When you are out turkey hunting, before you take the shot – look for the beard to be sure!
There are several reasons why turkey hunting is one of the more accident-prone of the field sports: Everyone out there is camouflaged from head to toe; we’re all making sounds like the birds we’re hunting; and we all know a gobbler’s head is red, white, and blue.
Those same reasons should make turkey hunters extra cautious, but not every hunter remembers all the safety rules when he’s dead certain that’s a gobbler over by that big oak.
In spring, any male or bearded turkey is a legal target, but some hunters don’t give enough thought to distinguishing a tom from a jake, hen, or non-target until it’s time to shoot. You’ll have a safer hunt if you brush up on basic turkey identification and keep the beard rule foremost in mind.
Tom, jake, or hen? A male turkey is larger than a hen, but the sexes can also be differentiated by feather color, head color, leg spurs, and the presence of a beard.
The body feathers on males, regardless of their age, have black tips and a shiny, iridescent sheen. A hen’s body feathers have buff tips and a dull, dusky finish. From a distance, males look big, shiny, and black, while hens look smaller, drab, and brown.
Turkeys do not molt all their tail feathers in the first year of life. A juvenile bird’s central tail feathers are longer than its outer tail feathers. When a jake, or juvenile male, displays his fan, the central tail feathers stick up an inch or two above the rest of the fan.
A hen’s head is typically dull gray or blue in color. Males’ heads can appear bright blue, red, or white, depending on their level of excitement. In spring, a male’s head is generally bright red. When he’s in full strut, the top of his head turns white. When a strutting male walks toward you, his head looks like a softball against his fanned-out tail.
Adult males, or gobblers, also have fleshy wattles and caruncles on their head and neck and a snood on their beak. These fill with blood and turn bright red when the bird is excited, and the snood hangs down several inches below the beak.
Males have spurs on the backs of their legs that grow longer and more pointed each year. Spur length is a reliable method for aging toms. A jake, or yearling male, has spurs less than a half-inch long. A 2-year-old male has spurs one-half to 1-inch long. Toms older than age 3 have spurs at least an inch long. Toms kick at each other with their spurs when fighting.
Males also have beards, which consist of a group of coarse bristles growing out of the skin of their breast. Jakes usually have beards shorter than 5 inches. A 2-year-old tom’s beard is usually at least 8 or 9 inches long. Beard length is not a good indicator of age, as the tips of the bristles wear and break from contact with the ground or tree limbs.
From 1 to 5 percent of hens also have beards, but these are usually short and wispy. Bearded hens have all the other characteristics of normal hens. A bearded hen is a legal target, but most hunters pass them up in favor of a tom.
All turkeys cluck, yelp, and purr, but toms and jakes are the only turkeys that will gobble. A mature tom’s gobble lasts several seconds and has a lusty rattle. A jake’s gobble attempts are often hesitant and comical. Jakes may yelp-gobble or break off a gobble after two or three syllables. They sound like adolescent boys trying out a new voice, which is just what they’re doing.
Keep a mental checklist of these sex characteristics, and you should have no trouble telling a hen from a tom or a jake. As a bird walks into range, ask yourself: black or brown body? Red or gray head?
When a turkey gets close enough to shoot, before you push off the safety, look for the beard. It’s a rare tom that has lost its beard to a fight or freezing weather. That extra second or two you take to identify your target with absolute certainty just might spell the difference between a successful hunt and a tragic mistake.
As fall approaches and turkey hunting season starts to ramp up, it’s time to brush up on wild turkey terminology. One key term every turkey hunter should know is “jake”. But what exactly is a jake turkey? This article will cover everything you need to know to identify jakes and understand their place in the fascinating world of wild turkeys.
What Is A Jake Turkey?
A jake is a young male wild turkey that is starting to transition from a juvenile into an adult bird. Jake turkeys are generally around 1-2 years old. At this age, they are not yet fully mature but have begun developing some of the characteristic features of adult male turkeys, known as toms.
Specifically a jake is considered a male turkey that is no longer a poult (baby turkey) but has not yet reached full adulthood. During the spring hunting season, jakes are the “teenagers” of the turkey world – not quite kids anymore but not fully grown either.
