Jakes are really crazy birds....

[Brokenbucket]

Went to scout/hunt some newly acquired turkey territory and set-up overlooking a swamp floodplain. Started off clucking softly and slowly built up to normal yelps. Waited for what I felt was right and laid out a long string of lost yelps. About 20+ and put the call down.
About 5 mins. and I noticed movement out to the left front and 4 birds were inbound. Got the gun up and found the 1st thing I don't like about the Folding hunter seat. My knees aren't up high enough to brace my elbow to help support the weight of the gun. The birds stepped into clear view and there stood 4 more jakes at full attention. Now, this makes 11 jakes this season and no mature gobblers, yet. SC has a 5 bird limit and I've already called in 2 limits plus. Good or unlucky?
Eased the gun down enough to get some support and waited for them to leave. One started to gobble and after about 15 minutes of being "jaked-down" they eased off to my right.
waited about 10 mins and stroked the box and a bird gobbled out front. Well, it was the same 4 jakes and here they come. back within range, heads up and gobbling more often than before.
Maybe the ruckus will get some attention, so I hit the slate and mouthcall and all 4 go spastic with gobbles. yelps, cutts, cackles, kee-kees and runs, aggrivated purrs and "Hey" and "Hello" got a gobble from them.
I played with them for awhile and they decided to go somewhere else.
It was almost roost time, so I just soft clucked and waited to see if I could roost a bird. Heard 2 gobbles from way up the creek and am sure it wasn't the jakes. I'll checkout that area next week (Mon.AM) and see if I can get onto a mature bird. The new territory is looking pretty good from the start even if they were jakes.
Recapping the hunt and having them respond to "Hey" and "Hello", I can really say "Jakes are really crazy birds"....

[wishinone]

Sounds like a fun time with the short beards.

[wishinone]

Just got back from a two day hunt with my son in centeral NY. Yesterday May first was opening day we set up along a logging road about 200 yards from a gobbling bird and waited for flydown. We heard some crashing as the birds hit the ground and then we started calling and then the gobbling got closer and closer, soon I told my son I seen two birds at the top of the hill shortly followed by three more. It didn't take too long and they were in front of my son, all jakes with one making like a big boy strutting and spitting, we let them go and went to another spot and soon called in three more jakes. One more set up and guess what another trio of jakes come in zig zaging about 10 yards in front of us. We had a heck of a morning without getting a longbeard but it was FUN.

[loner]

don't despair! you are in the cycle and good things are going to happen next year.the two year olds will be running to your call gobbling.

[tomcat]

sounds like you got a good spot, them jakes have to have a daddy some where, and you were right to mess with them to get them to globble sometimes that will draw in a mature bird to let them jakes know who the boss is ,i have had this happen 2 times and when the big boy let loose them jakes never made another sound and he came in to find what had them jakes going and got him killed so keep doing what you are doing and sooner or later you will get a good one
tomcat