Why jousting jakes fight

Battle for hens, dominance

About two weeks ago I heard the first turkey gobble of the year. It’s such a distinctive sound that even a child can recognize it.

Mature males (toms) gobble to attract the attention of hens. When hens appear, the tom fans his tail, extends his flight feathers, puffs his body feathers to appear larger and struts about to impress potential mates.

When he gobbles, there’s an explosive quality to the sound. These displays can last 30 minutes or more.

Last week I came upon two turkeys on a gravel road.

I watched for a few minutes until they ignored me. They were young males (jakes) who would never be able to successfully compete with a mature tom this year, but they were expressing their competitive nature, sizing each other up, and jousting with each other. I knew they were young because their beards were short, and the skin on their naked heads lacked color.

I inched the car closer until I was about 20 feet away and watched the action unfold.

The jakes went chest to chest, pushing and occasionally nipping each other.

At one point, one shoved the other completely off the road over an embankment, but it quickly bounded back, eager for more.

The match lasted about six minutes, and then the jakes suddenly parted and disappeared into the woods. Such bouts prepare young males for a time — perhaps next spring — when they can seriously compete for hens. They will be bigger, stronger and, most important, able to impress the ladies.

Pennsylvania’s spring gobbler season runs May 2-30.