Jake turkey tails stick up noticeably in the middle, while toms have uniform tail feathers. Beard length also provides a noticeable distinguishing characteristic. Jake turkey beards measure about five inches or less, while the beards of toms can grow eight inches or longer.
What’s the difference between atom and a jake turkey?
With some careful listening, an experienced turkey hunter can distinguish a Tom gobble from a Jake gobble at a good distance away. Jakes tend to gobble a lot softer with a quick drop off. A Tom has a longer drawn out gobble that is significantly louder.
What kind of turkey is a Jake?
In the males, Jake Turkey has short beards of about 2 to 3 inches, while the Long Beard Turkey has beards of the length up to 10 inches, which is also the cause of its name.
Should I shoot a jake turkey?
According to the NWTF, there’s no biological reason that exists on whether or not hunters should kill a jake. If a jake is taken legally, no biological backlash comes from harvesting that bird, other than reducing the potential of 2 year olds that could be in the area the following year.
How do you tell if a turkey is a male or female?
The easiest way to determine the turkey’s sex is by examining the feathers on the breast and sides of the turkey. On males, these feathers have black tips. The feather tips are brown on females.
Can a Jake turkey have a full fan?
A Group of Jakes
In the second year, the tail molts in the standard adult pattern from the outside in and the gobbler will then have a full, even fan. Once a bird reaches 2 years of age, he will have an even fan for the rest of his lifetime.
How do I know if my turkey is a tom?
Turkey Basics-Gobblers and Hens
Let’s begin with the basics of distinguishing male wild turkeys (gobblers) from females (hens). Gobblers are larger-bodied birds, with a darker coloration, at times appearing almost black. In bright sunlight, their feathers cast a brilliant bronze or metallic iridescence.
Do Jakes gobble?
Yes Jakes do strut and gobble. This time of year most of the mature toms are with hens and your jakes are on the prowl.
Do all Jakes have beards?
? Jakes are one-year-old males, and the spurs on their legs are generally short and rounded. Their beard is also short and sticks out straight – if you can see it at all. Jakes also have three pairs of feathers in the center of their tail feather fan that are longer than the rest when fanned out.
How long does it take a Jake to become a tom?
A baby male turkey, or a poult, becomes a jake at about one year of age. Once he reaches two years old, he is known as a tom turkey. Jake turkeys have a few key characteristics that can help you identify them.
Do all male turkeys have beards?
Turkey Beards
Male turkeys, called gobblers – and some female turkeys, called hens – have beards. Only about 10 to 20 percent of hens grow beards, and it’s likely a genetic mutation, according to Sciencing.com. The beard’s function is not known with certainty, but it might influence mate selection by hens.
Can you shoot a jake in Mississippi?
Shooting a jake is not legal in Mississippi, for instance, as the state has a 6-inch beard rule, and most juvenile gobblers have beards 5 inches or less. Be sure to check your state’s regulations, too.
Do you shoot Jakes?
According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, there is no biological reason to not shoot a jake, other than the obvious fact that there will be one fewer 2-year-old next year.
How much does a jake turkey weigh?
A juvenile or one year old male turkey is called a “jake”. An average adult gobbler weighs about 20 to 23 pounds and a jake will weigh approximately 14 to 16 pounds.
Can you hunt a jake turkey?
Some hunters consider those nearly one-year old male birds the same as older males – gobblers, that is, legal, obtainable turkeys. Others would never shoot a jake, and still others won’t shoot jakes unless they come in strutting and gobbling, in which case they are treated just like a mature tom.
What is the longest turkey beard ever recorded?
Location: Canatlán, Durango, Mexico. Clyde Neely, a Texas resident, travelled south of the border and took this record-book Gould’s on April 10, 2006, using a box and slate call. 14.0625 inches is a long turkey beard anywhere.
Why is the male turkey called a tom?
It’s an urban myth that Ben Franklin named turkey’s “toms” after Thomas Jefferson. The truth is the name “tom” stems from “tomcat,” a term used to describe a wild man that often enjoys the company of multiple females, much like the wild turkey.
Is a male or female turkey better to eat?
The meat from a female turkey is more tender and flavorful than that of a male turkey. The ideal weight of an adult female turkey is about 4 kilos.
Can turkey lay eggs without mating?
Do turkeys lay eggs without a male? A turkey will lay an egg with or without a male. But they will not be fertile. Without a male, they cannot be placed in an incubator and will not hatch if a hen sets on them.
Can two tom turkeys live together?
turkeys, often called “heritage” turkeys, can live in mixed-sex flocks so long as everyone gets along well. However, you may find that males (toms ) get along with each other better if they live away from female turkeys entirely.
What does it mean when a turkey fan its tail?
TURKEY FACT #4: Tom turkeys aren’t the only ones that swagger and fan their tail feathers to woo mates and ward off rivals. Some hens strut, too.