When is a jake not a jake

[Jim K]

A friend was watching one of the jakes at my shop today. He said it's starting to be hard to tell they're jakes anymore. Their beard have probably grown 2 1/2-3" since I first saw them this spring. He said when is a jake not a jake anymore?

We kinda thought maybe when they're done molting and have a full fan.

Any thoughts on this? I never really thought about it.

[Yoder409]

........... when they're done molting and have a full fan.

That would be my criteria.   Yep.

[Turkeybutt]

Sounds about right to me  but somebody might have some other criteria they have to meet.

[Greg Massey]

Mainly as his physical appearance changes and how he acts as he gets older going into the 2 year old stage. Beard growth and fan alone with his aging and appearance.

[crow]

When he is in gun range, skinned, cubed and in the frying pan

[falltoms]

I've shot year and a half old (super Jake's) in the fall with 7 to 8 inch beards. And some may have 5 or 6 inch. With that being said, I've shot 2 year olds in the spring with 6 to 7 inch beards. It all depends when they are hatched. I consider Jake's in the spring, longbeards come fall

[HookedonHooks]

I've shot a fully matured, long spurred gobbler that did not have a full fan. Also shot a hard gobbling, no spurred, longbeard. The hardware doesn't tell the whole story. If they get the heart thumping hard, squeeze the trigger.

A jake is no longer a jake to me when he reaches breeding age, which is typically in their second spring.

[tal]

 I've seen a bird with a full fan and a gobble any dominant bird would be proud of, he had to be a full year old plus. I went over it in my head several times and the math (nesting, hatch) just didn't work out until I learned a turkey egg can take freezing nights and still be viable. An early bird that made it. As mentioned, appearances can fool you. I consider a jake's age just past one year, a super jake 1 1/2 years old (fall bird).

[Kylongspur88]

I judge it by full fan but i believe the ky check in system goes by beard length. That's deceptive. I killed a bird with full fan good spurs and most likely beard rot so his beard was only a few inches long. Definitely a mature bird but short beard.

[Mossberg90MN]

Full fan to me


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[Paulmyr]

After he makes it through his 1st hunting season.

[Turkeybutt]

When he is in gun range, skinned, cubed and in the frying pan

Crow that just about sums it up, Good thinking!

[joey46]

Full fan to me also.  Beard rot seems to becoming more common where I hunt and is a reason I'm not in favor of areas trying to use length of beards to consider a bird legal or not. 

[jhoward11]

When I see him on a commercial for State Farm.  Or the full fan thing.

[ferocious calls]

When they molt the first set of adult feathers. Some very early hatches may sport a round tail the year after hatching. Have raised several of them.