WIll you shoot a jake this year?

[bowmike]

Last year was my rookie year into truly hunting for gobblers. I was ready and willing to shoot any bearded bird. A just visible beard jake would have been fine with me.  Even when my tom was coming in I had thought he was a jake. His gobble was weak, and not as deep as some of the mature birds that I had gotten to come in. Also the fact he would only gobble once or twice, lead be to believe it was a jake with a hen, that did not want the boss tom to know he was around.

When I shot him he was half strutting and his bird was popped out / not dangling making me think he was actually a jake with maybe a 5-6" beard or so. He did not go into full strut so I could not see his fan. I shot with the expectation to have him as bigger jake. When I got up to him and saw he was a thin bearded longbeard I was pumped.

Now I have been thinking ever since that day that I would want to keep as many 2 year old or better birds in the areas I hunt and will pass up a jake. The more I think about it, I am imagining it will all come down to the hunt, I guess. If I am hunting hard all morning and at 10 I strike up a convo with a gobble, that is not clearly distinguished as a jake, and have to move, and play chess and such with the bird for a while, and he turns out to be a jake, I may shoot him. If a bird comes in and does not show me he is a full fan, and has a 5-6" beard, I may shoot him as well. These borderline birds are the ones I think will be the toughest for me to pass on. The little stub birds are most likely going to get the pass.

I remember someone posted a picture of the feathers that drape over the wings as another way to tell if the bird is a 2 year old or better bird.

I am not judging on this, and any legal turkey harvested is fine with me, just wondering if anyone is planning on shooting a jake this year if given the opportunity. I love to look at the gobbler that I had shot from this past spring and his full fan graces my den. I just don't think that the jake fan would look as good to me.

What do you guys who only want to shoot a 2 year old do if you have a gobbler with a 5-6" beard come in without revealing his fan. Do you give him a free pass, just based on beard length, or try to get him to strut? I know some turkeys beards can break and such in the winter, and imagine that this winter there may be some full fan birds around with these busted up beards. My buddy shot a full fan tom that had a stubby, thick 3-4" beard but sported over 1" spurs.

What are some other things I can key in on to tell he is a 2 year old or better bird.

[NYSportsman]

I will not shoot a jake. But I have no problem with anyone else shooting one. Hunt for experiences! The game you take home is just a bonus!

[honker22]

I won't shoot a jake unless it's an accident.  And yes, they have fooled me a few times before and ended up in the grease.

[jakesdad]

If I was in your shoes and just starting out,I would shoot any legal bird until I got a few kills under my belt.I'm not knocking you in any way for the choice you make the decision is ultimately up to you in the end.I just think you would benefit yourself by getting some experience of harvesting a few birds before I worried too much about longbeards only.

As far as other ways to tell if he's a mature bird,the fan is about the best way to tell.You can tell by spur length but if he's close enough to see spurs you ought to have the gun up and bearin down already.I've heard jakes gobble you'd swear were mature birds and vice versa.

And no I will not shoot a jake this year.If it comes down to jake or tag soup its tag soup for me.

[Ctburdchasr]

to me it is all about the experience, my first bird was a jake and I love that bird more than the huge tom I took with my gun last year. I hunted hard for that jake and I am proud of him. so to me it isnt about jake tom hen or even buck or doe I hunt for the woods and the experiences not the trophies taken. so as long as it is a good time with great memories have fun

[NYGobblergetter]

If it is the end of the season I have been skunked and a jake comes in then he is toast; otherwise I will pass on them. However, I have no problem with others taking them if they want to. Hunting should be fun

[CASH]

You don't need our permission. Most of us choose not to, just about all of us have at some point.

Just go out, hunt, be safe, and have fun

[bamagtrdude]

If I was in your shoes and just starting out,I would shoot any legal bird until I got a few kills under my belt.

This is really good advice; 100% agree with it. 

For me personally, *any* "gobbling" bearded bird is subject to get the lead in the head treatment, independent of beard & spur & fan size.  IJS.  I'm not a greedy hunter, either - our state allows 5 birds per season.  After I bag my first bird, I'm content to wait until a monster walks out, and *if* a jake were to cruise by, I'd probably let him walk, esp if I know for a FACT that a bigger bird is working that area.  As the season wears along, though, and I haven't killed anything, been on a bunch of birds, am tired, etc. - a jake that's gobbling like crazy is dead meat.

[Dtrkyman]

I do not shoot Jakes, they just do not do it for me like a big Tom, but I can care less if someone else does, and that is part of it amongst friends to give em a little crap for shooting baby birds!!! As long as its all in fun!!!

[Jbird22]

I won't shoot a Jake on purpose. It's illegal here but I wouldn't even if it was. I'm not judging those whose can and do though.

[M,Yingling]

I would take a jake I called and worked in,,,before I would belly crawl thur the brush to edge of field to ambush a long beard or one I flushed up to shoot

[WildTigerTrout]

At this point I will not shoot a jake, however when I first started out I was happy with any legal bird. I did shoot a couple of jakes too, just to get the experience. Now I like to match wits with the big boys and let the teenagers walk.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

If it doesn't have a full fan or a longbeard, I don't shoot it.

Not into killing jakes so I enjoy my encounters with them and let them walk off.

[hookedspur]

You don't need our permission. Most of us choose not to, just about all of us have at some point.

Just go out, hunt, be safe, and have fun

Here ya go !!
I did last year and thought I was sooting a long beard ,he had a full tail but was a Jake .

[Spring_Woods]

Tail fan is the really only sure fire way to tell.