What has made the 40 yard shot the line when determining an ethical shot vs not? In the day of high brass pheasant loads the ethical shot range was 25 possibly 30 yards tops so is it not due to semi recent technological advances that has allowed for these what were once thought to be unethical shots past 30 yards to be taken? My point being that those that refuse to shoot tungsten yet shoot these modern shells that allow you to shoot well beyond 25-30 yards seems somewhat hypocritical from what I've seen. If you still shoot high brass #6-4's, I tip my hat
I can't answer for anyone else but to me it really doesn't have much to do with the ability to make a kill at longer ranges. With the advanced shells and guns we have they can be killed further. For me its the distance at which I feel I have called the turkey in and won the match. I have killed some in the last 3 or so years with these modern tss shells and my longest shot to date is 37 steps. Just cause I can doesnt mean I am going to. I do enjoy pulling the trigger and knowing that it is a clean kill with ammo that is more than adequate for the task.
It's just a number. For myself it's when I know I've won and I can cleanly kill the bird. I've killed birds at about any distance from 2 steps to 70. To be honest, all felt good to me, but the closer ones felt better.
Through many years of hunting, I have a predetermined "Red Zone" that once Tom steps inside of it, his fate is up to me. That "Red Zone" is 40 yards due to the limitations of the shells and chokes in the past. I now shoot TSS because of the superior density of the shot pattern out to the perimeter of the Red Zone and not because the shot can kill out past 60+ yards. Ethical doesn't have anything to do with that part of turkey hunting for me.
I agree it's just more satisfying to myself knowing i won the game and called him into my setup as close as possible. Regardless what gun or shell i'm using i just like those close and personal shots. I don't get up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning thinking that i'm not going to kill a gobbler today. But i can tell you the turkey wins most of the time and it's so gratifying on that days i'm successful in killing that gobbler. If he lives today, i just hope i get to hunt him again tomorrow. I guess you could say i just like looking eye to eye with him for that close shot. it's mostly out of respect to the gobbler for me to do my job and kill him under 40 yards or less regardless of the equipment i'm using.
Since I almost always set one decoy at a predetermined distance range is seldom a consideration for us. Pick a set up spot, pace off 25 steps give or take, place the decoy. If a bird shows up we'll have a very good idea how far he is. Even after playing this game for 40+ years in the excitement of the moment they always seem to look closer than they are. Today's ammo is superior to what we once shot but it is so expensive very few new hunters spend much time patterning it. Too bad since even some of the super ammo patterns poorly with some gun and choke combinations. I can't remember the last time myself or my usual hunting buddy shot a bird at over thirty. When I pace off the walk to the dead bird I've counted 28 yards so many times it's almost weird.
IMO , 40 and under keeps the crippling to a minimum/ keeps the hunt a challenge on my end / aids in the enjoyment of actually getting to watch him approach/
I hunt for me , myself and I . This means I do it " my " way , and my way only . Yelp him to the gun fair and square with out visual aids , make him look for me , keep my shots close . Anything else again IMO , your cheating yourself and even more important, the resource we all " supposedly" respect .
Its a no Biden for me.(no brainer) I use 3in 5 or 6 upland game loads,iron sights or bead sight,depending on the gun I use.
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My state has no shot requirement. None. No minimum. No maximum. Just shotgun only. I could carry a tuned rifled barrel shotgun with a scope and take field turkeys at 200yds legally. That's not the game for me. That's not fun for me. Turkey hunting for me is about feeling them in my chest. I want the drumming to raise the hairs on my neck. That's the game. That's why I do it. 40yds is great, but I sure like 25yds better.
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My two cents, maybe three....
I doubt in the "early" modern times, folks even talked about it. They killed turkeys to the effective range of their equipment and probably took shots farther than they should have as much as anyone. Ethics in hunting were slowly developed and that wasn't until states put an end to killing whenever, however, and as many as you wanted.
I suspect "40 yards" came about in the 80s because when I started in 90, it was already an accepted ethical distance once you patterned your gun and saw it's capabilities. It may have been earlier but too much earlier than that and it was likely a rare gun and shell that could reliably do it.
In those days, I recall few patterns from a 3" number 4 turkey load that looked like a sure thing at 40. #5s put me a little closer to my comfort zone, but I really needed to shoot 6s to feel like I could put enough shot in a birds head at 40 to reliably kill him. Lead 6s struggle past 40 yards in my opinion to have enough umph. It wasn't until I jumped to 3.5" turkey loads at 1300 fps that I felt like I could slip up and kill one at 50. Even then it wasn't uncommon for him to still look like I better get my hands on him quick if I shot him 40 plus.
