Do you shoot jakes on public land?

[lmbhngr]

I think we all have shot a couple in our many years of hunting. If I call one in I choose to let him pass

[Gooserbat]

In a word, No.

I don't shoot jakes.  I consider them gobbler seed, and I like the hunt to much to cut it short so I'll wait on a gobbler.

Hmmm. I seem to remember a jake from Kaw just a few years ago that got a free shoulder ride. . .

Or the Push jake from 2-3 years  . . . 

The Kaw Jake from about 6 years ago was the last purposeful jake on my record.  The push jake in question was actually on Three Rivers and he died under circumstances concerning fire ants.

[turkeyfoot]

Hunt legal be happy I don't shoot em just to be killing but if fall hunting I'll lay one down in heartbeat. For my 2 cents I have hard time calling in jakes on our public land I'll call in 10 longbeards for every one jake. The jakes are not numerous in big groups around here and usually have their place in pecking order by time season starts and as season goes they go totally quiet and like hermits. These are pressured easterns I'm talking about from my experience Rio and Mrerriams stay aggressive deep into season and way more vocl and willing to work to a call

[1iagobblergetter]

I've called Jakes in the last hour of spring season and have let them walk. Never have shot one in the spring,but in the fall it's a different story sometimes depending how I feel. If my 13 year old Son would want to shoot a jake im fine with that,but he has so far chosen not to.I use to call hens and young of the year in the Fall and let them walk only hunting mature fall gobblers. Now I like the hen Wingbones for calls so I'd rather target them or sometimes whatever comes in due to time constraints. People have different opinions on what's a trophy and what's not or even different limitations in life. If it's legal do whatever makes you happy who am I to judge.

[deerbasshunter3]

My biggest goal in turkey hunting is to take a bird on public land, calling on my own, mainly due to the fact that it has always seemed like one of the hardest things to do, based on what I gather from others. It is legal to shoot a jake where I will be hunting (public land), so I will not hesitate to harvest a jake the first chance I get. However, after that I will only shoot a gobbler on public land. On the private land that I hunt, each person only gets one bird/year, so it is common practice to shoot a gobbler, not a jake.

[HFultzjr]

In PA, I can get 2 tags.
1st tag is for any legal bird, unless I'm on a hot big one.
2nd tag is for only a big one.
I consider big as 8 inches or longer.
I love the taste of turkey.

[Gobble!]

I don't, but don't fault people who do.

x2

[HawkeyeGobbler]

My likelihood of shooting a jake increases in an inverse correlation with how many days are left in that particular season.

That being said I don't like it, just the way it is. I have never actually had the opportunity or decision to make on private ground but I dont think I would shoot a jake on private.

Way i see it is public land is every man for yourself. If you pass on it someone else will shoot it. Ive shot plenty of fork and spike bucks on public and not thought twice about it. Would i do that on private ground? Never. But if you do it on Your private ground it doesnt bother me any.

[fallhnt]

I shoot any legal bird that comes into range, including hens. I factor in time away from family and job,fuel and food. I enjoy how I hunt.

[wvmntnhick]

My likelihood of shooting a jake increases in an inverse correlation with how many days are left in that particular season.

That being said I don't like it, just the way it is. I have never actually had the opportunity or decision to make on private ground but I dont think I would shoot a jake on private.

Way i see it is public land is every man for yourself. If you pass on it someone else will shoot it. Ive shot plenty of fork and spike bucks on public and not thought twice about it. Would i do that on private ground? Never. But if you do it on Your private ground it doesnt bother me any.
[/quote]
Some private ground is just as bad or worse than public. The farms I hunt here see more pressure on the edges than the farms I hunted growing up. The animals are better here due to higher nutrition levels but still, there's more pressure and I'm less likely to shoot a smaller animal. I'm way more likely to pull the trigger on a "lesser" buck or turkey there than here. So I see kind of where you're coming from. It's all relative to the situation even though ours are inverse.

I shoot any legal bird that comes into range, including hens. I factor in time away from family and job,fuel and food. I enjoy how I hunt.

This I can respect a ton. Hunt what you want, when you want, how you want. Get after them and don't look back. Enjoy it now for as long as you can.

[jblackburn]

jakes taste better than tag soup.

I don't go out thinking, huh. Ya know what, I think I want to kill a jake today. Sometimes it just happens.  I chased a gobbling 12 pound jake around a mountain a few years ago and I kill him dead and ENJOYED giving him a shoulder ride.

[bbcoach]

I was told when I started turkey hunting, you can kill jakes until you kill your first gobbler but once you kill a gobbler, you couldn't go back.  I've used this advice for many years now.  By the way, I've never killed a jake, my first bird was a gobbler.  Most states say, Bearded Bird, so enjoy the experience and shoot a bird with a beard.

[WyoHunter]

Assuming it is legal in your state, will you shoot a jake while hunting on public land? From what I seem to read, it is more of a challenge to kill a turkey on public land than it is on private land.

Will you shoot a jake if the opportunity presents itself, or hold out for a mature tom?

I hold out but that's just me.

[wdog]

I was struggling bad one spring and had a new job that I was starting that spring, it was late season and I had about 15 minutes before I had to leave for this new job a jake came in and I smoked him first and only jake I have ever shot. I have no issues if your struggling,a new hunter or just like shooting one turkey a year. But if your killing them just to rack up numbers you need to rethink your priorities.

[ChiefBubba]

On public land if it's legal I'm shooting. Bubba