Jakes

Turkey hunting tips & tricks that have worked & can help others.
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killerstump
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Jakes

Post by killerstump »

I'm not against killing a jake but if I know a better bird is around but staying hush I'll leave him be. In the end jakes hens or old gobblers all are worth of sizzling in the crisco pool.
Cut N Run
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Re: Jakes

Post by Cut N Run »

fountain wrote:say if youre on a pay hunt and time is running our and all you can get on for whatever reason is a jake..and its a new subspecies? what ya gonna do?

and I don't need the "i'll never pay for a turkey hunt"
I won't say that I'll never pay for a turkey hunt. I haven't so far, though I do pay for a lease. My grandfather taught me that it was counterproductive to take immature animals from a place where you hope to kill mature animals. Same goes for egg layers. Hens aren't legal here anyway, so they're off the table. When I deer hunt I do kill some does just because there's way too many of 'em around here, but its not the same with turkeys. Even when my part of North Carolina had an experimental Fall season when hens were legal, I passed on jakes and hens hoping for a grown gobbler. That's just how I was raised. I love hunting grown Spring gobblers and there is no substitute.

I hunt for meat & the challenge and I want the most I can get of each. That's all. I don't care how anybody else uses their tags as long as its legal. If a jake fills a need, great, I'm happy they got what they wanted. I don't need to kill something just because I have a tag. I'll do without if I can't get what I want. Jakes are safe around me.

Jim
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Re: Jakes

Post by quavers16 »

I live in Orange County ,NY. I also hunt in PA and a good 10 Springs ago and knowing that I would be out in PA for just one day--- I called a whole line of Jakes in. At least 7 of them!!! I shot the last jake in the line as I paid very good money for that PA non-resident hunting license--101 dollars!! If, I knew that I would have had more time in PA for that Spring--I probably would have held out. I was happy with him though.
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Grumpy
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Re: Jakes

Post by Grumpy »

As I get older it is getting harder and harder for me to tell the Jakes from the Toms while in the roost tree, I think a bigger and brighter spotlight will be the answer. Has anyone else had to get a better spotlight ?
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soiltester
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Re: Jakes

Post by soiltester »

Grumpy wrote:As I get older it is getting harder and harder for me to tell the Jakes from the Toms while in the roost tree, I think a bigger and brighter spotlight will be the answer. Has anyone else had to get a better spotlight ?
& a spotting scope helps also :lol: :LMAO:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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CamoMan4025
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Re: Jakes

Post by CamoMan4025 »

What if it weighs 50lbs?
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redarrow
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Re: Jakes

Post by redarrow »

CamoMan4025 wrote:What if it weighs 50lbs?
If it weighs 50 lbs you need to spend less time in the evidence room. :lol:
Put you plans in the nail scarred hands.
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Re: Jakes

Post by Gobbler »

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Re: Jakes

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Re: Jakes

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CamoMan4025
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Re: Jakes

Post by CamoMan4025 »

JAKES LIVES MATTER.......JAKES BRAINS SPLATTER!!!!!!!!
:struttin: :struttin: :struttin:
"God, Guts & High Explosives"
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SwampDrummin
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Re: Jakes

Post by SwampDrummin »

The name of the website is Gobblernation. :old_glory: Let em walk. From time to time some will be killed either unintentionally or because they got us riled up, but those bastards had it coming anyways.
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The Mossberg Mauler
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Re: Jakes

Post by The Mossberg Mauler »

Even as a kid I was never bad about shooting Jakes. I have killed a handful over the years but not many. Last one was probably 25-30 years ago. I don't see myself shooting another unless it's a mistake, and I try my best not to make mistakes with a firearm. No do overs with that.

But If someone wants to fill a tag with a Jake, go for it.
No Need To Count Holes In Paper. My Mossberg And Lead Kill'em Dead!!!!

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appalachianassassin
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Re: Jakes

Post by appalachianassassin »

no jakes for me. I don't kill animals that are still in diapers.
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SwampDrummin
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Re: Jakes

Post by SwampDrummin »

I don't want people to shoot jakes because I want more gobblers to hunt. Does that make me selfish?
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GOLD HUNTER
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Re: Jakes

Post by GOLD HUNTER »

I HAVE TO HUNT JAKES BECAUSE SOMEONE'S KILLED ALL THE GOBBLERS IN THE WOODS I HUNT !

