Taking the safety off...spook a turkey?

[jimmyg97]

I sit down, undo my front sling clip and lay the slack sling behind me, then take the safety off. When I'm ready to leave I set the safety, clip the sling, and I'm off. Maybe this is the wrong way of doing it, but I keep the gun in a safe direction and finger off the trigger until I want to fire at something. If you're hunting over decoys in a field it wouldn't be any issue to leave the safety on until you see a bird, but in the timber where he could be 5 yards from you I like to avoid movement as much as possible.

[Paulmyr]

Watched a Jake clearly spook and was shifting gears when my dad popped off the safety on an 1187. He made a heck of a shot just before the bird disappeared below the crest of the ridge.

[Treerooster]

Interesting replies.

Taking the safety off well before a shot and sitting there with the gun off safe would be uncomfortable for me. jimmyg97, sorry but I would be uncomfortable hunting with you doing that. I have set up on a gobbler and sat for as long as an hour or more, don't want to have my gun off safe that long.

That said I do take the safety off for a short period of time if I think a shot is imminent. Same with big game like deer with a rifle or xbow. On upland or waterfowl the safety comes up as the gun is mounted, even when approaching a pointed upland bird or seeing the ducks are going to decoy in good.

I have never experienced a bird spook from a safety click or trigger being pulled back (I use to hunt with a single shot trigger gun). Of the 3 sub-species I have hunted, what I killed the most are Easterns and 90% public. Those that say the "click" spooked the bird I have to wonder if the gun wasn't moved a bit or adjusted as the safety was pushed off. Once the gun is mounted there is so little movement involved in taking the safety off (or even pulling a trigger back) I just don't see that spooking a bird, Especially when crouched in the classic shooting position. Maybe raising a turkey's head, but not an all out spook. The true spook I would think comes from the muzzle waving about or shooter adjusting slightly. Move a gun an inch at the breach and the muzzle moves considerably more at the end. Plus many times the shooter will adjust their aim just before the shot and as the safety comes off.

That click spooking a turkey can happen I guess. IME it is so rare I don't worry about it. 

[Treerooster]

As for the videos regularly showing "B-roll" segments of a close-up of the hunter clicking off the safety right before the trigger pull, I always more or less chuckle at those video cuts to show that...and ask "why?". I know darn well that pretty much every one of those fellows clicked that safety off long before that "cut" to show it!  Of course, I know the "why" is because of the long-time idea of selling safety consciousness to hunters that seems to be a standard practice in just about all hunting videos.

Jim, that could be one reason the vid guys do it. Just so silly really. I have thought it was because hunting is really NOT a spectator sport, its mostly boring unless one is there involved in it. So I thought the b-roll safety shot was to wake up the viewer to sort of say..."Hey wake up, we're gonna kill this thing." 

[GobbleNut]

You can get away with ALOT more on Rios and Merriams than you will Easterns or Osceola birds.

This statement is worth mentioning again for those who have never hunted Merriam's gobblers (or Gould's). In general, they are much more tolerant of movement and are much slower to react to it.  I have seen exceptions to this statement, but those instances have been very rare.

Regarding Rio's, my experience is that they are kind-of intermediate in their reaction time between Easterns and Merriam's.  I have had them flush immediately when close and alarmed...and I have also seen them hesitate a bit longer.

Easterns, in particular, are a different breed in their lack of tolerance for any kind of movement or unexpected noise when they are close, though.  Screw up on an Eastern when he is close...and he will be gone in an instant in most cases.  Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules when engaging any of the subspecies "up close and personal".   

[GobbleNut]

As for the videos regularly showing "B-roll" segments of a close-up of the hunter clicking off the safety right before the trigger pull, I always more or less chuckle at those video cuts to show that...and ask "why?". I know darn well that pretty much every one of those fellows clicked that safety off long before that "cut" to show it!  Of course, I know the "why" is because of the long-time idea of selling safety consciousness to hunters that seems to be a standard practice in just about all hunting videos.

Jim, that could be one reason the vid guys do it. Just so silly really. I have thought it was because hunting is really NOT a spectator sport, its mostly boring unless one is there involved in it. So I thought the b-roll safety shot was to wake up the viewer to sort of say..."Hey wake up, we're gonna kill this thing."  

Good point! ...Maybe that's the REAL purpose... 

[jimmyg97]

Interesting replies.

Taking the safety off well before a shot and sitting there with the gun off safe would be uncomfortable for me. jimmyg97, sorry but I would be uncomfortable hunting with you doing that. I have set up on a gobbler and sat for as long as an hour or more, don't want to have my gun off safe that long.

That said I do take the safety off for a short period of time if I think a shot is imminent. Same with big game like deer with a rifle or xbow. On upland or waterfowl the safety comes up as the gun is mounted, even when approaching a pointed upland bird or seeing the ducks are going to decoy in good.

I have never experienced a bird spook from a safety click or trigger being pulled back (I use to hunt with a single shot trigger gun). Of the 3 sub-species I have hunted, what I killed the most are Easterns and 90% public. Those that say the "click" spooked the bird I have to wonder if the gun wasn't moved a bit or adjusted as the safety was pushed off. Once the gun is mounted there is so little movement involved in taking the safety off (or even pulling a trigger back) I just don't see that spooking a bird, Especially when crouched in the classic shooting position. Maybe raising a turkey's head, but not an all out spook. The true spook I would think comes from the muzzle waving about or shooter adjusting slightly. Move a gun an inch at the breach and the muzzle moves considerably more at the end. Plus many times the shooter will adjust their aim just before the shot and as the safety comes off.

That click spooking a turkey can happen I guess. IME it is so rare I don't worry about it.

Understandable, I believe modern guns are inherently safe and will not go off unless the trigger is pulled. As long as you follow the ten commandments of firearm safety, I think it's ok and safe to take the safety off when I sit down. Now if someone was walking through the woods with their gun slung over their shoulder with the safety off I would be wary as well. Wouldn't take much for a stick or twig to get in the trigger guard.

[Sixes]

So, some of you guys disengage the safety before even seeing the turkey?

Ex: you hear some walking in the leaves 10 minutes after calling and take the safety off?

[GregGwaltney]

I always like to put pressure on the opposite side of the safety as I am sliding/pushing it to fire, keeps the audible click down. I have never spooked a turkey with my safety, and I typically move it to fire once the bird is very close to firing range.

[Treerooster]

So, some of you guys disengage the safety before even seeing the turkey?

Ex: you hear some walking in the leaves 10 minutes after calling and take the safety off?

I didn't get the impression anyone was talking about getting ready to shoot something from the sound of walking in the leaves, or even getting ready to. There are plenty of scenarios where a hunter knows a gobbler is coming, or thinks he is very likely coming, and can't get a shot yet.

[Old Gobbler]

I've seen gobblers get alleted from from a loud safety click ,enough for me to adopt the practice of  sliding the safety over with my thumb one side and pointer on the other  slowly easing it in to off , the chances of spooking a gobbler fall mainly from head movement at the wrong ...wrong time...been there sooo many times

Alot of times they come in so fast I don't even remember instinctively letting the safety off

[Ranman]

I don't like the sound of the click.. I either use my index finger on one side and my thumb on the other side to slide off the safety. I can also keep my index(trigger finger) straight and slide off the safety by pushing it with the palm side of the first joint. Slides it slow and no click. Works on my 870 and my SA 28.