diff. between jake and tom???
 

how do i tell the differnce between a male and female turkey???


this is my first time turkey hunting nad im hunting on my friends land and my deer hunting area. so any help would be ablidged

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

Tom's have beards, but be careful there, I've seen many bearded hens in my day as well. Toms have red, white and blue heads and strut and gobble, hens don't. Well, I've seen hens kind of strut, but it's a dominance move, not a display move. Toms are a lot darker black than hens, hens are more of a brown....Toms are typically larger as well.

You can tell a jake from an adult tom when they strut. Thejake will have 2 or 3 tail feathers in the center of the fan taller than the rest. Adult tom's will have even fans.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

Male and female turkeys are easily indentifiable from one another. A male turkey's head will be either blue or red or a combination of the two. A hen, or female turkey's head will be a dull grey or brown. Male turkeys also have beards and spurs, hens [most often] do not. Occasionally a hen will have a beard, but in most states a beared bird [regardless of gender] is legal.



A jake's fan will have a few feathers in the middle of the fan that are slightly taller than the rest. When a bird is in full strut you'll notice a difference between a jake and a tom.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

Wow...........i have never seen a turkey with some colors like that one on the right before.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

heres a bearded hen

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

You know, BHB... I said the same thing when I saw her yesterday morning. I was only about 15 yards away from these birds when I snapped the pictures, I kept trying to make her grow some sort of beard so I could get her during season, but no luck. She stayed a hen! ;):D

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

Here in Ontario the Reg's specify that you may take 1 bearded bird ,so if the hen has a beard ,you are legal to take her .

nubo

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

I will not shoot a beared hen. If you think about it you could be killing more than one turkey if the hen is already bred from a Tom. Let it walk in the spring. Leave it for the Fall!!

Hatchet Jack

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

theres no trukey fall season here

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

The main way that I tell the difference is by the beard length. A short beard (less than 5 inches) means a young turkey around here. But, the way they act and the company they keep is another give away. Also depends where you live. If you live in the north (like where there are moose and cold icy winters), turkey's will typically not have the longer beards as the ice will break them up in the winter.

Jakes typically hang out with other jakes, while Gobblers in the spring are often alone, or perhaps with one or two other gobblers (and always looking for hens). Also, I have only once in my life seen a jake strut. If you have lots of other longbeards in the area, he will learn in short order that strutting for a hen is the equivalent of goosing a big biker gang member's wife.... its a good way to have your butt kicked. So that behavior is typically not seen.

I personally look at shooting jakes about like shooting basket rack bucks or 2 year old bucks.... can't have big ones if you shoot'em all when they are young. Heck, unless a two year old turkey puts on a good show I usually won't shoot them on our place. Nothing wrong with it of course, just how we do things.

Now telling a 2 year old turkey apart from an older bird is MUCH more difficult. Easiest way I have found is by the length of the spurs, which of course, you cannot measure until you have bird in hand, which they usually don't hold still for. Typically there again, its behavior (and in some ways the way that they gobble) that will signify an older bird.

Long story short (incase you are still reading my rambling), to quote Chris Ashely...."When in doubt.... shoot the puffy one." Killing the dominent bird is always a positive thing, as it will create chaos in the pecking order. More birds gobbling and struggling for the dominent patriarch position. The dominent bird is typically the largest of the lot anyway, not unlike deer.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

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.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

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.

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

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??

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

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

RE: diff. between jake and tom???
 

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.