"40 yards" was a balance between pattern density and the shot's lethality, so it's stuck. 40 yards always seemed far in the woods so I didn't feel like I'd actually gotten the bird to commit. In a field, that same 40 seemed a whole lot closer, and he sure as heck seemed committed since I didn't have a decoy out and at that point he knew darn good and well that there wasn't a hen there. Luckily I seldom hunted fields.
Nowadays, I know I can effectively floor him at 50 yards and likely farther, but at that point I believe I'm nearing just shooting turkeys and not calling them in.
Talking ethics only not why i want them at 40 or less.
Bottom line is this. MOST people go in the woods without a clue what there gun will do. I have spent a many a day patterning guns and anything past 40 (less with some guns) is when a pattern can fall apart in a hurry. That can be with copper plated lead or tss or anything in between. Everyone throws out tss will kill them X-yds away. Yep may be right but have you shot your gun on paper enough times to KNOW that at X-yds away it will kill one clean every time. I don't know many folks out there burning 2-3 $5-10 shells through there gun at every range to verify that. I load my own and have a trap so I know where I can kill one, but most folks don't. They shooting apex or whatever and they MAY shoot one or two at paper at 30 or 40 yds and call it great. I have seen pretty remarkable patterns at 40 that may put one or two in the kill zone at 50. I know it may sound crazy but it's the truth and I've seen it many times.
2nd. I have killed a couple birds at 60+ on mistake. Not proud of it probably missed or peppered some too. Each time was an optical illusion and thought the bird was 40 maybe 45 until I stood up after the shot. So if I can mistake yardage by 20 so can most everyone else especially all the new hunters. If I think he is at 60 and I mistake it by 20 now he is at 80 that a whole lot of difference.
I no longer pull the trigger anymore if I don't think he is less than 40. I will stretch that to maybe 50 but only after verifying it with a range finder and I know what my gun will do.
I think a lot of it has to do with a turkey's defenses. Turkeys just haven't evolved to worry about predators far away. They can fly. They just need enough time to react from a predator and that "comfort" range is probably right around 30 or 40 yards.
Turkeys scrutinize their environment more at close-in ranges because that is where the real danger to them comes from. This is how they have adapted over the long term. So by shooting further away a hunter doesn't have to defeat their senses quite as much than if the birds were in close. The closer range gives the birds a fairer shake in other words.
And of course it can take a bit more skill to get a turkey to come in those last 10 to 30 or so yards.
I have seen a flock of turkeys in a cut corn field, with deer, and with 2 coyotes. The yotes were over a 100 yards from the feeding turkeys and deer. The turkeys appeared to not be threatened by the yotes at all, but I am sure they kept an eye on them. If the yotes charged, the turkeys had plenty of time to take flight into nearby trees. The deer seemed more nervous and I believe that is because 100 yards or so was more of a threat to them, although the deer did not leave the field either, just kept their heads up more than they would have if the yotes weren't there.
As for me. I like stuff close, it's just more exciting. 20 to 25 yards is where I want my turkeys...and ducks...and big game (archery mostly)...and upland birds. 40 is about my limit for all those but I strive for 20 to 25. Sometimes it happens even closer...that's just more excitement.
I have rifle hunted big game a little, but most of those shots have been 65 and under. I have shot 1 Deer and 1 Antelope at 125 yds, and 1 Bighorn Sheep at 170 yds.
I have only killed a few over 40, none over 50. It is personal, years ago 40 was a stretch for effective patterns, no longer the case. Is 50 the new 40?
Hell I don't know but if someone takes a longer shot at a distance they know their gun provides a killing pattern I have no issue with it!
I chased a bird all over hell one morning, had him inside 40 multiple times with no shot, I never actually even laid eyes on em. I made a move and he happened by me at 47 or so wide open, I felt nothing but pure joy when I smashed him!
That was my longest shot for sure!
To me 40 yards is a number for patterning. Its all about your comfort level, pattern density and pellet lethality. If your shooting heavier than lead pellets and the pattern holds up I have no problem with shooting past 40.
I pattern all my guns at 30 yards. My comfort zone is 30 on in. Have I harvested a few at 35, yes but 30 on in I got em. I mark stuff with a rangefinder when I can. Works great. I play a lot of golf in the off season, that helps me figure yardage too....
