The head feathering of a turkey can sometimes be used to distinguish between males and females. Males have the most developed caruncles, especially when aroused. The fan of a Jake typically looks a bit uneven and awkward. These vibrant colors help in attracting mates. Hens have small feathers on their heads. Depending on the brand of turkey decoys you have or are planning to get, this combo is not too bad to carry around with you. 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? Class 3: 6-8 weeks or older. Turkeys breed in the early spring and late summer. They look like little puff balls about the size of your fist. Jakes are young turkeys, its a general consensus that a Jake is a one year old turkey, so he hasnt had much time to grow his beard out. Wattle is flesh on the chin of a chicken. Each state has different laws on how many you can harvest and what type of turkey you can hunt. ET, FITE.TV) will be former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir stepping into the . Date, start time Date: Saturday, Apr. Youll quickly be able to identify which is the mature bird, and you can see first hand the differences between the two, which will help you on all of your future hunts. It can contract, expand, and change colors based on the turkeys mood. Turkey hunting is a trendy sport that involves the pursuit of wild turkeys. Although this does not apply to the time when there is a group of Jake Turkeys, they are bolder when teamed up against a single Long Beard Turkey. The hens head is much less flashy than the toms. 24-year-old Paul made it clear he was headhunting -- throwing big shots and connecting with a DESTRUCTIVE right hand that sent the UFC fighter crashing to the floor with 1:18 left in the opening . Occasionally hens will have a beard, but it is thinner than on gobblers and is quite often kinked. This is the final proof of being a female. Maybe you even got. Tom turkeys are matured male turkeys and are also known as Gobblers. Didn't take note of the stride. So a beard is a good guideline, but not a hard rule. Like comb, wattle on a rooster is brighter and bigger than that of a hen. Ensure all the conditions before you pull a trigger because a blunder like this cannot be rectified. They stop gobbling and strutting around, and their snoods and tails return to normal. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. 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. They will typically gobble when they are scared, excited, or want to claim their territory from other male turkeys. Even rare bearded hens have short and wispy beards compared to those of males. A juvenile tom is called a jake. In fact, spurs provide a rough estimate of the age of the tom. The easiest way to tell the two sexes apart when youre not able to see them up close has to do with the sound they make. Avid turkey hunters will claim there are tons of ways to differentiate a Jake from a Tom, but I have 4 key identifiers to help you determine whether its a longbeard youre looking at, or a young jake. They have a head that is more blue-gray in appearance, often with feathers continuing up the back of the head. how old do pulley from a rooster they need to be befor you can tell witch one iswitch, Your email address will not be published. Scale would help. For more information on jakes including whether you should shoot them or not, read our full article on the subject. Pairing the jake decoy with a hen decoy is perfect for turkey hunting in open areas where birds could come out anywhere. A certain number of hens will also sport a beard at some point, which is why many regulations allow a bearded turkey during the turkey hunting season. They also have a bearda tuft of black, hair-like strandsprotruding from their chest. If youre unsure, its best to mark them as unknowns. The dictionary defines a chicken as a common domestic fowl ( Gallus Gallus Domesticus ). This can sometimes get confusing with hens in the field, as they can also sometimes have a thin, short beard, but more on that later. In the turkeys second summer, it sheds all its feathers, so they grow back uniformly. 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. Toms often gobble more frequently, and they can be quite territorial towards people and other animals. Gobbling is also common among mature turkeys as they use it to communicate with other wild turkeys. A gobbler is a male that has reached adult maturity or what we now know as toms. On the other hand, jakes head is paler in color, with just a little bit of red on the head and neck. 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. All the same differences we discuss above apply, the terms tom and hen can just be interchanged for adult male and female. 6s in his direction. There's no guarantee with decoys. 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. Jakes will have short beards roughly 2 to 3 inches in length. The beard of a Hen Turkey will usually be very wispy and short. Offer valid thru 3/31/23. If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more, checkout our page on turkey hunting that has a list of articles you might be interested in. As you can see, it is very important to be able to tell a tom from a hen. Home Uncategorized Turkey Identification: Look for the beard to be sure, Turkey Identification: Look for the beard to be sure Read More , The Bass Federations (TBF) Student Angler Federation (SAF) Iowa state championship is scheduled for May 20 on the Okoboji Chain, Hunters pursued gobblers on private land in Dakota County. 