Bully Jakes

[mjac]

My past 3 hunts have ended up this way. 

 There seems to be one mature gobbler in the field area where I hunt.  He will gobble maybe twice early then go silent.

I can see him way out across the field ( approx 400 yrds )   heading my way silent & slow,  then out of  no where  about 5  jakes come running to him (about 1/2 to me), and just harass him and run him off.   He doesn't use the same escape route twice !   

As he runs into the timber , they continue to follow him about 100 yrds behind. 

It seems that he knows if he gobbles back at my calls  he draws the jakes attention, really frustrating.  

The  jakes will come to about 60 -  75 yrds to my setup  but then turn and run into the timber the same route as the long beard like keystone cops.

[turkeyfeathers]

He’s gotten beat up before by them.  I had 3 toms below me last year , descend the hill , 12 jakes /1 hen later morning. Hour later all the jakes ran towards the toms working their way back up the hill with a bunch of hens. All the jakes gobbled st once on their charge. Some sweet talk coaxed the long beard another 30 yards into range. Jakes hanging tight. 10 minutes later I had a great Tom tipped over. 

Years back had a Tom go silent   He’d gobble at Jake gobble Yelp , that Jake sounded terrible!  Gobbler shut down. I hit my gobble call and yelped. Ole Tom came ripping across the field to the Jake hen decoys. Then caught a beak full of 5’s 

some gobblers will be passive on Jake decoys and if you catch them on the right day , aggressive to the Jake  Moral of the story  think outside the box , feel out the long beards , what he wants to hear or not  

 

 

[dmandoes]

whats ur setup?  r there hens? r u opposed to shooting a jake?

[mjac]

4 hours ago, dmandoes said:

whats ur setup?  r there hens? r u opposed to shooting a jake?

I have a jake & hen decoy straight   out 40 yrds in field   and a single hen 40 yrds  to my right.   I'm not opposed to shooting one of these jakes  if they come in range

[turkeyfeathers]

I’d skip the Jake decoy if you ideally want the longbeard.  He doesn’t want another beating. 

[dmandoes]

10 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

I’d skip the Jake decoy if you ideally want the longbeard.  He doesn’t want another beating. 

this   ^^^, maybe tom decoy and gobble call for jakes.  r the turkeys seeing the decoys and not coming in?  r there hens? 

[mjac]

8 hours ago, dmandoes said:

this   ^^^, maybe tom decoy and gobble call for jakes.  r the turkeys seeing the decoys and not coming in?  r there hens? 

I'll probably go with  just a single hen decoy and see how that does, there have been no live hens in the field this season.  The jakes had no interest in the decoys,   they just want to chase  the longbeard out  and follow him  into the timber.   Maybe just give a few quick calls first light so he knows  a lady is in waiting and not encouraging him to gobble and attract the jakes.  I'm on a mission with this guy,  usually I'd move around by now  but through the binoculars he's a real good one.

[mowin]

Oh boy.    Can't tell you how many times I've had Jake's run a tom off.  I've called a "flock of 'em over a half mi, only to run the tom's off. Ya 8 Jake's will chase 3 longbeards off. 

My tactic....  Ok it a little different.... If the whole group of Jake's come looking to run off the toms,(really me)  and If I can lure them from the toms, I'll shoot over there heads AND run at them and break them up. I want to educate them.  I've"educated" groups of Jake's several times in a single season. The tom usually gets educated somewhat too but, although later in the season, he start to really search for a hen...I'll switch calls and style of calling, and the tom will run in trying to beat the Jake's to a willing hen.   This works late in the season. I've killed several toms in self defense, as they sometimes run in that quick.. 

[dmandoes]

 if it was me,  i would leave the decoys home and continue to call.  i get to watch a lot of turkeys being bullied.  if a tom is bullied he will usually lead the other birds off and then circle back to the hens.