Holly Cow those are some Heavy Jakes, Mine tipped the scale at just a little over 16 lbs, But what was so neat was he had 3 beards? I just now how to figure out how I am going to diplay it along with his Tail,


 
Hoot

[TauntoHawk]

really depends.. the only two jakes ive shot were 13.7 and 15lbs and had a 4 and 5.5in beard.. they gobbled but it was broken jake gobble, I junior we took out this year killed a 19.5lb jake with 5in beard and all sorts of attitude in his gobble last week in the same area (Cairo NY)

jake at my uncles in PA (Susquehanna county) do almost zero gobbling, never strut and are tiny. look like they would range between 11 and 14lbs with thin 2in beards. never killed one.

I think it depends on hatch times, winters, and obviously food.

[hobbes]

I've seen jakes from 11 to 18+ pounds back home in Southern IL.  The bigger birds seem to be farm country birds with the hills birds usually weighing a little less.

[Spellnj3]

My son's jake was 14 lbs.

[Fastcat]

Here in Wisconsin jakes tend to vary in size just like everwhere else.   However due to the larger size of norther animals in general it is no surprise when jakes go 18-19#s sometimes heavier.  Also a 27-28# gobbler is not rare.  It's always nice to see healthy happy young birds.

[Rio Fan]

I'd say the average size jakes I've seen weighed out here in Washington is 14-15 lbs. 

[J.Davidson]

I live in Tn i killed a jake a couple yrs. ago and it weighed 17  with a 6 inch beard and half inch spurs but he never gobbled