Ask Dr. Tom

HEN COUGARS?

Can a first-year male turkey, a jake, fertilize a hen’s eggs? I know a jake can/will breed a hen. But I heard that the young male is not sexually mature and cannot fertilize the eggs of a hen.

George Wills
Fairburn, Ga.

FYI > According to the Journal of Wildlife Management, a 1964-1965 study in Missouri found that 28 percent of jakes collected at check stations during the spring hunting season were capable of breeding.

Wild turkeys are capable of successfully breeding at 10 to 11 months old. So, males hatched early last spring are often mature enough to breed during the following spring breeding season. However, competition for hens is fierce and these young males are typically not successful in competing with older males for mates during their first spring.

In the absence of gobblers, though, hens will accept jakes for mating. — Dr. Tom

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