Shoot a Jake or wait for a Longbeard?

[LaLongbeard]

Howdy. Informal poll/discussion... Comments welcomed.

In a state that allows it, would you harvest a jake or pass and wait for a tom? Let's say it is public land and you only have a couple of days to hunt... One tag only.

Ready? Set? DISCUSS!

Dave

The OP asked a question and asked for comments. Several people stated they will or won't shoot a jake. No one singled anyone out about either answer. For some reason the ones that do shoot jakes are more easily offended than the ones that don't. I do not wait all year drive countless miles lose sleep not to mention the money involved to shoot a 9 month old turkey it's not about the meat the beard spurs or fan it is calling a mature gobbler to the gun. I don't sit on field edges in a pop up blind and wait for the noon arrivals either for the same reason. Everyone hunts for a different reason and some seek a higher challenge and will not except anything less.

[M,Yingling]

Ok I have watched this and decided I am just gonna say what I feel and suffer the wrath. I actually mean nothing personal to anyone, but I am growing tired of the "self-righteous I have a higher standard" crowd. After 31 years working for a state wildlife agency I have seen all the arguments and I have watched professionals build programs that are not only sustainable, but  actually increasing. There is no biological reason for passing Jakes, period.  Sure they make future gobblers, but many of them die naturally before they mature. Laws are designed to allow harvest of the surplus. DNR's work hard to provide the resource and the opportunity to hunt. They do not make laws that jeopardize a species and they only manage for trophy opportunities has a afterthought and enhancement. Opportunity comes in many forms and the fulfillment of a hunt and the satisfaction that comes from it is a matter of personal choice for all who participate legally. Why should any agency restrict the enjoyment of someone when it is not necessary to manage the resource. It all comes down to one thing, personal choice. I think in way to many cases we let ego get in our way. The "I won't shoot anything but a mature or trophy animal is driven mostly by "look at what I done sentiment". Now many pursue trophies as a quest of excellence. They set a standard that says I want to preform at a high level of excellence, and that is fine. What if we looked at all our recreational endeavors in the mind set that only the highest level of sport was acceptable. Would we outlaw all sports after we reached the age of development, say 18 or 22.  If you aren't gifted enough to play pro then you shouldn't play any sport. Of course not, most people would sat this is ludicrous. Why should anyone be ostracized because of a legal choice that fulfills their personal quest? I cal BS on the looking down on others becasue they choose to practice their sport different than you. The resource is doing fine, let people enjoy it as they wish. We don't restrict the shooting of juvenile pheasants, squirrels or rabbits. Why? because we have not imposed trophy standards on these species. They still do fine as a species. I also believe this trophy attitude has hurt hunting as a whole.....

Ok have at me

well said
trophy standards on a squirrel largest male with hanging nuts lol

  ,,
me i shoot whats legal if a jake plays the game and iam in mood its getting a ride in the truck    same with buck or doe  big or small  ,,, i remember the days of going to camp and if someone shoot a 10 point or a spike it was all good,, u was the man of the day lol  ,,,
like i have always said i would rather shoot a jake i called to the gun sitting against a tree ,,, then a longbeard sitting in a box blind with a field full of decoys or  belly crawling thur a field to harvest one ,,, but thats just me ,,,,,,, and dont knock on  guys that do   

[tysonhunter]

I'm proud of what I Kill and happy for all others legal harvests! If you are proud of it and it is legal then that's all that matters. Personally I've never killed a jake or bearded hen albeit I've had chances but that's not to say I won't one day nor is it my business if somebody else does.

[strutstopper]

The OP asked a question and asked for comments. Several people stated they will or won't shoot a jake. No one singled anyone out about either answer. For some reason the ones that do shoot jakes are more easily offended than the ones that don't. I do not wait all year drive countless miles lose sleep not to mention the money involved to shoot a 9 month old turkey it's not about the meat the beard spurs or fan it is calling a mature gobbler to the gun. I don't sit on field edges in a pop up blind and wait for the noon arrivals either for the same reason. Everyone hunts for a different reason and some seek a higher challenge and will not except anything less.

Well said!

[RED NECK]

I do not shoot jakes or bearded hens.I hunt to kill mature longbeards and to enjoy the woods,if tommy stays away.I get to enjoy the next morning.

[Yoder409]

Jakes are great for kids or newbie turkey hunters to cut their teeth on.  If it makes someone happy to shoot a jake, then that's their trophy and I'm happy for them, too.

I don't have the need to HAVE to hang my tag on a bird.  I don't shoot jakes for my own personal reasons.

[Tail Feathers]

You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning and you won't kill a longbeard if you burn your one tag on a jake.
But if it makes the hunt for you, do what you want.

