Turkeys are the quintessential Thanksgiving icon and an important North American bird. In fact, Benjamin Franklin made the case for the turkey as the national bird of the United States! However, the turkey famously lost to the bald eagle by a single vote. Most everyone knows what the colorful and enigmatic tom turkey looks like, but can you tell the difference between a turkey hen and a jake turkey?
As a turkey hunter, being able to accurately identify a jake turkey in the field is an essential skill. While many states allow harvesting jakes during spring turkey season, regulations vary on the minimum age and sex requirements. That’s why properly identifying jakes ensures hunters stay within legal limits.
This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to confidently distinguish jake turkeys from mature gobblers. We’ll break down the key physical characteristics, behaviors, vocalizations, and other differences that set jakes apart.
What is a Jake Turkey?
A jake is a young male wild turkey under 2 years old Jake turkeys are sexually immature juveniles that were hatched the spring prior The term “jake” refers specifically to first-year male turkeys, while yearlings are juvenile males in their second spring. After their second spring, male turkeys are considered mature adults and referred to as toms or gobblers.
During the spring mating season, jakes are just developing their breeding behaviors and vocalizations By summer jakes form small bachelor flocks away from older birds. Spotting a jake amongst a turkey group helps hunters avoid mistakenly targeting an adult gobbler
Distinguishing Physical Features of Jake Turkeys
Here are the key physical characteristics that can be used to positively identify a jake turkey:
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Short Beard – A jake’s beard is typically less than 6 inches, compared to 7+ inches on mature toms. The beard may also be thinner and lighter colored.
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Small Spur Size – Look for short, rounded spurs less than 1 inch on the jake’s legs. Mature toms have 1-2+ inch dagger-shaped spurs.
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Narrow Tail Fan – The tail fan appears narrower and less filled out with uneven feather lengths.
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Tan Head Color – A jake’s head often stays tan, while a tom’s turns red, blue or white.
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No Prominent Breast Sponge – Unlike mature toms, jakes lack an enlarged featherless breast area.
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Smaller Overall Size – A jake’s smaller body, head, and footprint can help identify it.
Behavioral Differences of Jake Turkeys
Mature gobblers and jakes behave differently, especially during the spring breeding season:
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Minimal Strutting – Jakes may do short strutting displays, but lack the exaggerated behaviors of adult toms.
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Fewer and Shorter Gobbles – The jake’s higher-pitched “peeping” gobble sounds weaker and trails off.
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Lack of Aggression – Jakes are submissive and avoid confrontations with dominant toms.
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Wary Nature – Jakes are shy and flee more easily than mature gobblers.
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Small Flocks – Jakes form loose bachelor groups away from hens after spring.
Tips for Identifying Jakes in the Field
When you spot a flock of turkeys, follow these tips to determine if a jake is present:
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Get a clear view of key features like beard, spurs, and tail to compare. Use optics like binoculars to inspect closely.
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Listen for juvenile peeping gobbles rather than the full, resonant gobbles of mature toms.
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Note any interactions within the flock to see if a bird is being submissive or chased off.
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Look for smaller, tan-headed individuals loosely trailing the main group, often the jakes.
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Observe flock movements. Jakes alarm putt and flee threats quicker than adult birds.
Why Accurate Jake Identification Matters
Identifying jakes allows hunters to fully comply with hunting regulations. It also promotes ethical practices, as jakes offer less challenge than older gobblers. Taking the time to properly ID birds makes you a more knowledgeable, responsible turkey hunter.
With this guide’s help identifying key jake characteristics, you’ll sharpen your skills and feel far more confident telling young jake turkeys apart from mature toms. Now get out in the spring woods and start putting your jake ID abilities to the test!
Turkey Hen Identification
The best way to tell a hen from a jake is to take a closer look at the typical characteristics of a hen turkey. Neither males nor females have feathers on their heads, and both can have some coloration of their heads and faces. However, while males have brightly colorful heads that flush red, white or blue depending on their excitement level, hens generally have dull gray or blue color on their heads. Females also do not grow the characteristic fleshy wattles on their face or neck like tom turkeys do.
Additionally, though bearded hens do exist, 95 percent of hens do not grow a beard on their chest like their male counterparts. Even rare bearded hens have short and wispy beards compared to those of males. Finally, hens do not grow spurs on their legs like jake turkeys and toms do.
What Is a Jake Turkey?
To learn how to distinguish jakes from turkey hens, you need to be able to answer the question “What is a jake turkey?” Though jakes can look a bit like turkey hens, or females, a jake turkey is a male that has not reached sexual maturity. A baby male turkey, or a poult, becomes a jake at about one year of age. Once he reaches two years old, he is known as a tom turkey.
Jake turkeys have a few key characteristics that can help you identify them. First, they have a short beard, which is a cluster of wiry black feathers growing from the center of their chest. Next, they have distinctively longer tail feathers in the middle of their tail. When jakes raise their tail feathers to display to females or other males, the middle feathers stand out an inch or two above the rest of their tail. Finally, jakes have short spurs growing from the backs of their legs. They will eventually use these spurs to fight with other males for breeding rights over females.
How to tell a Jake from a Hen Turkey live example
FAQ
How to tell the difference between Jake and Tom?
On adult gobblers (called toms), the beard can be 7-9 inches or more in length, but on young gobblers (called jakes) the beard is <6 inches long. Typically, gobblers hang out away from hens during the summer since they take no part in raising young.
At what age does a Jake become a Tom?
Jakes are year-old immature male turkeys, which lack the long beard, leg spurs and full tail fan of a mature tom, which is a male at least two years old. Instead of a long, 8-10-inch beard hanging from the center of its chest, like a mature tom, jakes sport stubby little three or four-inch beards.
How do you know if a Turkey is a Jake or Tom?
Jared lives in eastern Iowa with his wife Jacky and daughter Remi. Jared Mills explains a few ways to determine whether a turkey is a Jake or a Tom. The factors he goes over are beard length, spur length, fan, and gobble.
What is the difference between a Jake & a tom turkey?
Additionally, Toms tend to have thicker and denser beards than Jakes do. Another difference between these two types of turkeys is their tail fan. Jake turkeys typically have shorter tail fans with fewer feathers whereas mature tom turkeys tend to have longer tails with more feathers present. Check out the photo to the right or below.
How do you tell a Tom from a Jake?
Toms have spurs 1/2 inch or longer, with males over five often having spurs over 1 1/2 inches. As you can see, by remembering a few key points about Toms, you can tell them apart from Jakes. Having said all that, it’s a field estimate, not a science. While turkey beards grow about 4” a year, a lot can cause a Tom’s beard to be much shorter.
What kind of beard does a Jake Turkey have?
Birds known as “super jakes” can have beards up to six inches in length. Jake turkeys will typically have short, rounded spurs. These will usually measure less than half an inch in length. Mature gobblers will have sharp, pointed spurs greater than half an inch unless they have broken them off for some reason.
How do you know if a bird is a Jake or Tom?
Spur Length Finally, spur length, if you’re close enough to see them, is a pretty good giveaway for whether the bird is a Jake or a Tom. A Jake is usually going to have really short half-inch or less spurs that are pretty much just rounded, kind of like a little mound.
How do you know if a Jake Turkey is a gobbler?
Jake turkeys will typically have short, rounded spurs. These will usually measure less than half an inch in length. Mature gobblers will have sharp, pointed spurs greater than half an inch unless they have broken them off for some reason. The tell-tale sign of a jake (no pun intended) is the length of the tail feathers.