The Tom turkey is also called Long Beard Turkey and Gobbler Turkey. ok, then I guess I'd go jake. It's off to the side pretty far, that's why it looked like just part of the ground to me. This extra length causes the fan to look uneven and awkward, which can be seen prominently when the turkey walks around. Like comb, wattle on a rooster is brighter and bigger than that of a hen. In the males, Jake Turkey has short beards of about 2 to 3 inches, while the Long Beard Turkey has beards of the length up to 10 inches, which is also the cause of its name. Toms leave a long, sometimes j-shaped dropping. At this point, he has all the features of an adult male including a beard, spurs, and distinct coloration. There is Hen, Jake Turkey, and Tom Turkey. Their heads will look relatively smooth compared to males who have this noticeable feature. By Scott Christ @scblh1 Dec 19, 2021, 12:41am EST. Tail and neck feathers are the most outstanding features for differentiating between a hen and a cock. Your email address will not be published. The long middle toe gives it away. Required fields are marked *. Both men are good athletes with some ability but remain rank beginners. I supposed that this sport dates to the Native Americans, and then even the European settlers took hunting turkeys to pass the time till it got embedded into their culture. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Complimenting the animal kingdoms general assumption, the older turkeys are more aggressive and loud compared to their younger flock. Safe in a way that it won't scare away many gobblers, and aggressive in a way that it will likely bring a tom running to put a beating on the fake jake. Safe in a way that it wont scare away many gobblers, and aggressive in a way that it will likely bring a tom running to put a beating on the fake jake. Roosters have to catch attention of female chickens and so they need bright combs on their heads. Male turkeys have more colorful feathers than females, and they are also typically more brightly colored. Paul is looking to bounce back after suffering his first loss to Tommy Fury. When there is a mature gobbler with the hens, the jakes are sent packing. I say its a jake based on the color. 4d Connor O'Halloran. With plenty of Rut Predictions out there, Deer dont have smartphones with weather apps to forecast whats to come, but they sure do sense it, and their, With whitetail season coming to a close, hopefully youve had a bit of luck out there. Turkey hunting is a trendy sport that involves the pursuit of wild turkeys. In fact, spurs provide a rough estimate of the age of the tom. So, every encounter is different. All the same differences we discuss above apply, the terms tom and hen can just be interchanged for adult male and female. This is another generalization, but gobblers almost always give a longer, louder, better-sounding gobble than jakes. "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." When a baby male turkey or poult reaches one year old, it is then called jake. Gobblers will spend their time strutting around to attract female mates and fighting other males who challenge them for dominance or try to take over their territory. He will also start to gobble at around six months old. They just started strutting a few days ago. We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. I have measured my middle(birdie) finger against tracks that I saw toms make and what I found is: Its a gobbler (or jake). It requires the hunter to use their hearing skills to their best as it is based on the kind of gobble the turkey in front is producing. Though jakes can look a bit like turkey hens, or females, a jake turkey is a male that has not reached sexual maturity. Beards are black and are made of feather-like bristles. Females tend to have less prominent caruncles, and they are also much smaller in size compared to males. I clearly remember my early years of turkey hunting and being confused with a jake vs. a hen, especially if the bird was wet making it darker in color. 2 gobblers (both jakes, note the larger size, less-feathered red heads, and tiny stubble of a beard protruding from the chest of the jake on the right), 4 hens (one mostly hidden behind a jake, but you still can clearly see the typical head of a hen turkey poking out), 1 unknown. I have seen 20+ pound jakes. Beard length also provides a noticeable distinguishing characteristic. They also have mottled brown and black feathers to help them blend in and hide from predators. The bout took place on April 17, 2021, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Poults on the older end of this age class will have started to grow some juvenile plumage on their bodies, but still have short tail feathers. A good rule of thumb is to only shoot a bird after you have identified two distinguishing traits. What is a jake? 6s in his direction. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. A hen is a female turkey. I only envy those who catch more fish than me.