OFFICIAL 2014 JAKE THREAD

[catman529]

Me, personally, no desire to shoot a jake.
Jake's are about to turkeys what a button buck is to deer.
Both are less than a year old, and neither approaches the hunting challenge they will should they survive at least another year.

Another thing to think about:
The more male birds you have relative the females, the more gobbling you usually get from the males. In other words, having more 2-yr and older Toms (by not shooting jakes), increases your chances of taking a longbeard, not just because you end up with more longbeards, but also because the longbeards will gobble more frequently.

You'll kill more longbeards if you kill fewer jakes, often same day, you'll pass up a jake only a little later to have an opportunity at a longbeard. (Kinda like when you pass up a young buck, then an older ones comes along a little later that morning.)

That said, jakes are legal birds in TN (if beard is visible). Early season, many jakes will not have a visible beard.

As to those "super jakes", I figure they just have a head start on being a bigger older Tom, kinda like when you have a 1 1/2-yr-old buck that starts out as an 8-pointer: Best ones NOT to shoot if you're in to managing your herd/flock.

I thought super jakes were early born so they are a little more developed. Who knows. Sometimes it's more about the hunt and killing a bird you called in than having the most number of toms next year. A jake or two wont hurt the population where I hunt. But some places I wouldn't even want to shoot more than 1 tom by the numbers I've heard.

I'm much more satisfied when I kill a longbeard vs jake however I have nothing against killing one if it's what you want and you do it legally...

 

[TLRanger]

As to those "super jakes", I figure they just have a head start on being a bigger older Tom, kinda like when you have a 1 1/2-yr-old buck that starts out as an 8-pointer: Best ones NOT to shoot if you're in to managing your herd/flock.

I thought super jakes were early born so they are a little more developed. Who knows. Sometimes it's more about the hunt and killing a bird you called in than having the most number of toms next year. A jake or two wont hurt the population where I hunt. But some places I wouldn't even want to shoot more than 1 tom by the numbers I've heard.

I'm much more satisfied when I kill a longbeard vs jake however I have nothing against killing one if it's what you want and you do it legally... [/quote]

I think super jakes are late hatched rather than early hatched. They are over one year old but less than two, like hatched in the fall of the previous year. Not many late hatched birds survive so they are sort of rare. I have killed a couple of them in the past but don't shoot them unless I mistake them for a two year old.

 

[timberjack86]

I don't plan to kill any jakes this year, but if the hunting is tough or something, I'll shoot one in the face

x2!!

 

[timberjack86]

Me, personally, no desire to shoot a jake.
Jake's are about to turkeys what a button buck is to deer.
Both are less than a year old, and neither approaches the hunting challenge they will should they survive at least another year.

Another thing to think about:
The more male birds you have relative the females, the more gobbling you usually get from the males. In other words, having more 2-yr and older Toms (by not shooting jakes), increases your chances of taking a longbeard, not just because you end up with more longbeards, but also because the longbeards will gobble more frequently.

You'll kill more longbeards if you kill fewer jakes, often same day, you'll pass up a jake only a little later to have an opportunity at a longbeard. (Kinda like when you pass up a young buck, then an older ones comes along a little later that morning.)

That said, jakes are legal birds in TN (if beard is visible). Early season, many jakes will not have a visible beard.

As to those "super jakes", I figure they just have a head start on being a bigger older Tom, kinda like when you have a 1 1/2-yr-old buck that starts out as an 8-pointer: Best ones NOT to shoot if you're in to managing your herd/flock.

This sounds all fine and good but comparing a jake to a button buck is hogwash.Just because you pass a jake that does not mean he will be there next year. Way to many critters eat turkey year round.

 

[Vermin93]

It depends on your situation and priorities. Jakes, fawns...I don't see the difference if your primary goal is to put wild game on the table. They all eat great.

 

[megalomaniac]

Me, personally, no desire to shoot a jake.
Jake's are about to turkeys what a button buck is to deer.
Both are less than a year old, and neither approaches the hunting challenge they will should they survive at least another year.

Another thing to think about:
The more male birds you have relative the females, the more gobbling you usually get from the males. In other words, having more 2-yr and older Toms (by not shooting jakes), increases your chances of taking a longbeard, not just because you end up with more longbeards, but also because the longbeards will gobble more frequently.

You'll kill more longbeards if you kill fewer jakes, often same day, you'll pass up a jake only a little later to have an opportunity at a longbeard. (Kinda like when you pass up a young buck, then an older ones comes along a little later that morning.)

That said, jakes are legal birds in TN (if beard is visible). Early season, many jakes will not have a visible beard.

As to those "super jakes", I figure they just have a head start on being a bigger older Tom, kinda like when you have a 1 1/2-yr-old buck that starts out as an 8-pointer: Best ones NOT to shoot if you're in to managing your herd/flock.

This sounds all fine and good but comparing a jake to a button buck is hogwash.Just because you pass a jake that does not mean he will be there next year. Way to many critters eat turkey year round.

That logic for not shooting jakes is completely fallacious. Very, VERY few birds which reach adulthood are preyed upon. Now your neighbor is probably a completely different story

I like big, old, boss birds. And I've killed so many turkeys in my life that I have no desire to ever shoot a jake (heck, I don't even shoot 2 y/o birds if I can tell that before I shoot). In fact, I usually limit myself to 1 bird a year just to keep my streak going. I love the hunt. I'd rather spend a day calling in 7 or 8 birds into gun range and pass them all than shoot a single bird early in the am and be done for the day. The more birds I pass up, the more birds I get to keep calling back in later in the season, sometimes over and over. Strange, I never thought I'd become a 'catch and release' turkey hunter

 

[timberjack86]

Bobcats are very efficient turkey killers. It nothing to find a pile of turkey feathers any time of the year. I have found a gobbler that a bobcat was eating once.

 

[TNhunter]

If all the jakes that people pass made it to two and three years old the woods would be full of full blown toms. In my opinion more of them don't make it 2-3 than do due to natural causes. Some jakes get passed on and some don't. My son had a nice longbeard he could never get a shot at last weekend even though I called it into 30 yds. Right after that 6 jakes came in to 15, and we just watched them. Today, opening day - several toms were in the field but hens led them away. After about an hour 6 jakes came 200 yds across the field, one strutting the whole way. We took the opportunity to double at the same time amd took two of them. My son shot the strutting one, 22 pounds and I took one of the others, 17 pounds. Mine had his breasts smoked this afternoon and were enjoyed for dinner tonight.

 

[Inkstainz]

I say if yo at happy with it, then it don't matter what anybody else thinks