# Determine Jake/Hen/Tom



## hplayer13

Since it's my first year, it is a little hard to determine a tom from a jake. I can tell from the tail feathers (not correctly aligned) but other than that it would be hard for me to tell the difference WHILE HUNTING. What's the best way to tell the difference between a tom and a jake? A bearded hen and a tom? Sorry for the rookie questions


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## Firefighter

Hens are brown and have blue heads. They also lack the large caruncles (jello looking growths on the neck). Hens also have no snood, and won't have any red on their heads. 

Jakes and Toms should be nearly black, with a shimmering irridesence in the sun. Their heads will usually be red, white and blue.


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## hplayer13

I know for the most part how to identify a bearded hen and a tom....but how about a tom vs. a jake.


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## Spartan88

If you see a bird with a beard, kill it. But to answer your question, beard length, toms are longer.


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## Day Late

Jakes have a short stubby beard. Toms have the big beards. The problem is some 2 year olds may have a decent beard, 6-7 inches, but they have a immature fan with the outside tail feathers being short. I don't know if they classify these immature birds as jakes or not.


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## unclecbass

fan and hooks tell it all, if all the feathers in the fan are the same length, uniform fan, then it should be a tom, Jakes will not have a uniform fan. hooks, spurs, should be longer on a tom. And of course beard lenght is a good indicator, short and stubby is normally a Jake or a bearded hen.


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## HunterHawk

free pass, free pass, DEAD  TRUST ME... you will know a tom when you see one... and a jake is just ugly with a small beard coming from under his noggin and also as mentioned above jake has short tail feathers on the side of the fan and tall feathers in the middle of the fan... The bird in my Avatar is a mature Tom because it has a full fan.. watch some hunting videos!


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## melvvin

Glass some flocks of birds in fields doing their thing you will be able to tell toms from jakes very easily. When season starts if it comes in gobbling and struting and you see that beard hangin down and you have none or few birds under your belt start shootin when he's in range.


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## FREEPOP

If you have a couple in front of you, size will tell. Jakes are smaller than the boss hen and a mature tom will have you thinking he's the size of a Vlokswagon. If you have to carry him very far, they feel like it too.


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