• Help Support TNDeer:

Jake harvest down

M

megalomaniac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
16,139
Reaction score
14,884
Location
Mississippi
bored and stirring the pot...

so, the overall harvest is down 33% this year till today... but the jake harvest is down 50% from last year. Is that a good thing? Does it mean peeps are choosing to pass up jakes? I hope so, but I don't think so... people don't just change what they choose to kill from one year to the next. IMO, the drastic decline in jake kill bodes for some lean years to come. Sure, your place may be covered up in jakes. But the rest of the state apparently is not.

Keep an eye out for little discrepancies like this to let you know where our turkeys are headed. Trending the number of hens you see during the season compared to years past is even better to let you know where you will be in a few years.
 
Believe it or not but I've seen more jakes than normal. But I agree hunters don't change that fast so it bodes poorly for years to come

The entire harvest situation paints a very bad picture to be honest
 
LOL, back in the good ole days, I called up a jake wad that had 35 in it. Yup, NOT an exaggeration... 35 in one group. I've seen a slightly below 5 year average this year. Enough to supply toms to keep me occupied next year, but we desperately need a great hatch this year.
 
The first question I ask my hunting circle is "how many jakes have you seen this year"...sadly the number keeps compounding, lower.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
AT Hiker":128hzd9r said:
The first question I ask my hunting circle is "how many jakes have you seen this year"...sadly the number keeps compounding, lower.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Same for me. I constantly ask after each report is "did you see any jakes this weekend" answer sadly is usually no
 
Jake sightings are right on par with years past for me on the places I hunt, except from my Hardin county farm, but dozer work on the adjoining property has all those birds messed up. One exception to this year about jakes, every single jake I have seen this year has strutted and gobbled, every one of them.
 
I saw 1 super jakes thus far in the season. I don't have any past data to compare against though since I'm hunting all new properties this year...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've hunted parts of 8 days, and I have personally only seen 5 jakes total, all in SW TN, all in one wad. A coworker of mine saw a wad of 15 opening weekend in SW TN.
 
I have 2 properties in Williamson county, a 30 acre tract and a 100 acre tract.

The 30 acre tract I have seen a group of 8 jakes, The 100 acre tract I seen a group 14 about a week ago.

I'm convinced my 1200 acre farm in lawrence county has 2 jakes on the whole place, based on my trail camera census.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I have seen plenty. As many or more than other seasons. There may be less serious factors contributing to jake kill numbers. I think new and less experienced hunters are more likely to stay home or be more affected by bad weather (fair weather hunters, if you will). This same group is also more likely to shoot jakes when the opportunity arises. So the bad weather we've had may have a greater impact on saving #jakelivesmatter than it does on overall kill numbers.

Just a thought with absolutely no supporting facts or data.
 
Southern Sportsman":1jpuxj6v said:
I have seen plenty. As many or more than other seasons. There may be less serious factors contributing to jake kill numbers. I think new and less experienced hunters are more likely to stay home or be more affected by bad weather (fair weather hunters, if you will). This same group is also more likely to shoot jakes when the opportunity arises. So the bad weather we've had may have a greater impact on saving #jakelivesmatter than it does on overall kill numbers.

Just a thought with absolutely no supporting facts or data.
Click to expand...
That certainly is a plausible theory.

Sent from my SCH-R970X using Tapatalk
 
Great topic, i've always used the jake numbers to predict next year's fun. it's been pretty accurate. Lots of jakes in spring, usually makes lots of gobbling 2 y/o the next. I had a 82 ac farm in Sullivan that in 2016 had 27 jakes in a group. I shot a longbeard in a field in April that year, took pics, got my gear loaded up and walked about 50 yards over a rise and they all ran off. had them numerous times on cams across the farm. 2017 had 14 in a group on that same farm. Another farm had 6 in 2016. Last year the other farm had 11 in a group when I shot 1 of 3, 2 y/o LB that ran together that were coming to kick up on the jakes that were strutting around that were with the 2 hens. Lost those farms in Dec, so i'm not sure on jakes now, but I will say i had no pics in the fall of hens with little poults. The 60 acres behind my house, i went from 3-5 jakes 2 years ago, to zero this year. Had 4 hens around the house early summer with no poults. We've had very wet springs and bone dry summers in upper ETN/SW VA area. My VA farms are about 4 miles across the line, i actually have 5 jakes running together this year on cam. Didn't have any last year on cam. We've not had a great springs the last few years and also seen a explosion in predotors (yotes, bobcats, bear, coons, possums & foxes) around my house and on cams at my farms.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top