Safe West Virginia turkey hunters

[turkeyfoot]

Sorry....no sport in shooting them with a rifle........might as well "tree trim em".

Funny thing that is exact thing the die hard bow hunters around here say about deer hunting with rifle

But I bet 98% of them shoot the latest compound bows with carbon arrows and mechanical broadheads.

And turkey hunters aren't shooting the latest greatest shots such as Hevi and TSS posting many shots from 50 plus yards TSS shots out to 70. I'm not a rifle hunter with turkey but I'm also not dogging anyone for hunting legal just be safe its just one persons opinion versus another anyway

[redmag]

Turkeyfoot,  You are right..we are our own worst enemies.  I am not fond of bear hunting with dogs but I am not going to suggest that guys shouldn't be doing it.  It is legal and it is their thing.

[wvmntnhick]

It never ceases to amaze me the number of guys that complain about how "unsporting" it is to shoot a turkey with a rifle. They often hear the word and assume that every guy toting a rifle is sitting on a field shooting them from 3 counties away. The argument could realistically go both ways. If I were sitting birds at 60-70 yards I could totally see a debate but when all but a few have been shot within the 45 yard mark, the argument becomes moot point. In fact, at that range, the rifle becomes more of a challenge imho. Single projectile vs hundreds all while trying to hit the base of the neck or the butt of the wing.

The statement about hunters being their own worst enemy is 100% correct. Soon as we find someone with a different point of view we start "harping." The traditional bow crowd did it when compounds hit the market and those guys started in when the crossbow hit the scene. Personally, I hope WV legalizes those soon as well so I can get my wife out more often. Guess that makes me an unsporting monster of sorts though because it doesn't appeal to the masses. I've listened to it for years though and I'm used to it by now. Probably shouldn't mention that I still occasionally take the 223 out for deer though. Then I'll be labeled as some kind of rebel tyrant. Lol

[Skaggs13]

Hunting Turks with a rifle don't sound like much fun to me. Deer hunting is completely different. Calling is not the "Main" part of hunting like turkey hunting is. How hard can it be?  Go find a field you see turkeys in and pull out the ol' rifle and bust him a 200yds. Might as well go to the grocery store and buy one

[Deputy 14]

Well, I shoulda kept my comments to myself, seems I took a good thread and turned it sour. But, I'll play along. I have a family member who drives around in his truck on the abandoned strip mines and hunts strutting gobblers like deer. He has a class q permit that allows him to hunt from his truck because he's "handicapped" (he's a lazy slob not handicap, not bashing handicap permits). So, one day he's doing this on the same property I'm hunting while I'm working a bird across a field. Bird is prob 60 yards from me and I hear a rifle, see the turkey explode, and hear stuff hitting the trees around me. Come to find out he has drove up on a high point, saw the gobbler from 200 yards and shoots it with a 30-06, almost directly in line with me. So, that is why I don't like rifles in the turkey woods.

[wvmntnhick]

Well, I shoulda kept my comments to myself, seems I took a good thread and turned it sour. But, I'll play along. I have a family member who drives around in his truck on the abandoned strip mines and hunts strutting gobblers like deer. He has a class q permit that allows him to hunt from his truck because he's "handicapped" (he's a lazy slob not handicap, not bashing handicap permits). So, one day he's doing this on the same property I'm hunting while I'm working a bird across a field. Bird is prob 60 yards from me and I hear a rifle, see the turkey explode, and hear stuff hitting the trees around me. Come to find out he has drove up on a high point, saw the gobbler from 200 yards and shoots it with a 30-06, almost directly in line with me. So, that is why I don't like rifles in the turkey woods.

I understand your point as well as that of others but to say that it's not sporting (not saying you have necessarily) is ridiculous. As I've mentioned earlier, not everyone blasts them at 200 yards. I can't speak for everyone that uses a rifle nor do I feel the need to defend their right to do so if it's done legally. 40 yards with a shotgun is still the same 40 yards with a rifle (guess this gets overlooked but I guarantee it's true. Measure it sometime if the bird will hold still long enough) and safety is obviously paramount. Personally, if done properly, it's another thing that the hunter needs to keep in mind. Make sure there's a safe back drop. Does everyone do this? Nope. That's why there are still hunters that get shot with shotguns as well. There's no excuse for a hunting "accident" regardless of weapon choice and hunting conditions. If done properly, it can be just as sporting, humane, ethical, and safe as using the shotgun. What about the guys that have shoulder problems/surgery and a doctor tells them that they can no longer use a shotgun because of recoil issues? Does this mean that they should have to give up what they love to make the other crowd happy?

Deputy, this isn't directed at you by any means. Just used your post as a quote. I do respect your opinion just as I respect the rights and opinions of all hunters. Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Had a similar thing happen to me when I was 15 while deer hunting. Guy shot at a deer from who knows where. The bullet ended up impacting a tree just a couple feet away from me. I guess that it could have changed my mind on rifle hunting too but thankfully it didn't as it's just another thing I enjoy doing every year.

I'm personally done defending this topic but I caution all to pay very close attention to this next statement. Regardless of your thoughts of how "sporting" it is, if you're trying to get rid of this form of hunting (assuming it's legal in your state) then you're doing nothing more than what the anti crowd wants. If they find a way to get rid of the rifle they'll start finding a way to claim that the shotgun isn't "safe" or "ethical." Then, before you know it, our grandchildren are using hand thrown rocks to take down game. But, having said that, I'm sure that someone has already tried that and feels it's a better idea. When you talk to your state commissions and try to vote these kinds of things down, the anti's get a little closer to where they want to be. Just saying. Good luck to all and to the fella that was using the atlatl in the awesome video I watched last night, you better practice up. If some get their way that may be all that's legal in the end. Lol. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT AIMED AT ANY ONE PERSON and is not meant to be offensive in any fashion. Just trying to defend the rights of all fellow hunters.

[turkeyfoot]

Hunting Turks with a rifle don't sound like much fun to me. Deer hunting is completely different. Calling is not the "Main" part of hunting like turkey hunting is. How hard can it be?  Go find a field you see turkeys in and pull out the ol' rifle and bust him a 200yds. Might as well go to the grocery store and buy one

Not always true lot of VA tags go unfilled by people I know hunting with rifles. Its only small sample but I will be honest with you all the guys and family members I know that hunt with rifles are ethical legal hunters they pass on birds many times that others would shoot they just don't go around picking them off at 100 yards really this is a topic that is easy to pick and throw stones at but truthfully you have to know the hunters before you should knock them and one or 2 bad stories don't tell the whole story those knuckle heads are going to hunt unethical no matter what. I would encourage anyone before condemning the way a person hunts legally to get to know some of the crowd first