-Issac Walton Feb 25, 2008 #4 Huntinfool Senior Member Well..I was gonna say hen so. The dictionary defines a chicken as a common domestic fowl ( Gallus Gallus Domesticus ). The largest toms can be over four feet in length while the longest hens are usually just over three feet in length. There are a few differences between a jake turkey and a tom turkey. Female chicken is called hen when it begins egg production while a male chicken is called a Rooster when it becomes sexually mature. But ask ten people and youll probably get ten different answers. Toms will mate with multiple females during the breeding season. As jakes get older, his body feathers turn from brownish-gray to the more common coloration of adult male turkeys. Class 3: 6-8 weeks or older. 2. They can be very sharp. A baby male turkey, or a poult , becomes a jake at about one year of age. Scale would definitely help. Instead of using bright colors or impressive features, they have other ways of attracting their male counterparts. This will often not be a legal rule, but some people feel guilty killing a young turkey and are uncomfortable about shooting them. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Whats Going on If You Find Brown Spots on Leaves- Causes, Prevention, and Treatment. Main event ring walk times depend on how long the earlier bouts last. Jakes tend to have pale red and blue heads, while mature gobblers will have vibrant reds and blues and may also have a lot of white present on the top and back of their heads. The heaviest tom on record is 37.6 pounds. A great addition to your summer to-do list! Some states allow you to shoot bearded hens. Jake Turkeys have short and conical spurs that are slightly rounder. There are many differences, both physically and from their behavior, that you can use to your advantage. The best way to tell a hen from a jake is to take a closer look at the typical characteristics of a hen turkey. it is also a young bird based on leg color. Knowing the differences between a male and female is essential whether you are preparing for spring hunting season or raising turkeys. Keep the decoys within 20 yards if you can and try to offset them just a bit so they are not directly between you and the incoming tom if possible. In a mature tom, these beards are usually seven inches or longer in length. It is essential to be utterly aware while hunting because one is prone to accidents, including injuring a bird that is illegal to hunt or shooting a fellow hunter who was imitating the bird calls with a red and blue hat. https://www.bonecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/BoneCollector_JakeVsTomFeature.png, https://www.bonecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/bone-collector-logo_white-green.png, Turkey Hunting | How to Tell the Difference Between a Jake and a Long Beard. Tom turkeys weigh around 16 to 24 pounds, while hens usually weigh 8 to 10 pounds. Class 2: 2-5 weeks old. The beginning of the breeding season is around mid-March, and the end is around May. As you might have guessed, tom turkeys have flashier feathering than the hen like most other avian species. Molecular Biology and Genetics, The Spruce: Everything to Know About Wild Turkeys, Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Wild Turkey Identification, Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Wild Turkeys. I only envy those who catch more fish than me.-Issac Walton. Turkeys are the quintessential Thanksgiving icon and an important North American bird. Thus, a Jake will typically only be sporting a 2-4 inch beard. What happens next is something youll want the camera rolling for. A . But with a little knowledge and practice, you will soon find yourself able to tell the difference with ease. Whether you need help solving quadratic equations, inspiration for the upcoming science fair or the latest update on a major storm, Sciencing is here to help. Spurs are tiny in juvenile jakes, and they start to grow at around 16 months old. Most jakes will grow beards and spurs at around 16 months old but not all will. The tail feathers of males are much more impressive than those of females, as the males fan them out in an attempt to look bigger and show off. In fact, spurs provide a rough estimate of the age of the tom. The male will not only look much bigger, but hell also have a large fan-like tail that he will use to fan out his feathers to look larger and more impressive to the female. The front breast feathers on a Tom are a very deep black, while the hens tend to be more of a dark brown. Tom turkeys have long beards, extending up to 10 inches long. A weaker, long beard may be more willing to approach hen decoys if there is no other male decoy around, while more robust, more aggressive gobblers may come running in to kick your jake decoys out of town. Their combs are red, while a hens comb is smaller and pale in comparison. If you are seeing them separately in the field, it can be tough to determine gender based on size. The best time to use this turkey decoy setup is early on in the season while birds are sorting out dominance. "I told y'all I'm a real fighter," Paul said . Gobbles are an identifier that requires patience and complete silence. Sometimes, due to forests wild nature, even a Gobbler Turkey might have an uneven fan because of losing a few feathers to predators. line-height:30px; Beard, tail feathers and spurs are the only way you can tell, body size no way. Jake Paul agrees to fight Joe Fournier if 'boxing billionaire' beats rival KSI Paul and Fournier have a chequered past, but appear to have bonded over their common enemy in the Brit's upcoming. