If it's the last day of a hunt I will absolutely shoot a jake. Otherwise I will wait for a tom.

I would shoot a jake if it towards the end of my season.. I will wait for the tom until the season starts winding down for me and then it is a jake or a tom...

Only one person you need to impress. That's yourself. If you can walk out of the woods with one over your shoulder with no regrets then I say shoot it.If you shoot one then think,I wish I would of shot an old longbeard.Then you had no business shootin it.Only you can determine what is a trophy to you.Just my opinion.

No way will I shoot a jake
 

Unless the season is almost over and there are seven of those goons beating up my decoy. Revenge!!

Towards the end of the season I will for the meat alone.

The season in VA opens this Sat and if a jake comes to my call I'll do my best to take him home. Under those feathers is the meat and I can't eat a beard. For me the hunt is about the table these days. I do the same with deer. Antlers aren't edible and I don't care about them.

However, I'm willing to leave each to his or her own decision on matters like this.

I have never shot one, but I've only ever called in a few. I'm relatively new to turkey hunting (~5 years now), and I've killed 3 toms. I honestly am not sure if I would or not. It would probably be largely situational: 1) Is it allowed where I'm hunting? ; 2) Do I need the meat? ; etc.

I hunt some highly pressured public land -- and I'd be happy with anything I can legally shoot that gets within shotgun range.

I have shot jakes but I don't anymore. I do hunt really good private ground that we own or lease and I don't overhunt areas and choose not to shoot jakes anymore. I have no problems with my neighbors that do or anyone else. They are a legal bird and it is hunting. My son is 11 and he has never killed a jake. His first year of turkey hunting I called in a jake for him and he would not shoot it, told me he was waiting for a long beard. Youth season starts this weekend in MO and if I call in a jake he has the green light but I already know what his answer will be.

Shoot what makes ya happy :)