40 yards has always been what you pattern your gun at! Typically you know your pattern density at plus or minus 5 yards which is where 85 percent of the gobblers are harvested at. Just a good rule of thumb to go by I guess.
In an ideal situation 30-35 is perfect for me. I don't want him any closer than 30. I know some fellers that let them come in real tight, nope not me, no sir! I be shaking too bad! Them boogers will find me too! Most places I hunt I cant shoot much past 40 because the woods are so thick.
I don't use a scope or a red dot either.
However Im gonna be honest here if one is hung up there at 50 or 55 I'm gonna roll him! They too hard to come by here in south ms. Them gobblers aren't around every corner and all land is public land. No such thing as private here. Ain't no way I'm letting him walk at 41yards
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I limit myself to 35 yards. Partly because my eyesight ain't that great anymore, and partly to allow a little room for error in case I misjudge the distance. My longest shot to kill a bird to date was 42 yards and I would have sworn he was closer than that, until I paced it off after killing him.
Because that's the range it turns their head into a limp dishrag and they had no idea what train wrecked em.
To me the 40yd line is only useful in comparing patterns. To me whatever you feel is ethical for your setup is all that matters.
Turkeys where I have to hunt are not that easy to come by and one opportunity is all I may have. If I know I can kill one cleanly I don't care how far away he is. I fooled him and that's where it's at for me. I remember when I had to let birds walk because they were 5 yards to far and never get another chance all season. To each his own.
Quote from: BBR12 on March 22, 2022, 02:36:49 PM
Bottom line is this. MOST people go in the woods without a clue what there gun will do.
THIS is exactly the reason we preach the 40 yard max mantra. I suspect most of us that are really serious turkey hunters shoot guns and loads that we feel confident will cleanly kill a gobbler well beyond forty yards. The average, casual turkey hunter most likely has no idea. I have witnessed that fact time and time again over the years. In reality, it is for THOSE people that we need to keep preaching forty yards,...and for a significant number of them, we should probably be preaching much less than that.
This site (OG) not only attracts those of us that are diligent about knowing our weapons and being mindful of shooting at turkeys only at ranges at which we feel we are capable of killing them cleanly,...OG also attracts folks that are probably on the opposite end of that spectrum. Their motto is,..."it's turkey season, grab a shotgun off the rack, grab whatever shells might kill one, and go huntin'. If a turkey gets somewhere close to where I think I can kill it, I'm firing away."
THAT is the reason I will continue to preach 40 yards max. It ain't for you guys here that are commenting on this topic. It is for the great majority of those other people that need to hear it!
That's not to say that just because somebody takes the time to develop a gun and load that will reliably kill a turkey at extreme ranges they should be shooting at turkeys at those ranges. At some point, the "fair chase ethic" should come into play for all of us. Admittedly, that ethic seems to vary a bit with each of us and what conditions we hunt under.
Because the most excitement happens at 35 and under.
Having been around hundreds of easterns daily for years has taken the lust for the kill away. Having hand caught a strutter in the wild, I want them close just for the show. If you lay flat more will get closer.
Quote from: ferocious calls on March 23, 2022, 11:09:29 AM
Because the most excitement happens at 35 and under.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
40 yds is a great yardage for loads and target comparisons only because it is the standard, but 20 yds up to 50+ yds may be the ethical range for an individual's own setup and ability. Ethical distance is just where your setup will humanely kill each time you pull the trigger properly.
With that said, 40 yds is my personal desired spot and I setup my guns to kill perfectly at that range and never let a bird get any closer if at all possible. I have had to shoot them from 5 steps to 30, but I don't get any more excitement up close than at 40, so I really don't get you guys that like it up close and I guess I never will, but you do you! On the gamelands I have to hunt, the difference in time from 40 to 20 yds may also be the difference in killing the bird or having another hunter blow your chance - a lesson I learned many times early on and stopped that from being an issue.
Because 50+ is too far....
One thing that i don't think gets mentioned enough with this kind of debate about tss is other birds getting hit with the pattern. I wonder how many hens or other gobblers get seriously wounded never to be found because the fliers at 70 yards peppered them. Yes your core pattern is dense enough for a lethal shot but any bird within 5 feet of that bird is going to get hit as well. At 40 yards with TSS your pattern is probably dense enough not to hit the other turkeys with the gobbler.
I don't know what made 40 yds the magic number. But I'm in the camp that shooting one farther than that is just shooting a turkey, not really fooling them. I hunt a place where stalking to within 75 yards of a turkey is pretty easy due to the terrain, but that's not the game for me. I want them to come to me and come inside 40 for sure, I prefer them around 20. That said, we all mess up. I killed one at 54 paces a few years back that I misjudged in the open pines and shadows, which is why I carry a gun I know will do the job is I screw up.
