Are you a Jake taker?

[Burney Mac]

Struck a bird late one morning, rattled the woods like a fool. Came from the same location and about the same time of day as some big birds I had killed in the area. Well it was a super jake. Strutted and gobbled like a full blown tom. He acted like a big boy so I treated him like a big boy.

Couple years ago I had a buddy who is a good bit older than me. I had tagged out earlier in the year and was at the farm doing some work. It was the last day of the season in the afternoon and I talked him into tagging along with me. Got set up on a ridge top in some thinned pines where the briars and new growth was a little thick for my taste, but I knew they would want to roost there. Thirty minutes before dark a bird cut my calls off. Couldn't see him for the vegetation and terrain features, but soon enough I heard him spit n drummin'. My buddy drew a bead and rolled the bird out. Ran up high fiving, hooping and hollering...turned out to be a jake. He sounded full grown and acted full grown, but I never saw him till he was dead. I'm not a jake killer by any means, but I will rememeber that hunt forever, Sometimes it's not all about the spurs, beard, or weight. What matters is the size of the memory.

[Jet]

Was fortunate in that my first bird was a nice tom, so I have never killed a jake.  I won't say I never will, and I have no problem with someone who does.

[Casey Johnson]

I might kill one every now and then. I try not too, though. I have no problem with anyone that does, or don't.

[Kylongspur88]

I'll whack a jake, just don't want to use one of my high end turkey shells to do it.

[blueridgegobbler]

If a bird comes in gobbling strutting and acting like a big boy i will treat him like one and feed him the nitros doesnt matter to me if its a jake. between me and 2 friends we killed 3 mature birds all of which had beard rot 2 years ago, biggest one was 19lbs with 1.5 inch spurs all were close in weight and had spurs over one inch and beards around 2 to 3 inches long. Point being i really dont pay attention to beard lengths if it makes for a memorable hunt i take advantage of the opportunity.

[tomstopper]

Last season I let the biggest gobbler in my life walk when he stayed about 50yds away from me and strutted back & forth for 20 mins. For the rest of the season I hunted that bird hard and on the last day, I had a jake walk right in to wear I was and I laid him out. This was the first one that I had shot in probably 15yrs & the only reason why is b/c I wanted to have fresh wild turkey for the dad & daughter camp out the next month. They all taste the same so I don't have a problem with or without a person taking a jake. At the end of the day it is an individual choice that each hunter has to make.....

[catman529]

I can't really vote in the poll... I will pass jakes unless the season is going bad or I just want to kill one for the meat and to fill a tag. This year I plan to pass all jakes and my goal is to tag out with only longbeards. 2011 I killed my first bird, a jake, and the only one for that season. 2012 I killed 3 toms and 1 jake, which would have been 4 toms if I hadn't hesitated on a strutter because I wanted his head up for the shot... ended up shooting one of the jakes instead...

This year it will be hard not to shoot if I have a jake in range on opening morning. one of my goals is an opening morning bird. But I think I will pass it anyway, since my main goal is 4 longbeards for the season...

Fall season is a different story... bag limits by county and plenty of birds flocked up. I will shoot almost any bird in the fall but try to avoid poults. Hard to tell sometimes when you walk out on a group of them at 35 yards and start shooting... yep I killed 2 poults like that last fall, but hey it's meat in the freezer and more tender too.

[troutfisher13111]

Occasionally. It really depends on what kind of season I am having. And I agree with everyone who is saying that tv and the mature animals only crowd is going to kill our sport. People shouldn't forget why humans started hunting and that it is the background for all harvesting of any animal or fish.

[Boatdoc39]

My 14 yr old day daughter killed her first turkey, a JAKE, Saturday morning. 10 minutes after fly down.  She was very proud of her 'trophy'.  It was as exciting a morning hunt as I could have asked for her first time in the woods.  Birds gobbled on roost and came in gobbling and strutting.  She was a bit scared to shoot and let them get to 15 yrds. I personally have never killed a jake, but believe there's nothing wrong with letting a kid or a first-time hunter shoot one.  A 'trophy' is in the eyes of the beholder.

[turkey_slayer]

TV hasnt really influenced a lot of guys on here. Most were hunting before tv hunting got big. Heck TV is the reason there are so many spring turkey hunters. There were very few people that hunted turkeys here till the past 10 years or so. I dont shoot jakes. I killed one when I was 11 then killed one on accident and felt bad. There was him and a jake with 4 hens in a thick pine bottom. I had been staying with em all morning and finally got in a position to kill him. I heard him spit then seen a head pop up and kaboom. I shot the jake. The longbeard was behind him and I knew what I had done when I seen him go air born. Have no problems with someone else wanting to bust em though.

[twild]

Yes I am. The farmer I hunt on in kansas,Doesn't turkey hunt. But he always wants a jake for frying.So It's normally the first bird I shoot every year.  He ownes 600acres that he has let me hunt for over 25 years,Has a real nice camper we stay in,And his wife makes the best strawberry shortcake I've ever ate, That she brings out every night after supper. Super nice people Try to pay them some thing every year for the use of the land and camper, water, electricity, but won't take a dime. Just wants a jake for frying.

[TrackeySauresRex]

Only if the season is not working out the way I like... Somtimes I may harvest a Jake as the season winds down. 

[CntrlPA]

then killed one on accident and felt bad. There was him and a jake with 4 hens in a thick pine bottom. I had been staying with em all morning and finally got in a position to kill him. I heard him spit then seen a head pop up and kaboom. I shot the jake. The longbeard was behind him and I knew what I had done when I seen him go air born. Have no problems with someone else wanting to bust em though.

These are the ones I don't understand. Sounds like a great hunt. You got the same hunt out of that Jake as you did the longbeard. The only difference between those was in beard length/spurs. But if thats what you're into..


**And I don't specifically mean turkey_slayer. People can shoot or hold out for whatever they want. I might shoot 1 jake for every 5 longbeards. It all depends on how exciting the hunt is.

[hoyt]

If I hunted places with high numbers of gobblers and opportunities to kill one where high, I wouldn't shoot a jake. More meat on an older bird..not to mention I'd rather kill one with long beard and long spurs. However, I don't hunt those kinda places anymore. To me hunting those kinda places is like for some..people killing jakes.

I've been hunting only public land for over 30yrs now and some places killing a gobbler of any kind can be very hard even when hunting just about everyday of the season. 

So, since I like fried turkey breast..no gobbler is safe around me no matter if it gobbles, struts or not. If a jake is the only thing between me and not having some fried turkey I will definitely kill it if I can..just one though and then save my tags for bigger birds... and I don't mind if other people don't shoot them.

[8upbowhunter]

My son and I have only killed 1 turkey each in our 4 seasons turkey hunting. His was a jake and mine was a 9-1/2" two year old. We get 2 tags each and the area we hunt has 3 lottery weekends and a 7 day season so yes I would shoot one near the last day if I did not kill any for the season yet but if I have a kill for the season I would pass on him.


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