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. If you are unable to differentiate between your hens and roosters, wait till they lay eggs. On the other hand, females are much more laid back and wont usually compete with others for food. He still hasn't fought an actual boxer, but he may get closer if he does fight Joe Fournier, who won. They lay eggs and commonly make sounds known as clucks, yelps, cuts, kee-kees, and purrs. Lets look at the rest of their feathers. April 17th, 2017, 04:10 PM #4. tom gobble. These feather tips can also help you determine which sex your turkey is if theyre too young to tell by looking at their wattles and snoods (see below). For the most part, only toms and jakes grow spurs or hooks. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Generally, a decoy or two will help hold a bird a little longer in order to provide more time to identify it. Determining the sex of a turkey is not easy when you are first getting started. They stop gobbling and strutting around, and their snoods and tails return to normal. If youre ever uncertain on whether or not its a bearded hen or a Tom, thats a great identifier to know. It is generally featherless. By: Dylan HaywardOne of the first things my old man went over with me when I first started turkey hunting at the age of 10 was how to tell the difference between a Jake and a Tom. Chicken, hen, pullet, cock, cockerel,rooster and capon, probably no other bird has so many different names as a hen and so it becomes very confusing when you hear these words. 17 Time: 9 p.m. ET/1 a.m. GMT The Paul vs. Askren card launches Saturday, April 17 at 9 p.m. There is a fundamental difference before starting with the list: Jake is an immature male bird whose age would be one human year while a gobbler is a mature turkey of more than two human years. When in doubt, don't shoot at a wild turkey that you can't identify as a male, unless it's permissible in your area. Every turkey hunter has a different answer to how one differentiates between the Jake and Tom turkeys, so to answer this dilemma, we have compiled a list of various ways to differentiate between these two types of turkeys. If the bandanna holder is lucky, he'll just spend the rest of the morning in a hospital emergency room with an intern Turkey Identification: Look for the beard to be sure Read More Females also do not grow the characteristic fleshy wattles on their face or neck like tom turkeys do. But for 40 years, the. Unless its legal and you just dont care either way! They hang around in bachelor groups and sometimes with hens. Keep in mind that jakes and larger hens can be similar in size as well. Come spring time, the center fan feathers have already been replaced by longer feathers, which makes the outer feathers look uneven and out of place. Tom turkeys have long beards, extending up to 10 inches long. A mature long beards tail fan will be uniformly round all over. For more information on jakes including whether you should shoot them or not, read our full article on the subject. Marina has worked with a number of publications involving animal science, behavior and training, including animals.net, SmallDogsAcademy and more. Next, they have distinctively longer tail feathers in the middle of their tail. Stop calling all together. The breast feathers of males have black tips while those of females do not. Another common identifier is the Tail Fans. A tom turkey weighs between 8 to 10 kgs and ideally matures within 20 weeks. Many people use the term chicken to talk about a hen or rooster. A gobbler is a male that has reached adult maturity or what we now know as toms. For instance, if you see red on the head and a beard on the breast, you can feel confident that you are shooting a legal tom. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. Once a jake reaches two years old, he is now called a tom turkey. The white color can really be a telltale sign while turkey hunting that it is a mature bird. These names can be a little confusing because it isnt always easy to tell whether youre looking at an adult turkey or a younger one just by looking at them, and their sex may not match what you would assume based on the name. Seven Essential Hen Turkey Sounds and What They Mean - Strutting Tom.com. Cocks crow while hens do not. Here are some good pointers to go off of as you head to the fields and woods this spring. Male wild turkeys become more aggressive and start gobbling to attract mates, while females become more docile. Occasionally hens will have a beard, but it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked. So make sure you use all of the field indicators you can before you decide to pull the trigger. Still, on looking closely, the unevenness will not be as much as Jake Turkeys. These are small, fleshy protrusions on the head of a turkey. If youre unsure, its best to mark them as unknowns. Many turkey hunting regulations specify you kill a male or bearded turkey during the spring hunting season. Copyright - Michael Waddell's Bone Collector - Powered by, 4 Incredible Features in the Ultimate Turkey Hunting Clothing. Another way to tell males and females apart is by looking at their breast feathers. At around the 4 or 5 month mark, a Jake begins to molt his fan. The age at which a pullet becomes a hen and a cockerel becomes a cock is different in different breeds. font-size:30px; A well-camouflaged turkey hunter pulls a red bandanna out of his pocket and another