First time hunted Jakes

[NYlogbeards]

I've been wondering this for a while now, with all of the 1 year old Jakes that were hatched last year have never have experienced a hunting season besides maybe the fall I therefore makes them less experienced to hunters and more vulnerable to being called in and killed than a older Tom.

Am I right, what's your experience with younger Jakes compared to older Toms?

[SteelerFan]

In my experience, Jakes don't necessarily have the woods-wise caution that an older gobbler may have, and might be more anxious to respond to the call. But they are still turkeys; that don't want to be killed or eaten by a predator.

Remember, spring breeding ritual equals gobblers gobbling, and hens going to them to be bred. As hunters we are trying to reverse the process by having the gobbler come to us. I believe Jakes, and some 2 yr olds are a little more anxious to go to a hen rather than waiting on the hens. Sometimes it's a matter of "opportunity" - where a younger bird may think they can score a hen if they get there first.

The "thought of breeding" has been the demise of young males of all kinds of species, for a long, long time...

[Dr Juice]

I concur. Breeding is the demise of all males :-)

[Bill Cooksey]

Jakes are often extremely "dumb" in comparison with mature birds. I'm not looking down on anyone for shooting them. I've done it, and I might do it again someday. In the meantime, if I find there are a ton of jakes on a property I'm hunting, I'll do my best to scare the daylights out of them a few times. Primary reason for this is jakes can prove a nuisance when trying to work a gobbler.

Once they're of a mind, they'll keep running back to a call. I started my "spooking" practice after having a group of jakes wreck five different setups on a longbeard one day. They'd rush in, I'd quit calling to let them wander off, and the gobbler would move away a bit. I'd reposition, start calling, and the jakes would rush back. The fifth time, I stood up and scared the heck out of them. On my sixth setup I killed the gobbler.

[TauntoHawk]

Jakes can be dumb as nails, it can be fun to watch them run in to sometimes mere feet but also they can really get in the way when trying to get set up or call in a mature bird. Its like the button buck or spike that walks right up to you while you are walking to your stand.

[NYlogbeards]

I'm guilty my self of taking a few Jakes but only reason I ask it seems like only Jakes will come in gobbling the Tom rather come in quietly and really concerned other hunters in the area are going to be taking the Jakes cause they're easier to kill.

[howl]

 Jake's are not as wary of hunters, but they can can be wary of other turkeys making it difficult to kill one. I have better luck intentionally calling up three year olds than I do jakes.  Jakes just sort of wander by rather than really working to the call. That is why I have never shot one. I did try real hard to kill the only truly full gobbling Jake I ever came across.  75 yards was as close as it would come. I finally flipped it the bird and walked away. It followed me for about a quarter mile, gobbling all the while. Them jakes just don't follow the rules. I think if you set out to intentionally call up and kill a limit of Jake you would find it easier to focus on gobblers.

[wvmntnhick]

As has already been stated, they don't have the wits about them to be as cautious but they aren't necessarily easy to kill all the time. I will say this, when setting up on birds on the roost, I've found jakes to be more cooperative. Once on the ground, it's anybody's game. After the hens leave and the big boys are on their own again, they tend to me much more receptive to the calling and I've found them more likely to come to the calls than their younger brethren.

[Farmboy27]

I don't consider jakes any "dumber" than old gobblers since I don't really consider any turkey "smart". I do think jakes tend to be less wary than old birds. As said before, the natural order of things is for the hen to go to the gobbler. Jakes and 2 year olds are more likely to go against this and go to the hen. But not always. I personally feel that any legal bird is a trophy and although I love feeling those long spurs and looking at a long beard, some of my fondest memories are of jakes that I called in as a kid back when any bird with a beard got my heart racing!!

[NYlogbeards]

I don't consider jakes any "dumber" than old gobblers since I don't really consider any turkey "smart".

couldn't agree anymore, but I do believe turkeys are so stupid sometimes it make them smart... But I figured what everyone has said about Jakes aren't as wary but influences from other birds could make them more wary, I would also think if a Tom was communicating with a hen a Jake wouldn't respond in case of starting a fight with a more dominant bird.

[Marc]

Jakes just sort of wander by rather than really working to the call.

That is completely opposite of my experience.

I think they will generally come in from farther and at a faster rate to a call than will toms...  Possibly this varies by species and location though.

I hunted a couple properties in college, and I would call at one spot and call in some jakes...  Move some distance to a different location, and call them in again.

I always figured that the toms expect the hens to come to them, and the jakes are trying to sneak one in on any hen that was possibly interested.

I also think that an older bird has had more experience with danger and predators, and that they do become more cautious with age.

[CMBOSTC]

I concur. Breeding is the demise of all males :-)

Nice!

[terp]

For me jakes seem to come in quiet... I figure they don't want to attract the attention of the dominant bird.   They are probably bolder in groups