Knowing what your gun will do, is the least you can do for the birds.
I want a pattern that is efficient at 30, but effective to 45 yards. I find it a lot easier to get birds in close, in wooded/brushy areas, than in open country.
If he is at 30 or closer, and will not come closer, I am going to pull the trigger if he is a shooter. I would probably pull the trigger on a 40 yarder if it was a bird that has given me the slip on multiple occassions, and presented a good target at 40, and was not coming any closer... Generally anything over 35 yards gets a pass from me, and that still seems far.
My longer shots more recently have been on birds that came in good range, and for one reason or another, I could not shoot until they were futher.
Most two recent examples, were a bird that came in with cattle following, and had to wait until he was well clear of the cattle... Came into 10 yards and I kept the gun on him, till he was well clear of the cattle and killed him at just over 40.
Last bird, was a bird I had been after all season... He came in with a group of birds, and they were bunched up. By the time he seperated from the group enough for a clear, shot he was about 46 yards.
Both of these birds were killed with a standard full choke and Hevi-shot #6's... And with both birds, knowing how close they were, I was completely shocked at how far from me they were when all was said and done. In the heat of the moment, I was completely focused on the bird (once they were in good range), and did not pay attention to the distance they had gained on me. The latter bird would likely have had a pass, had I realized how far he was.
But, I want a load/choke combination, that can consistently kill birds further than I want... Cause, as I have found, it can be easy to misjudge range (especially in the heat of the moment).
Haven't read all the responses but I'm with Happy and Gooserbat on this one. I'm not a what I would call a "meathunter" but rather a turkey hunter. If you're a "turkey hunter" you know when you've actually called a bird in as opposed to just having him interested. If you don't know the difference you haven't played the game long enough. Having a bird come in to 60, 70, 80 yards or whatever and swatting him with your super TSS load, or a rifle where legal, does not IMO constitute calling a bird in. So kill him at 80 or 90 yards and brag him up on social media if you like...but call yourself a turkey killer, not turkey hunter.
I'll give an example. Years ago a friend was hunting down in WV, calling a bird across a field. When the tom was about half way across the field a "hunter" about 100 yards away blew him up with his 7MM. At the expense of getting disagreement from the TSS crowd I don't see much difference. Again...YOU KNOW the difference between a "called in" bird and an "interested bird". Off my soapbox LOL.
I call em in as close as I can. When I say close I mean 15-20 yds. I don't use decoys or blinds. I love seeing them up close knowing I got em close and looking them in the eye when I drop the hammer. We wait all year to hunt em. why not let them in close and hear the rattle. When it becomes how far I can shoot em I'll quit because seeing them up close is the thrill. The ethics ain't just the distance you shoot it's the whole package, the calling, the equipment you use,or don't use, it's everything about the hunt and a clean kill. The kill is the end of the hunt, I enjoy what comes before, getting them in close. :z-twocents:
Quote from: ferocious calls on March 23, 2022, 11:09:29 AM
Because the most excitement happens at 35 and under.
Having been around hundreds of easterns daily for years has taken the lust for the kill away. Having hand caught a strutter in the wild, I want them close just for the show. If you lay flat more will get closer.
After the 3rd day, if I lay flat I might fall asleep
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 22, 2022, 10:08:38 AM
I agree it's just more satisfying to myself knowing i won the game and called him into my setup as close as possible. Regardless what gun or shell i'm using i just like those close and personal shots. I don't get up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning thinking that i'm not going to kill a gobbler today. But i can tell you the turkey wins most of the time and it's so gratifying on that days i'm successful in killing that gobbler. If he lives today, i just hope i get to hunt him again tomorrow. I guess you could say i just like looking eye to eye with him for that close shot. it's mostly out of respect to the gobbler for me to do my job and kill him under 40 yards or less regardless of the equipment i'm using.
Me exactly. I`ve won the match if he`s inside of 40 yards ( preferably 20-30 ). I don`t want him to feel a thing. I owe it to him IMO, and I don`t care what load or gun, the farther the shot, the higher the likelihood of a cripple......which would ruin my season. JMO.
It is a fine line, like bowhunting when I started 30 yards was considered far. Well I shot field archery before I ever hunted and we shot out to 60 meters so I didn't understand the 30 yard deal?