Identifying Jake Turkeys
Picking a jake out from a group of wild turkeys takes a trained eye. Here are some tips for jake turkey identification:
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Smaller size – While not as big as mature toms yet, jakes are noticeably larger than juvenile poults and adult hens. They tend to be lankier with less bulk than adult males.
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Shorter beard – One of the clearest giveaways of a jake is the beard protruding from its chest. A jake’s beard is typically less than 6 inches long compared to 8 inches or more on a tom.
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Smaller spurs – Jake turkeys grow short spurs on their legs, usually less than 0.5 inches long. These spurs will get much longer as they mature.
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Tail feathers – A jake’s central tail feathers are noticeably longer than the other feathers. When displaying, these middle feathers stick up higher than the rest of the tail.
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Hints of red – As they mature, jakes’ heads start flushing with hints of the red, white and blue coloration adult toms display. But the colors are less vibrant than a full tom.
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Chest “stubble” – Early in development, some jakes have what looks like black facial stubble sprouting on their chest as their beard starts growing in.
The Life Of A Jake Turkey
Now that you know how to identify jakes, let’s look at what life is like for these young male turkeys.
Jakes spend most of their first year of life, after hatching in late spring, following and learning from their mothers. By late summer, they join groups of other juveniles.
Come fall mating season, jakes start showing interest in breeding. However, dominant adult toms won’t tolerate them competing for hens yet. So jakes form small bachelor flocks and practice strutting and gobbling together away from the mature males.
Over winter, jakes begin roosting and interacting more with older males while still staying on the fringes as they move up the social hierarchy. By spring mating season of their second year, jakes look and act much more like full adults. They will strut, fight, and try breeding even though the dominant toms still get first dibs on hens.
As they reach 18-24 months old, jakes have usually fully matured into adult gobblers. Their beards reach full length around 8+ inches, spurs grow 1 inch or longer, and their heads become fully colored. By fall of their second year, most jakes complete the transition into adulthood.
Hunting Jake Turkeys
For many turkey hunters, jakes are popular targets in spring since they tend to be quite vocal and responsive to calling compared to wary older toms. Because jakes travel in small groups and compete for dominance within their flocks, they will often rush in eagerly to confront and spar with what they think is an intruding male. Their lack of experience makes them more susceptible to decoys and calling.
However, some hunters choose to pass on jakes and target mature toms to give young birds more time to grow. Check your hunting regulations, as some states prohibit harvesting jakes or limit hunters to one jake per season.
Either way, understanding the jake life stage is key for hunters. Identifying those adolescents of the turkey world aids in decision-making and scouting. Plus, appreciating their biology and behavior patterns helps hunters better interact with these unique birds.
So now when you encounter a “teenage” turkey acting rowdy and reckless, you’ll know it’s just a jake being a jake! Familiarizing yourself with jakes is an important milestone on the journey to becoming a savvy turkey hunter. Gobble up all the knowledge you can on identifying and understanding these fascinating adolescent turkeys.
At the Ranch: Know the Difference Between a Jake & a Tom
FAQ
What is a Jake turkey?
Are Jake turkeys good to eat?
Why are turkeys called toms and jakes?
What is the difference between a Jake and a tom turkey?
In the jake vs. tom turkey comparison, beard length, spur size and tail feathers all come into play. The tail feathers provide the easiest identification because you can see them from a distance and they require no measuring. Jake turkey tails stick up noticeably in the middle, while toms have uniform tail feathers.
What is a Jake Turkey?
Let’s take a closer look at the gobbler! Jake turkeys are juvenile males that were hatched in the year prior. Typically, they are only one-year-old birds. These birds often have immature features such as smaller beards, shorter spurs, and lighter colors.
What does a Jake Turkey look like?
Jake turkeys typically have shorter beards, shorter spurs, and smaller bodies compared to adult toms. How can you identify a jake turkey? Look for a turkey with a long beard but underdeveloped spurs and noticeably smaller size compared to mature toms. Are jake turkeys good for Thanksgiving dinner?
Are Jake turkeys subordinate Toms?
Jakes are considered subordinate toms and must prove themselves over time to gain the respect of the flock’s dominant males. Do jake turkeys change their appearance as they mature? As jakes mature into adult toms, they will develop longer spurs, deeper voices, and more vibrant coloration. How do jake turkeys communicate?