I sometimes imagine that I can tell a gobbling turkey is a jake, but would have to admit that I have been wrong often. There have been times I thought a turkey had a weak gobble and was likely a jake, and then turned out to have a long beard. I actually had it happen this season. I got on a turkey that had a real short gobble, and didn't want to hunt him because of that, but he was the only game in town. He turned out to have a long beard when I finally saw him. I still didn't kill him; he might have had a short gobble but he was no dummy.

I've also gotten on turkeys with a strong gobble that I never even thought might be a jake, only to find out that they were.

But a 2 year old gobbler is capable of shaking the ground with his gobble, as much as a turkey that is older. His feathers are the same as an older bird, he can weigh over 20 pounds and have a thick 12" beard and have spurs that are over an inch. I don't believe anyone can say that a turkey still alive is 2 or 3.

I have thought it possible to age them after killing them. Spurs can give you a clue; not just the length, but the curvature also. I have thought that the amber in the end of the beard was the most definitive way to separate a 2 year old from one that is 3 and up. An older turkey will have beard ends that are all black, while the 2 yr has a lot that are amber. Lovett Williams thought the method worked, but some of the current researchers say that it doesn't. I think the exceptions are likely caused when one gets beard rot and the beard breaks off, but I could be wrong.

I still look at them and try to guess their age, but it's just a curiosity and it is only done after the turkey is dead.