Jakes from delay

[Bgoodman30]

With all this talk about the delay making for successful nests and hatches then the result should be tons of jakes.

My personal observation of several good flocks is an increased number longbeards yet very few Jakes... This would conclude that we had a great hatch and 22 and not so great in 23...I hope I am wrong...

What are you seeing?

 

[the deerslayer]

I'm seeing the same. LOTS of longbeards right now...not so many jakes. Seems like the population looks much better this year though. Seeing big flocks of birds.

 

[th88]

Seeing more longbeards than jakes. Of course our 2022 hatch was off the charts. Biggest longbeard groups we've had in several years.

 

[TheLBLman]

One reason many jakes are not showing up (now, late January) is simply because many or most have no visible beards yet, and may be easily mistaken for a hen.

Keep in mind this year's jakes are currently only @ 8 months old.
Everything about their appearance & behavior will dramatically change in April.

Typically, I'll see many jakes in early April that don't yet have a visible beard, although I can often tell that they are young males. By the end of April, these are typically showing very visible beards. Their beards grow very fast in April (from nothing to 2 or 3 inches).

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We saw both last year. Before season, we had a group of 15 longbeards. We had another group of Jake's around that same number. Haven't seen many lately, but during the summer and fall, we saw quite a few good hatches. Time will tell - should have a better perspective come March.

 

[Popcorn]

I see both. Great numbers of long beards in groups. Jakes seem to be grouping within or alongside the hens yet not pulling away. Stewart county has some large flocks of juvi's and hens with what I believe to be very good numbers of jakes. So many I wonder about the effect on long beards come April.

 

[megalomaniac]

Same as every fall and winter... feast or famine. Gobblers are still in bachelor groups... see none, then all of a sudden see 5 together. Jakes/ jennies/ and hens are together... see none, then see 25 in a wad.

reproductive success is like it has been past 20 years... some areas with tremendous hatches and tons of jakes/ jennies, but go 10 miles away and hardly see any. Turkeys just arent evenly distributed on the landscape like they used to be.

 

[Livin2hunt]

We are same as what @Popcorn said in Macon County and parts of Sumner County. I do know all the birds are looking more healthy than I've seen in a long time. The ones in Macon looked rather thin up until this year. I'm kinda surprised by this with the dry weather we had last fall. We do have ag fields though that they were feeding in after harvest.

 

[TheLBLman]

Jakes seem to be grouping within or alongside the hens yet not pulling away.

Exactly what I've been seeing, so it's easy for someone to think the entire group is all hens.

 

[knightrider]

The title of this one made me

 

[deerfever]

22 hatch was absolutely amazing! Look at all the pictures on this site. Great news for sure, hopefully the 23 hatch was as good.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Still not seeing the jakes... Only one group of 2 on farms I hunt... Gobbler groups looking great..

My hypothesis is limit change and season delays had zero impact on breeding success...

 

[Southern Sportsman]

I've been seeing a bunch of jakes in West TN. More longbeards than I've seen in a long while, too.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I've been seeing a bunch of jakes in West TN. More longbeards than I've seen in a long while, too.

That's good. My observations are from middle.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I'm seeing more than I have in some years, it's just still not many.

 

[deerhunter10]

I'm not seeing as many as last year but still seeing several.

 

[megalomaniac]

So far in south MS this spring, haven't seen a jake on public. Have seen 2 on private. Overall down from 2022 and 2023 sightings, but season is still early