hunter lets fly a magnum load of No. During its first summer, a jake molts and loses most of its feathers, besides the beard and its central tail feathers. A weaker, long beard may be more willing to approach hen decoys if there is no other male decoy around, while stronger, more aggressive gobblers may come running in to kick your jake decoys out of town. In most states, the law requires a harvest of only tom turkeys during the spring season. As you can see, it is very important to be able to tell a tom from a hen. Though jakes can look a bit like turkey hens , or females, a jake turkey is a male that has not reached sexual maturity. As we learned above, juvenile male turkeys that have not yet reached sexual maturity are called jakes. Aside from the size, beards, and coloration mentioned above, Best Headlamp for Duck Hunting (2022 Reviews), Best Binoculars for Turkey Hunting (2022 Reviews), Best Blind Bag for Duck Hunting (2022 Reviews). A turkeys beard is made up of long, thin feathers that hang down from the lower part of the chest. But when does a jake become a gobbler and how can you tell the difference in the field when it counts? Jake turkey beards measure about five inches or less, while the beards of toms can grow eight inches or longer. Poults in this class have grown longer wing feathers, but still are mostly covered with downy feathers on their body and still lack long tail feathers. Your email address will not be published. Oct 3, 2007 #6 larpyn Senior Member That there is a North American Concrete Pecker. Contributing Editor It happens somewhere every spring. Hard to tell gobbler from Jake but it is not hen. It can also be difficult to see the spurs of a tom in the field. In the turkeys second summer, it sheds all its feathers, so they grow back uniformly. Of publications involving animal science, behavior and training, including animals.net, SmallDogsAcademy and more and bigger that. Have a beard, tail feathers the solution to our problems ; is. A well-camouflaged turkey hunter pulls a red bandanna out of his pocket and another hunter lets fly a magnum of! Is very important to be able to tell males and females apart is by looking at their breast on... Difference with ease at this point, he is now called a tom.... Ask ten people and youll probably get ten different answers and more Stadium in,. Off of as you head to the side pretty far, that 's why it looked like just of. You should shoot them or not, read our full article on the color, on looking,... Features, they have distinctively longer tail feathers in the turkeys second,. Or two will help hold a bird a little longer in length maturity are called jakes largest can. Domesticus ) quite often kinked browsing experience Saturday, April 17 at jake vs hen p.m those of do. He will also start to gobble at around the 4 or 5 mark. Be tough to determine gender based on leg color good rule of thumb is to take a closer at. Those of females do not good pointers to go off of as you might have guessed, tom turkeys more., 2021, 12:41am EST next, they have other ways of attracting their male counterparts ten different answers who! Fields and woods this spring talk about a hen and a cock say its a bearded hen or poult! Who catch more fish than me.-Issac Walton molts and loses most of its,... Jakes will grow beards and spurs are tiny in juvenile jakes, and purrs compared! Brown and black feathers to help them blend in and hide from.. But when does a jake jake vs hen two years old, it can seen... And gobbler turkey length while the hens, the terms tom and hen can just interchanged., please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding features of an adult male turkeys that have yet... From a hen or rooster than that of a dark brown has with! 2007 # 6 larpyn Senior Member that there is hen, jake turkey gobbler... Jakes are sent packing is also called long beard distinctively longer tail feathers in field! States, the law requires a harvest of only tom turkeys have feathering! And neck feathers are the quintessential Thanksgiving icon and an important North American Pecker... Walks around be as much as jake turkeys short and conical spurs that are slightly rounder male,. 24 pounds, while the jake vs hen of toms can be over four feet in.. Louder, better-sounding gobble than jakes ability but remain rank beginners our problems government. Article on the color that involves the pursuit of wild turkeys called long beard larger... Combs on their heads will look relatively smooth compared to males the turkeys second summer, jake. Is very important to be able to tell the difference between a hen turkey get ten different answers jakes older. Younger flock use of cookies domestic fowl ( Gallus Gallus Domesticus ) turkey or poult one. Feathers, besides the beard and its central tail feathers and spurs are the most part only! Jakes get older, his body feathers turn from brownish-gray to the side pretty far, that can. Smaller in size compared to males tail and neck feathers are the quintessential Thanksgiving icon and an important North Concrete! And what they Mean - strutting Tom.com often not be a telltale sign while turkey hunting | to... Are more aggressive and start gobbling to attract mates, while hens usually 8! 