17 Time: 9 p.m. ET/1 a.m. GMT The Paul vs. Askren card launches Saturday, April 17 at 9 p.m. adroll_currency = "USD"; Oct 3, 2007 #6 larpyn Senior Member That there is a North American Concrete Pecker. A Jake's (immature male) center tail feathers will be longer than the rest of the fan where a mature Tom's tail feathers will be even. The exception to this rule would be if you are hunting in a state that allows you to shoot any bearded turkey, and you are fine taking a hen. During fall seasons, there are states that allow both sexes to be harvested while others still only allow toms to be harvested. The Jakes have more caruncles on their lower neck and their necks and heads are more orangish when excited. Lets begin with the basics of distinguishing male wild turkeys (gobblers) from females (hens). Just as a spike buck is very different from a mature buck, jakes and gobblers are both male turkeys ones just older than the other. Toms also have a longer snood than a hen. Typically, gobblers hang out away from hens during the summer since they take no part in raising young. Often a hen might be bearded, or a Long Beard Turkey has no spurs or has an irregular fan, while a Jake Turkey might produce a gobble loud and long. The only turkey that was tagged from the day came from. As jakes get older, his body feathers turn from brownish-gray to the more common coloration of adult male turkeys. Its one of the first questions you probably asked as a kid learning to hunt, and its one that many people get tripped up on during their first-time turkey hunting. ET, which is 2 a.m. Sunday, April 18 in the UK. As a result, these central tail feathers usually stick up 2 to 3 inches above the rest of the fan once the others grow in, producing an awkward, uneven looking fan when they strut. also, their snoods are definitely longer. The Hens have dark brown breast feathers while the males have black breast feathers. I noticed it when I was taking the picture and looked closely at it. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Females also do not grow the characteristic fleshy wattles on their face or neck like tom turkeys do. Jakes are young turkeys, it's a general consensus that a Jake is a one year old turkey, so he hasn't had much time to grow his beard out. Female chicken is called hen when it begins egg production while a male chicken is called a Rooster when it becomes sexually mature. The exact number of mates a tom will have during this time depends on the density of other toms in their area. When is Paul vs. Askren? Toms often strut around with their tail feathers fanned out. If you enjoyed this article, you may also like to read about the sounds a hen turkey makes. But with a little knowledge and practice, you will soon find yourself able to tell the difference with ease. A good rule of thumb is to only shoot a bird after you have identified two distinguishing traits. Jackie Chan - How to Do Action Comedy Every Frame a Painting 2.01M subscribers Subscribe 328K 23M views 8 years ago Some filmmakers can do action. Although turkeys have the same diet, male and females also eat differently. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 2. According to Paul, "negotiations" are taking place between the two sides. You will know its a Jake when he comes in runnning and I bet he won't be struttin! As the Cant Stop the Flop campaign really ramps up over the coming weeks, this is an important question to ask. Spur length also differs between jake vs. tom turkeys. But you cant and shouldnt ever use just one of these traits as stand-alone proof. In situations like this, its important to pay attention to your decoy strategies while turkey hunting. Toms leave a long, sometimes j-shaped dropping. Some toms have multiple beards. Your email address will not be published. Toms will make sounds known as gobbling, spitting, drumming, and yelping. A jake is an immature male bird. The theory is that the longer the spur, the older the turkey. There are many differences, both physically and from their behavior, that you can use to your advantage. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. 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. Instead, they have a fleshy protuberance called a snood which hangs over their beak. A jake is another name for a young male turkey that has not yet reached adulthood. Beard length also provides a noticeable distinguishing characteristic. Knowing the differences between a male and female is essential whether you are preparing for spring hunting season or raising turkeys. Paul vs Woodley 2 Odds. One of the most important things to remember when going turkey hunting is identifying the various varieties. A hen weighs from 5 to 12 pounds. Between males and females name for a young male turkey that has not yet reached.! The only turkey that was tagged from the day came from jake typically a! According to Paul, & quot ; negotiations & quot ; negotiations & quot ; are taking place between two... A beard is a trendy sport that involves the pursuit of wild.. Terms tom and hen can just be interchanged for adult male turkeys and are also known as gobblers, will! Defines a chicken as a common domestic fowl ( Gallus Gallus Domesticus ) able! 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