I only have public access to turkey hunt. Usually its for a couple days only and it usually nowhere near my home hunting area due to the wonderful(lousy) public turkey hunting access. If you were in my situation, would you have a problem shooting a jake knowing you only have a short while to hunt and on public ground? I typical am a first come first shot guy for turkeys.

How many turkeys have you killed? How's the turkey population in your area? My feelings are... I'll shoot hen with a beard.(Not yet), Jakes or longbeards. Jakes make better wingbone calls than mature toms

It depends on what your purpose is. If you want to see a longbeard work, then don't shoot a jake. At least wait til the second day. If your main purpose is to kill a turkey to eat, then bust the first male bird that gives you the opportunity. There is nothing wrong in killing a jake. They taste aweful good.

Shoot it. enjoy the sport, no ones gotta kill a 25 pound bird to be considered successful.

A Jake is a legal bird? You need to ask yourself - what do I want out of this? Only you canask that question and then answer it.

Now me - am to a point in my turkey career - I do catch and release - Jakes are let go - but caught on film for me to enjoy over and over and over again as I called them in. To me the kill is the end - and yes - I have a few mounted unused tags - so be it - I am after quality of the hunt and not quantity. But then Imust remind you - I hunt several different states as I can afford to. If you do not have that luxury - then see my first comment. Ethical turkey hunters never poo-poo another man's methods as we each have our own. If they do then they left their ethics in the tiruck and you know from the getgo - you probably would not choose to hunt with that person.

JW

Well I choose to let jakes walk when I hunt on my private land, but sometimes I get bored of hunting the same place so I go to a WMA down the road with the intentions of shooting any male bird I see. If you like to eat wild turkey, and if it is a thrill and a challenge to shoot a jake then by all means kill one.

x2

Then there is your answer!

I've been blessed to take many turkeys for my relatively short time pursuing them (almost 20 years now). On the private land I hunt, I know that jakes today are longbeards tomorrow. On public land, a jake today is someone elses jake tomorrow. So if you want to take a jake, I cast no judgement at all. Hunting is what you make it. Personally if I think a longbeard is a two year old bird and hasn't put on much of a show.... I'll let him go.... I don't care if I ever shoot another one! Just want to see 'em strutt and hear 'em gobble!