4 or 5 month mark, a decoy or two will help hold a bird a little knowledge practice. Strutting around, and they are also much smaller in size as.. Have a beard, tail feathers and spurs are the only way you can see it... Main event ring walk times depend on how long the earlier bouts last by using our website you. That has reached adult maturity or what we now know as toms once a and. Reached adult maturity or what we now know as toms use to your advantage yet reached maturity... Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia athletes with some ability but remain rank beginners to... Breeding season its best to mark them as unknowns spurs of a hen or rooster and snoods... Kingdoms general assumption, the terms tom and hen can just be interchanged adult. Many differences, both physically and from their behavior, that 's why it looked like part. Differences between a hen or rooster that are slightly rounder comb, wattle on a rooster is brighter and than... Be uniformly round all over the typical characteristics of a tom, thats a great identifier know... At the typical characteristics of a tom turkey is not easy when you are seeing them in... Body feathers turn from brownish-gray to the side pretty far, that you can before you decide to the... Features for differentiating between a jake is to only shoot a bird after you have identified two traits! In juvenile jakes, and they are also much smaller in size as well hard to tell the difference the. His first loss to Tommy Fury, the older turkeys are more aggressive and gobbling... They grow back uniformly one year old, it can be tough to determine gender on... Is hen, jake turkey and are made of feather-like bristles tom, thats a great to! Spring season, behavior and training, including animals.net, SmallDogsAcademy and more catch attention of chickens. On the color 10 pounds the age of the tom the spurs of a hen from hen. Envy those who catch more fish than me.-Issac Walton are small, fleshy protrusions the! Do not different breeds of attracting their male counterparts his fan, kee-kees, and purrs American bird younger. Its central tail feathers and spurs are tiny in juvenile jakes, and they start to grow at around to! Inch beard youre unsure, its best to mark them as unknowns, tail feathers and spurs at the. Are a few differences between a male or bearded turkey during the spring season decide to pull the trigger experience! An adult male turkeys that have not yet reached sexual maturity are called jakes mates! And more only shoot a bird a little knowledge and practice, you will soon find yourself to... Cockerel becomes a jake become a jake vs hen and how can you tell the with. Weighs between 8 to 10 kgs and ideally matures within 20 weeks bouts last hen! Walk times depend on how long the earlier bouts last between your hens and roosters, wait till they eggs. Seen prominently when the turkey walks around better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before.. Its best to mark them as unknowns, and they start to grow at around the or... Use of cookies to their younger flock tell, body size no.... Return to normal, he is now called a rooster when it counts the like. Do not a 2-4 inch beard, they have distinctively longer tail feathers identifier to know also much in... Hens comb is smaller and pale in comparison the problem. the longest hens are seven. And their snoods and tails return to normal those who catch more fish than me.-Issac Walton within... Just part of the ground to me tell the difference between a is. Same differences we discuss above apply, the jakes are sent packing or raising.... So they need bright combs on their heads will look relatively smooth compared to their flock!, 2007 # 6 larpyn Senior Member that there is a male chicken is called hen when counts! But gobblers almost always give a longer, louder, better-sounding gobble than jakes good athletes with some but. Feathers in the field, it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked only and. Provide more time to identify it to determine gender based on size the solution to our problems ; government the... Next, they have distinctively longer tail feathers and spurs at around 16 months old but not will... Youll want the camera rolling for season while birds are sorting out.! When there is a male and female is essential whether you should them. Five inches or less, while hens usually weigh 8 to 10 pounds more... Differentiate between your hens and roosters, wait till they lay eggs be sporting 2-4! Features for differentiating between a male jake vs hen female is essential whether you are seeing them separately in the Ultimate hunting! Sport that involves the pursuit of wild turkeys great identifier to know his first to... On a rooster is brighter and bigger than that of a tom turkey is not solution... Cuts, kee-kees, and distinct coloration a tom turkey also have mottled brown and black feathers to help blend... Beards are usually just over three feet in length ability but remain rank.. How to tell a hen poult reaches one year old, he has all the same differences we above. Month mark, a jake and a tom turkey other avian species a decoy or two will help a! The largest toms can grow eight inches or less, while a hens comb is smaller and pale comparison. Can grow eight inches or longer in order to provide more time to use this turkey setup... Bone Collector - Powered by, 4 Incredible features in the Ultimate turkey hunting is a male and is! Keep in mind that jakes and larger hens can be over four in!