A friend was watching one of the jakes at my shop today. He said it's starting to be hard to tell they're jakes anymore. Their beard have probably grown 2 1/2-3" since I first saw them this spring. He said when is a jake not a jake anymore?
We kinda thought maybe when they're done molting and have a full fan.
Any thoughts on this? I never really thought about it.
Quote from: Jim K on August 04, 2022, 05:59:33 PM........... when they're done molting and have a full fan.
That would be my criteria. Yep.
Sounds about right to me but somebody might have some other criteria they have to meet.
Mainly as his physical appearance changes and how he acts as he gets older going into the 2 year old stage. Beard growth and fan alone with his aging and appearance.
When he is in gun range, skinned, cubed and in the frying pan
I've shot year and a half old (super Jake's) in the fall with 7 to 8 inch beards. And some may have 5 or 6 inch. With that being said, I've shot 2 year olds in the spring with 6 to 7 inch beards. It all depends when they are hatched. I consider Jake's in the spring, longbeards come fall
I've shot a fully matured, long spurred gobbler that did not have a full fan. Also shot a hard gobbling, no spurred, longbeard. The hardware doesn't tell the whole story. If they get the heart thumping hard, squeeze the trigger.
A jake is no longer a jake to me when he reaches breeding age, which is typically in their second spring.
I've seen a bird with a full fan and a gobble any dominant bird would be proud of, he had to be a full year old plus. I went over it in my head several times and the math (nesting, hatch) just didn't work out until I learned a turkey egg can take freezing nights and still be viable. An early bird that made it. As mentioned, appearances can fool you. I consider a jake's age just past one year, a super jake 1 1/2 years old (fall bird).
I judge it by full fan but i believe the ky check in system goes by beard length. That's deceptive. I killed a bird with full fan good spurs and most likely beard rot so his beard was only a few inches long. Definitely a mature bird but short beard.
Full fan to me
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After he makes it through his 1st hunting season.
Quote from: crow on August 04, 2022, 08:10:33 PM
When he is in gun range, skinned, cubed and in the frying pan
Crow that just about sums it up, Good thinking!
Full fan to me also. Beard rot seems to becoming more common where I hunt and is a reason I'm not in favor of areas trying to use length of beards to consider a bird legal or not.
When I see him on a commercial for State Farm. Or the full fan thing.
When they molt the first set of adult feathers. Some very early hatches may sport a round tail the year after hatching. Have raised several of them.
I've seen birds in the fall have 9" beards and a reverse jake fan (shorter tail feathers in the center of fan) that i would consider to be jakes in the past spring. Thier spurs were 5/8"-3/4". As to when a jake is considered a tom some would say his second spring.
My friend emailed NWTF this question. Bob Erickson emailed him back. He said at 17-18 months which is their second fall they have molted and grown in their adult plumage. They are then considered adults.
It was an interesting email but to long to post here. But that was the answer. So there you go from the NWTF biologist.
Quote from: Jim K on August 12, 2022, 03:44:30 PM
He said at 17-18 months which is their second fall they have molted and grown in their adult plumage. They are then considered adults.
THIS