Super jakes and gobbling question

[Tom007]

No rhyme or reason.  Last two springs have taught me not to judge a bird by his gobble.  I hunt every gobbling bird as if he were a tom, but spend a little more time confirming the bird is a tom before shooting.  Full tail fan or swinging beard are my criteria for shooting.  It'll cost you a bird every now and then, especially hunting without decoys, but it's the price to pay if you only want to shoot toms.

  X2. It works both ways. Last year, I also learned to never walk away from a shy gobbling bird that sounds like a Jake. Late in our season, I struck a gobble. It sounded very short, squeaky, (Jake-like) and he gobbled very infrequently. He kept skirting around me, seemingly avoiding coming in close. After 2 hours, and 7 move set-ups, I almost said to myself this is a Jake, time to get up and move on. At this point, I pretty much shutdown my calling, limiting to leaf scratching and real soft purrs. I decided to stick it out, and after a 20 minute silent period, he gobbled about 35 yards away. He was behind a knoll, I adjusted facing his direction. Next thing I saw was a full fan coming over the knob. The brilliant red/white /blue head confirmed a Tom. He weighed 23 pounds, 11 inch beard, long sharp spurs.  I will never walk away from a different sounding gobbler.

[RutnNStrutn]

Absolutely!! Doesn't happen often, but every few years I call in a hard gobbling jake that thinks he's the man. Most jakes realize they're jakes, but not all.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[idgobble]

One out of 500 gobblers doesn't have a beard. I called one in a few years ago for a friend and it was strutting, gobbling, fanning, etc. the whole way in. Tall weeds so we couldn't see a beard. When he got it and we looked at it there was no sign it ever had a beard. The OR regulation for a legal turkey says, "a male turkey or a turkey with a visible beard". That covers everything.

[Dtrkyman]

Later seasons in the Midwest it is a common thing, maybe a combo of an early hatched Jake and late season.

I smoked one once and almost did several other times!

One in Missouri luckily jumped on a dead fall 6 feet off the ground or he would have gotten it too!


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[TauntoHawk]

I think more than we think of the birds that gobble like mad but won't commit and we credit with being willey are actually jakes or sub dom 2yr olds and aren't man enough to commit to the call.

I played cat and mouse with a bird for 5hr last year, everytime I'd close in on him he'd go quiet and pull back once outside 100yds he'd gobble at everything again. Finally snuck into sight of him and there he stood with a jake beard, glassed him up and he had spurs. He was runt of a 2yr old but full fan and wing patches round little 3/4 spurs, light weight and stubby 5.5in beard.

But yes I've been fooled by loud mouth jakes, sometimes 2 or 3 jakes are hard to judge the gobbles because they run all together and sound fuller than a single bird.

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[donjuan]

Yes. One year my brother came out to KS to hunt. He already filled one tag. We agreed to go hunt the last morning but would only have a half hour.  Loud mouth, deep throaty "gobbler" hangs up behind a terrace. We can see his head and he keeps strutting. Looked like a full fan...he was a Jake. Killed him at 657 am, had agreed to leave the woods at 7

[Dtrkyman]

On the other side of the coin I once was hunting on a friend's lease, bird "gobbled" he's like that's a Jake I'm going to the gate.

I said I'll hunt here, killed him, 10 in beard 1 1/4 daggers!


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[Kylongspur88]

For me...gobble like a big boy he's gonna die like a big boy. That said I've killed several with full fans and spurs but short beards. Beard rot looked to be the culprit.

[Marc]

I actually had two experiences this weekend that relate to this thread.

Yesterday, I worked a bird that gobbled like a lion.  When he came in, he was with another bird, and he was a jake.

Today, I was working a bird with a very immature sounding gobble...  Gobbled like a jake, but acted like an older bird (stayed just out of range, and every time I moved, he would again circle around just out of range).

It was the only bird giving me any action, but after an hour, I decided to see if I could get another bird to play...   And then he got some high ground on the ridge across from me, and he was swinging a paintbrush.  Looks like a bird I was chasing last year, with a huge chest, full fan, and long, thick beard...  And, I got to actually watch him gobble, and it was the same weak gobble I had been working.  Maybe he had COVID?

I stayed with him another hour playing that frustrating game...  He won (this time).

[Spitten and drummen]

Yes. I have been fooled a few times. Also I killed one once that when he gobbled , it sounded like ball bearings in a coke can. The first few times he gobbled , I wasnt even sure that it was a gobble. I called his hen in and he followed. 11" beard with 1-3/8ths spurs. Crazy. I have never heard another like it.

[Jimspur]

Yes. I have been fooled a few times. Also I killed one once that when he gobbled , it sounded like ball bearings in a coke can. The first few times he gobbled , I wasnt even sure that it was a gobble. I called his hen in and he followed. 11" beard with 1-3/8ths spurs. Crazy. I have never heard another like it.

I killed one about 12-15 years ago similar to that. I was with a friend and hit the call and heard a noise. I said to him, "what was that"? He said he didn't know so I hit the call again and we heard the same thing. I can't even describe what it sounded like. We could tell it was getting closer and
it was a longbeard with one inch spurs. I killed him at about 30 yards.
Hunt long enough and you'll see and hear some crazy things.

[stinkpickle]

LOL!  We call it the "coffee can full of marbles".

[BMAC_Turkeys]

I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV

good resource  thanks for posting

[outdoorsmen]

I put no faith in to judging of gobbles. I've heard Jake's sound like big Tom's and heard Tom's sound like what people think jakes should.spund like.   After 26 seasons I've come to the conclusion that if the experience of the hunt is exciting and satisfying I don't care if it's a Jake or longbeard.   I've got a freezer full of beards and legs...for what and why?  Can't eat them. But I dont have any breast meat in the freezer.  Fried nuggets taste to good!

[outdoorsmen]

I quick look at the wing patch would have confirmed whether or not if was a mature gobbler. See here: https://bit.ly/3w5oQCV

Shane I do agree with some of what you linked to your website. However inventory in your example pics the characteristics are not distinguishable.  The crown, snood and curnicles on the Jake in strut look just like a a big tim.
I think the wing primary feathers & tail feathers (if strutting) are the primary visible clues.  Secondary is beard (beard rot may be misleading)  and spurs (not easly see till bird is dead).