[eggshell]

You know I did realize I probably haven't answered the survey......so here goes

I typically do not shoot jakes, in fact I do my best to pick out the toughest, wiliest and most frustrating old tom I can find. When someone says, "I have an unkillable bird" I want a try at him. I have shot Jakes and in the right time and place I may again, but it is not my first choice. Late season or last day hunt and a jake works good, I'll bust him and enjoy the dinner he provides. I have hunted turkeys 45 years, killed my grand slam and lost count or care of how many I have killed. I killed birds that would rank as high as #6 all time (did not register him) and still on a good hunt and a well worked bird I can't say I would not shoot a Jake again....at this stage I just wanna have fun.

There are a few who post here who know me from years of interaction and know I can back up my talk in the woods and my moral character.  I do enjoy the frank discussions and admire people's passion,  which ever side they are on.

So I wish all well and hope you can forgive me any offense, and it has been a good discussion.

[fallhnt]

my 11 yr old nephew wont even shoot a jake. to me its no different than shooting a button buck. in my zip code it will get you a talking too.

My buck...

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[chbarnha]

I usually let them pass, I would say 99% of the time. every now and then I get mad at turkeys in general, then its go time. I think in the last 8 years ive killed 3 jakes. one of them fooled me, the other two was one of those days that id had enough getting my butt kicked and took the bird in hand.

[eggshell]

Here is an interesting fact: I went through all the post and just took a rough estimate on the numbers and here is what my evaluation of the results are:

50% of post answered the question directly
50% were simply people justifying their opinion (I actually fall in this category...not real proud of myself for going off topic)
Of the 50% who actually made an attempt to answer the poll approx. 58 % hold out for longbeards and 42% would shoot a jake . Some would only shoot a jake under certain circumstances, but would do it.

After running a turkey check station for DNR for 30 years and seeing thousands of turkey hunters I would say this number is off from the general public but close. Typically we saw mostly mature birds checked and about 30% jakes. In years that were preceded by a poor hatch 2-3 years previous and then preceded by a good hatch the summer before, jakes would make up approx. 60% of the kills. So I think most hunters are basically opportunist, they want to kill mature birds, but they also want to fill tags.

Turkey hunters have evolved a lot. In the 1970s and 1980s I saw a lot of people shooting any legal gobbler they could and being darn proud of it. As time went on and hunters got experience they started choosing which birds to shoot. This is a true behavior for people in all endeavors, as we become more competent in our quest our standards of quality and production are refined and increased. We simply want to feel like we're doing it better. The other social aspect that falls into any group behavior is the involuntary separation of community members into classes (this is a perceived mental state, not necessarily real)  and with that often comes negative responses. It happens in every aspect of life and I believe is actually a character flaw in humans. We as turkey hunters are no different we are simply human.

[GobbleNut]

Great post Dana,...interesting statistics,...and "human Behavioral analysis".   

Personally, I don't care if somebody wants to shoot a jake,...or not,...from a biological standpoint.  Regarding the impact on the turkey population, it is generally irrelevant. 

To me, the important consideration is why any individual hunter makes the choice to shoot a jake,...or for that matter, a gobbler.  There are valid reasons for both,...again, in my opinion,...but there are invalid reasons, as well.   As you stated, the real issue is the "human behavior" consideration as to why someone chooses to pull the trigger.  That analysis is quite lengthy,...and in truth, would probably expose some internal weaknesses and conflicts within each of us as hunters. 

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

I called a jake up this morning. I didn't shoot him, then again its illegal in Miss. except for a youth.

[mightyjoeyoung]

Howdy. Informal poll/discussion... Comments welcomed.

In a state that allows it, would you harvest a jake or pass and wait for a tom? Let's say it is public land and you only have a couple of days to hunt... One tag only.

Ready? Set? DISCUSS!

Dave

The OP asked a question and asked for comments. Several people stated they will or won't shoot a jake. No one singled anyone out about either answer. For some reason the ones that do shoot jakes are more easily offended than the ones that don't. I do not wait all year drive countless miles lose sleep not to mention the money involved to shoot a 9 month old turkey it's not about the meat the beard spurs or fan it is calling a mature gobbler to the gun. I don't sit on field edges in a pop up blind and wait for the noon arrivals either for the same reason. Everyone hunts for a different reason and some seek a higher challenge and will not except anything less.

Nor do the vast majority of experienced hunters.  The thing is, YOU choose to voice your opinion in such a way as to desprage anyone that doesn't see it your way, do it your way, or god forbid disagree with you.  And you do it in a way that literally,  every single time, makes you look like a freaking jackass.  Idk if it was the way you were raised or what.  I don't care.  As I've said, I consider myself an experienced turkey hunter and a damn good one in a state that has all manner of hunter competition,  a large predator problem and a state legislature that seems bent on destroying our hunting rights.   What you do is try to belittle people every chance you get.  There is a way to interact with folks.  You don't seem to understand that. 

[kevin2]

I've been trying to get one with my bow for several years now. Passed on some jakes. BUT, this year the first beard that comes by might get it with my bow.