:thumbup:
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BuckyT
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Re: Jakes

Post by BuckyT »

I've killed a few over the years. I don't target them specifically. I'm not going to say people can't shoot jakes simply because I don't like to shoot them. Seems pretty selfish to me. There is really no data absolutely proving passing jakes promotes a massive increase in gobbler numbers the following year.

If you see a group of 6 jakes, the odds are usually half of them will die from something else beside lead or TSS poisoning before the season opens the following year. Sure if you don't kill all 6 of them you'll probably ensure that 1 or 2 of them make it. Maybe.

I saw a group of 13 jakes one season. It was the next to the last day of the season. The following season I returned thinking the woods would be filled with gobblers....

Wrong... Heard only 3 or so birds gobble on that piece of dirt.. Managed to kill one of them..

I'm new here and if this is a dead horse thread, my apologies.

;)
pedro
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Re: Jakes

Post by pedro »

appalachianassassin wrote:no jakes for me. I don't kill animals that are still in diapers.
So I assume you don't hunt other animals? Only two year old toms and older?
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vaturkey
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Re: Jakes

Post by vaturkey »

Gobbler wrote:OK OK OK . I didn't realize so many were not ready to go Jakeless. So Rick and I will pass out some Jake Exempt cards for those who need them.

Gobblenut you better get one. You to VAturkey. Just PM me and I'll send you one.

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Doug ! I need a few of these ! :struttin:
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Shooter
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Re: Jakes

Post by Shooter »

vaturkey wrote:
Gobbler wrote:OK OK OK . I didn't realize so many were not ready to go Jakeless. So Rick and I will pass out some Jake Exempt cards for those who need them.

Gobblenut you better get one. You to VAturkey. Just PM me and I'll send you one.

Image

Doug ! I need a few of these ! :struttin:
Sxxttt!!! :LMAO:
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Jakes

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

BuckyT wrote:I've killed a few over the years. I don't target them specifically. I'm not going to say people can't shoot jakes simply because I don't like to shoot them. Seems pretty selfish to me. There is really no data absolutely proving passing jakes promotes a massive increase in gobbler numbers the following year.

If you see a group of 6 jakes, the odds are usually half of them will die from something else beside lead or TSS poisoning before the season opens the following year. Sure if you don't kill all 6 of them you'll probably ensure that 1 or 2 of them make it. Maybe.

I saw a group of 13 jakes one season. It was the next to the last day of the season. The following season I returned thinking the woods would be filled with gobblers....

Wrong... Heard only 3 or so birds gobble on that piece of dirt.. Managed to kill one of them..

I'm new here and if this is a dead horse thread, my apologies.

;)
I understand what you are saying BUT you are talking about natural mortality NOT certain mortality. Going to your 13 jake instance and hearing 3 gobblers the next year, if you are to kill a jake the year before who is to say you would not have heard 4 on that morning. You pulling the trigger on that jake ensures you will not hear him the next year. Dead Turkeys Dont Gobble, this year, next year or the next. Today's fast paced society dictates everyone has to get a kill as fast as possible so that they can get a picture of them with their Jake all fanned out on facebook or forums.

A good contingent of us on hear try to promote the shooting of mature turkeys. It may be glassing him 1,2,3, or more times, or having trail cams to ensure we are shooting 3+ year old gobblers and holding out. Many of us form "Hit Lists" Nothing sickens me more than a neighbor showing up with a 10 inch bearded gobbler bragging and than aging him and finding out he was two. Do you know what that gobbler could have been 2-3-4 years down the road. Shooting a good longbeard 2 year olds is nothing but highgrading. No different than shooing a 120 2.5 year old 8 point, that buck never realizes potential. I am not for shooting jakes and folks that brag about killing 2 year olds are just diminishing the quality.

