Are you a Jake taker?

[TurkeyTom]

Some of the guys from the hunting camp I belong to say I'm crazy for not killing the jakes, but I think if you keep killing them, it cuts down on the number of big Toms available.

[jhcats10]

I personally pass them but have no ill feelings toward anyone that does


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[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Absolutely not.

Don't understand why anyone other than a novice or newbie would.

[ericjames]

For me its a NO!! I have killed one in my life and he should have lived  but a stray pellet hit him upside the noggin about 30 yards and about 5 foot to the right past the one I shot. I did not even notice I hit him until I picked my other bird up and heard him start flopping. I dont care if people do it somewhere else where there is a lot of birds, but if you hunt where I do in south west alabama and south east mississippi ( My back yard is the state line) there is not enought turkeys anyway so we dont need to kill them.. Need to let the grow a little anyway.

[jblackburn]

I've been known to take a jake now and again.  I really try not too, but sometimes (especially in late May) I get frustrated and fried jake is pretty good.

[Treeninja]

I don't shoot jakes nor do I shoot a buck thats not going on the wall...

[SouthEastNC]

Absolutely not.

Don't understand why anyone other than a novice or newbie would.

That's how I feel. If it's the first bird you ever have a chance on, I understand doing it. My first bird ever was a jake... I shot at and missed a nice strutter, and was so mad that an hour later when I got 2 jakes to come in, I decided to take one out. But never since then. It felt good to get a bird under my belt, but after that I didn't see any point in shooting a bird without hooks.

I do also feel that as long as you leave the jakes alone, those are more 2 year olds you'll have to hunt next year.

[ericjames]

Absolutely not.

Don't understand why anyone other than a novice or newbie would.

That's how I feel. If it's the first bird you ever have a chance on, I understand doing it. My first bird ever was a jake... I shot at and missed a nice strutter, and was so mad that an hour later when I got 2 jakes to come in, I decided to take one out. But never since then. It felt good to get a bird under my belt, but after that I didn't see any point in shooting a bird without hooks.

I do also feel that as long as you leave the jakes alone, those are more 2 year olds you'll have to hunt next year.

You hit the nail on the head!! I might get beat up for this,but if it was up to me killing a jake or not taking a bird the whole year I guess I would just not take one.

[WildSpur]

I do.  I hunt places where I might only hear 1 bird a day and have to go over a mile to get to him.  That makes it a trophy for me.

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[turkey harvester]

Late season, look out jakes. Normally I don't. But i will tag a jake before I eat a tag samich. I really like fried turkey.

[lumberjack]

Why not? Its called turkey hunting.....you (at least I) go to the woods to kill a turkey!!!  Television has skewed the minds of hunters in all disciplnes..... To my knowledge, even though it is limited, there is no biological reason to let a jake live.  I believe their survival rate is about 50% (this may be for all turkeys), and thats survival....no guarantee if he does survive that next year he will be within a country mile of where you let him walk!!  A bird in hand is better than two in the bush!!!

[budtripp]

Done it a time or two, my first bird was a jake. I like to shoot gobblers these days myself but not going to look down on anyone else if they want a jake. Or bearded hen for that matter (legal in my state).

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Why not? Its called turkey hunting.....you (at least I) go to the woods to kill a turkey!!!  Television has skewed the minds of hunters in all disciplnes..... To my knowledge, even though it is limited, there is no biological reason to let a jake live.  I believe their survival rate is about 50% (this may be for all turkeys), and thats survival....no guarantee if he does survive that next year he will be within a country mile of where you let him walk!!  A bird in hand is better than two in the bush!!!

Recent studies conducted in Mississippi on public land have indicated that a Jake has a 93% chance of survival to its second year of life where they are protected.

There are a myriad of reasons of reasons not to shoot jakes; the most popular and justified reason being that they are young, naive, and easy to harvest.

I hunt for the challenge of pursuing mature game and harvesting it consistently in a variety of different environmental conditions and geographic locations.

Perhaps this is judgmental, but, if you're a veteran of the sport and you're still killing jakes, I guess I just assume you have a learning disability. Jmho

[ericjames]

I would just rather let him walk and give a kid or someone else that never killed one the thrill, I get what some of you are saying and I am not going to look down on the ones that do but just in my home state we can take 5 turkeys and I can take 3 in mississippi also. Witch is only 1 mile from my back door to the state line so I hunt there also. So for me if I get 4-5 the rest is a bonus anyway.. and in mississippi its illegal to shoot a jake anyway

[drenalinld]

I go to kill long beards. I will not think less of anyone who choose to kill a jake.