Born 2 Bow Hunt

Let him grow.....

BamaHuntin

I say it's all personal preference.If you would'nt have been fully satisfied with that bird don't shoot.However if you've never shot one,any birdmight be a trophy for you.But I guess it would also depend on your area as well.Where I hunt killing a turkey is an accomplishment in itself.I've never shot one,and I may be critisized for this but...if it's got beard I'm shooting.After my first things will be different but I just want to break the ice.But like I said it depends on you.You would'nt want to kill one and not be happy with your first one because it was'nt a better bird.So I say if you had doubts you made the right decision.
Just my thoughts.
James

SwampCollie

Doesn't cost anything not to shoot. Based on the way the bird acted, it was likely a young bird.

Birds do get beard rot occasionally (confession... I've shot a few dang near off... casualty of war... a pellet can smoke a beard clean in half). If you are in an area that has a high occurance of ice/snow, beards are usually kept short, as the feathers than comprise the beard (yep they are a type of feather) tend to become brittle when very cold. The ice and snow accumulate on them and snap.... you get an old dominent gobbler with a 7-8" beard.

Spurs are usually a solid tangible indicator of age, in areas devoid of hills and rocks.... as both of those are hard on spurs and will break off tips and keep them worn short. I think that for me personally, behavior is a very good indicator of age, not just on turkeys, but on deer as well, although deer have several more subtle but obvious age telling traits.

What makes me shoot a turkey is the show he puts on. If he gobbles well, plays the game right, and I'm satisfied with everything... I'll give him the compliment.... same reason an englishman breaks his glass, so that it may never be raised in a finer toast. Makes sense to me.

Dr Andy

This is my third year and I have yet to tag a bird, not at a hunt club. I passed on some jakes last year and regretted it. My advice, take your first legal bird and then up your standards if you want to. Holding out for a gobbler at first can be frustrating. But then again it's really up to you!

OntElk

I have always said turkeys are much different than bucks. In all reality the difference is very minimal in turkeys. I mean a few extra inches on the beard, a few tail feathers are longer, and a few eight of an inch on a spur here or there.

The thing that is so wonderful about turkey hunting is the experience and the type of hunt. If you're newbie and you called in a legal bird to 10 yards, I think it is a shame that you didn't feel comfortable shooting. That's not to say there is anything wrong with passing on jakes either. I sometimes shoot them and sometime I pass. I never let the "bigger is better" decision necessarily make the call for me. Opening day at home I might let him walk but if I have travelled far and only have a few days I might blast him. Even if I plan to pass a jake if a bird gives me a great hunt I may decide to shoot that bird if given the chance, regardless.

Hunting a buck might be different. There is lots of good managment reasons to pass small bucks, every year they do get bigger and bigger, and there is a difference from one rack to another.

There is plenty of other jakes, horny 2 yr olds, and wiley old gobblers running around takin' care of the hens. If you shoot a jake it is not going to change anything. It will however give you a great memory in the feild. Enjoy the moment first and foremost, and not how long the beard is. When you do some might consider your kill "tainted" or "second-rate" in some respects because it's a jake. I say that's bull. Your hunt, your kill = First Rate!

OntElk

I like that! Well said

mouthcaller

Great post OntElk

I have been a harda$$ about not shooting Jakes, but as the years go by I have gravitated toward the points you so elequently make. It's all about the experience and nobody has the right to tell you if your bird is a trophy or not. I've passed on many a jake that gobbled and strutted like a full grown turkey, but if the situation is right I may just decide to pop the next one. Maybe I'll pass, I don't know- it's all up to me and nobody else.

I do think it is wise to pass jakes if the property you hunt or own doesn't have many mature gobblers and you are tryng to build your flock of birds. On the other hand if gobblers are plentiful I don't see a problem with it if the bird satisfies your personal goals.

What one wants to avoid is the situation where a hunter shoots a jake then picks him up and examines the short beard and no spurs then says, "dang, I wish I hadn't shot this bird now".

littlekid

Thanx to everyone who have answered. I honestly have not considered spur length in ageing on a bird. As to self control in not shooting the jake in our spread comes from a life of my father drilling safety and ethics into my head since I was born; ie. shoot only when you're 100% sure of your target and background and absolute obeyance to the letter of the law. For instance, last year I had a full grown tom 30 yds from me strutting and gobbling and I, again, didn't pull the trigger. Becuase, he was on the other side of the fence in someone else's property; I was hoping against hope he would eventually cross the fence where I've witnessed other turkeys cross, hence the reason I set-up there. He never did and eventually followed a hen further out of range. I guess that could be another "to shoot or not shoot" question.
Is one inch spurs the rule of thumb for amature tom? B/c, next time that will be the first thing I will look at now.

OntElk

tough to see spurs in the feild. Can you really see a 1/4 inch difference on a spur with a live bird? Holy, moly. They are tough enough to get into range sometimes as is, trying to get them so you can feild judge a spur??[&:]

I think for an eastern it goes something like this 3/4-1 inch=2 yr old, 1-1 1/4=3yrold, bigger than 1 1/4 is at least a 4 yr old. That's what I go by anyway......

Sounds like you got some good mentoring from your Dad. Keep it up!

moose1915

one time i got to my backup spot around 10am. i "squawked " my box call by accident putting it into my pocket and a tom gobbled less than 70 yards away!

i sit down in the dirt at the pulloff , load a shell and here he comes across the cut grass, sttruttin and gobblin. he is coming in on a string! so i'm looking at him at like 40 yards, full fan BIG bird, but i cant see the beard.

well, maybe the grass is in the way, or the way he's doing the "spin -strut" move i just can't see it....i know he's a big one , so at 30 yards, bam , down he goes. a whole 5 minutes has passed!

any way, i walk up to him and , suprise, beard looks like it was "singed " off at 2.5 inches.. 20 pound bird, 1" and 1-1/8" spurs, but, no beard to speak of .. i was suprised, but i guess for some regions it's fairly common.


tasted good , though!