For legality you are looking for a beard (at least where I hunt). If its your 1st season and your hunting with a bow I say take the 1st legal bird you can, its not an easy thing to do, and getting one under your belt will help with confidence.

Check out the fan in this picture, see how the feathers aren't all the same length and the center ones are longer than the rest? This is a jake (immature male).



Now check out my next post.

Here is a Tom, see how all the feathers in the fan are the same length? If you are hunting spring birds they will be strutting so they will show you their fans. A good time to draw and shoot is when they are strutting and their feathers hide their heads so they can't see you.

tschaef, I just getting interested in Turkey hunting and when the time comes it will be with bow only (my choice and yes I am aware how difficult it is going to be, like almost impossible but do-able). I've heard and read most folks say "never, evershot while they're strutting" but what you say makes sense. Is that a bow tactic when your going for the corn dispenser? I've read that shot wise that's a pretty good one to take. How bout it??

I applaud all you guys who posted on this Thread. You gave Childers (and others) great Instructional Comments and Pictures. This is good stuff.

BKE, I won't pretend to be what I'm not, all my birds have been taken with a shotgun (we can't gun hunt sundays so I take the bow, just haven't connected yet). But, up here we have to take a turkey safety course before buying a lisence, and the instructor did tell us that the corn hole of a strutting bird is an excellent target for bow hunters, I can't really think of a reason not to shoot at a strutting tom.
I suggest asking some of these questions in the Turkey forum, there are lots of guys that know alot more than I do down there, and many are bow hunters also.

Good luck this spring everyone.