And dont give me the I need the meat argument. Turkey is dirt cheap, its cheaper to go to the super market and buy turkey than to fuel up the truck to go out in the woods looking for one. Nobody needs to shoot a Jake to have meat in the freezer, go buy it, plus a more mature gobbler gives more meat thus you should be shooting mature ones. "Or I didn't know it was a Jake" if you're unsure of your target don't shoot, could be a guy reaping for crying out loud. Or the "if I don't shoot him someone else will" argument, all you can control is you shooting him, he will be dead. Or the "he was a scrub cull Jake" nobody can look at a Jake regardless of how late he was born and judge whether he will have a 12 inch beart or 1.5 spurs in 3 years.
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Re: Jakes

Post by Gobbler »

Tom, do you need a Jake excempt card?
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Re: Jakes

Post by hobbes »

I believe I almost had my life threatened by someone on a post four or five years ago because I suggested I was going to fill a tag with the next jake I saw. I wasn't really threatened but someone got awful upset with me (may be someone here).

I had no intention of actually doing that, but instead was voicing my dislike of being told what I should or shouldn't be ashamed of killing.

Except for the occasional mix up when a tom and Jake come in together, I dont have an interest in killing a jake even if it means tag soup. The few folks that do will have a very minimal affect on the number of toms I hear the following year.
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Re: Jakes

Post by swampchicken »

I believe in a person can choose what ever they think is a trophy to them. Me I always let jakes pass and if I am taking someone on my land that is the rule for it also.
pedro
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Re: Jakes

Post by pedro »

ICDEDTURKES wrote:
BuckyT wrote:I've killed a few over the years. I don't target them specifically. I'm not going to say people can't shoot jakes simply because I don't like to shoot them. Seems pretty selfish to me. There is really no data absolutely proving passing jakes promotes a massive increase in gobbler numbers the following year.

If you see a group of 6 jakes, the odds are usually half of them will die from something else beside lead or TSS poisoning before the season opens the following year. Sure if you don't kill all 6 of them you'll probably ensure that 1 or 2 of them make it. Maybe.

I saw a group of 13 jakes one season. It was the next to the last day of the season. The following season I returned thinking the woods would be filled with gobblers....

Wrong... Heard only 3 or so birds gobble on that piece of dirt.. Managed to kill one of them..

I'm new here and if this is a dead horse thread, my apologies.

;)
I understand what you are saying BUT you are talking about natural mortality NOT certain mortality. Going to your 13 jake instance and hearing 3 gobblers the next year, if you are to kill a jake the year before who is to say you would not have heard 4 on that morning. You pulling the trigger on that jake ensures you will not hear him the next year. Dead Turkeys Dont Gobble, this year, next year or the next. Today's fast paced society dictates everyone has to get a kill as fast as possible so that they can get a picture of them with their Jake all fanned out on facebook or forums.

A good contingent of us on hear try to promote the shooting of mature turkeys. It may be glassing him 1,2,3, or more times, or having trail cams to ensure we are shooting 3+ year old gobblers and holding out. Many of us form "Hit Lists" Nothing sickens me more than a neighbor showing up with a 10 inch bearded gobbler bragging and than aging him and finding out he was two. Do you know what that gobbler could have been 2-3-4 years down the road. Shooting a good longbeard 2 year olds is nothing but highgrading. No different than shooing a 120 2.5 year old 8 point, that buck never realizes potential. I am not for shooting jakes and folks that brag about killing 2 year olds are just diminishing the quality.

And dont give me the I need the meat argument. Turkey is dirt cheap, its cheaper to go to the super market and buy turkey than to fuel up the truck to go out in the woods looking for one. Nobody needs to shoot a Jake to have meat in the freezer, go buy it, plus a more mature gobbler gives more meat thus you should be shooting mature ones. "Or I didn't know it was a Jake" if you're unsure of your target don't shoot, could be a guy reaping for crying out loud. Or the "if I don't shoot him someone else will" argument, all you can control is you shooting him, he will be dead. Or the "he was a scrub cull Jake" nobody can look at a Jake regardless of how late he was born and judge whether he will have a 12 inch beart or 1.5 spurs in 3 years.
How does one tell if a bird is 3+? While hunting without getting a good look at the spurs? I have shot long spurred birds with a 10" beard that did not have amber tips. For me, a longbeard is what I look for to determine if it is a shooter.
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