How many jakes did y'all see throughout the season....?
I only saw four in central Alabama this spring. Last year I saw ten one morning together and several more during the spring.
One thing I did notice this year in my travels. I saw four jakes in Louisiana that was the most mature that I have ever laid eyes on. They were definitely born very early in the spring. I also put my eyes on three in Missouri that caused me to spend an hour on them to get close enough to try and call them. Once I finally got to where I wanted to be I realized two of the three were jakes. They had thick beards that had to be 6 to 7 inches long. It wasn't until they turned side ways and started feeding that their posture told me they were jakes. The third gobbler was preening slighly below my line of site. He finally followed the other two. He was also a jake.
I know the length of the day is what starts the breeding. I've also heard and believe there can be up to a three varialtion due to weather. Maybe it's even longer than that...? Thoughts...?
