Bocajnala

So what am I looking for in a "good" Turkey? Honestly, I'll probably take the first legal bird I see, but what's a good turkey? I hear people talk about Toms and Jakes, what's the difference? I'm new to this turkey thing, so make it simple for me. Include pictures if you've got them. I got my first turkey two years ago, and I was told it was a good bird, It was certainly good enough for me. It had a 9" beard, how long can beards get? I don't remember about the spurs, but I have a picture of them posted here. But show me some birds and explain what I should be looking for.
Thanks everyone,
Here's some pictures of my first Turkey.









-Jake

Gamblinman

That's a great bird you have right there. 2 year old. Congrats!!

Jakes are first year toms. Jakes will have a shorter beard, bumps for spurs, and the primary tail feathers will be longer than adjacent feathers

UncleNorby

I'm no expert, but your bird looks like a 2 yr old to me. The spurs look like they are about 1".

A Jake is a 1 yr old bird, they have beards that may be hard to see, or up to 3-4 inches or so. Their spurs are generally .5" or less around here. A Jake's fan will be longer in the center, with the outer tail feathers about 1 - 1.5" shorter than the center.

A 3 yr old bird will have spurs around 1.25" or so. Beards can vary, but a 3 yr old will generally have a thicker beard.

A lot of times you'll see 2 toms come in. One will be looking for the hen and the other will be strutting. The strutter is the dominant bird, but not always the bigger of the two.

IMO, any bird 2 yrs and older is a "good turkey". I don't shoot Jakes any more, but I did shoot a few when I was starting out.

Iowa Jaybird

My first Turkey years ago was a Jake, but only shoot Toms now, but the whole experience of Turkey hunting is what turns me on. A good bird varies widely in personal choice, and the particular species. An Eastern, especially around my area are very large birds by weight, but seldom do you get a good set of sharp hooks. They have a tendency to round them off from digging in rocky areas. If you want an awesome set of hooks the Osceolas in Florida are the way to go. Because of the lack of rocky ground, them birds have daggers for hooks, but they run on the small side on weight. The bird you shot looks like a 2 year old, but could be 3. Nice Tom, and I'd take him and be happy.

turkey harvester

Is there a such of a thing as a bad turkey, uh no. Any bird that works or is taken by a hunter, and its what the hunter wants is a good bird. Most people believe the older the bird the better, its what ever your happy with. Good Luck this spring.

Mr. Longbeard

I'll take the bird you shot every spring if givin the chance!!!

mw_Guerilla

that's a nice bird! good take brother.

EFH

UncleNorby covered the age and size pretty well! I think any bird you call and shoot yourself is a good one. I've been lucky enough to take some very large birds, but I've been just as proud of a smaller Toms. Its sometimes is just the hunt that makes them good birds! How much they gobble, if you've been on him several times and finally sealed the deal, or finding a strut zone and waiting out one of those ole tight lipped toms usually makes the bird for me!

Bocajnala

Are the beards something that they grow throughout their entire life? You say they can vary alot... I guess I'm asking does a bird keep its beard it's whole life or do they grow in and out? Like a deer would lose its rack. I really am new at this haha..
Thanks for the input so far everyone.
-Jake

JW

Any bird scoring over 70 points using the NWTF scoring method is a great bird!

But any bird that I have had the pleasure to call in has been a trophy in my book.....

JW