Personally I don't feel like 50 yards is far, I have only shot one bird at that distance and most under 30, I do not carry a rangefinder and can judge distance quite well, I typically wait too long to shoot actually being I started archery hunting before anything else.
If a guy is 100 percent confident in the distance he shoots I have no issue with it, prayer shots or hoping for the golden BB is foolish!
For 40 yards to be ethical depends on the hunter, and knowing he has a killing pattern 100% of the time. To me that would only be open areas, like field edges. factor in vegetation that 100% drops drastically, where now my ethical range might only be 25-30 yards. Probably 90% of my kills have been in the 20-30 yard range, and often wonder why I even switched to TSS, because of the cost?, where Hevi 13 was good enough, But will say with TSS, it does make that 40 yard shot, much more reliable than the Hevi-13, if needed for field hunts.
Then again, now with the TSS, I often wonder if it does create more unethical shots, among many hunters, extending their range too much? I often wondered this with 10 ring post trying to achieve the highest count possible, where now closer ranges are now too tight? I know when I made the switch to TSS and posted, some said you can get that tighter, but I was very happy and left it alone. All my 40 yard splatter targets had several BB's in the red area spine and skull alone, so couldn't see going tighter and messing up the decent 20 yard pattern.
Forty yards is more than enough with the right situation, and too far for most of my hunting in thicker wooded areas. But honestly wonder if many high 10 ring posts are truly for the intentions of shooting further then they say? Because I don't understand going tighter for a better count in the 10, only to make your 20 and in less desirable?
40 yards really has nothing to do with the capability of the gun/shells anymore, it is about the capability of the hunter.
3 out of the last 4 I've killed, have been 22 yards, 17 yards, and 22 yards. All in the timber and all without blinds or deeks. Yes there is more satisfaction to me. Call em close. JMHO.
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I was going to respond to this but, after reading Happy's response, would have only been paraphrasing. You KNOW when you called him in and fooled him as opposed to just getting him interested.
I think 40 yards is mostly a yardstick from history. Having hunted turkeys for 52 years I have seen the progression of equipment. When I started most guns were 2 3/4" chambers and standard magnum loads and standard chokes. Then more 3" chambers started showing up, choke tubes and turkey loads, then copper coated and so on. Most of the celebrity experts of the "old days" preached 40 yards. That was kind of an industry standard for ballistics. That was about the limit for pattern and impact force for the shells of the day. I remember patterning my old guns and at 40 yards and I filled a 30 inch circle. You had to get down around 25-30 to keep a high percentage inside a 12 inch circle. I used to go to meat shoots, in the 70s, where we shot cards for competition and usually 10-20 shot in a 4" circle was a winner at 40 yards. What happened is as equipment progressed the yardage standard did not because it had become a "custom and moral standard". Now somewhere it also got translated into the "I fooled him" standard. I agree with a lot of the posters that you know when you fooled him and when you pulled a "gotcha" hunt. If he came 300 yards to 50 and hangs up, then the choice is yours. You certainly fooled him for 250 yards, does 25 more make it official?
I shoot most of mine at 25-35 and actually prefer 35 for my gun. My choice and I feel good for it. I have killed them at 50+ too. Usually due to misjudging distance, but some intentional. During 52 years you'll do a lot of things, some to be proud of and some not so much.
Here is the bottom line. I think Gobblenut expressed it too. To people new and that you don't know the expertise level of preach 40 yards. To everyone who has worked out their gun and pattern, choose wisely where you can make a clean kill and you feel good about what you've done to "win the battle". Tradition and historic ballistic evidence is what set the 40 yard standard. So if Joe first timer grabs a gun, about any magnum shell and decent choke will kill his turkey inside 40 yards.
I have enjoyed the many year search for the ideal combination of choke & load to get a good, tight shooting pattern. Currently I'm using an Indian Creek choke and Apex Small Town Blend TSS loads. My 20 ga throws a good pattern out to 50 yards, and my 12 ga out to 60 yards.
Does that mean I'm shooting that far? Absolutely not. 80% of my gobblers were at 20 yards or less. The rest were at 40 yards or less. 2 were at 45 yards, and my longest shot ever was 56 yards.
And no, I don't care what anyone else thinks of my set ups or shot choice. I hunt for me, not some Internet purist who thinks he's better than anyone else.
To me, anyone who thinks their way of hunting is right, and any other way is wrong is a jerk.
Ethical? That's arbitrary and a personal decision. What seems ethical to you, may not to me, or vice versa.
Personally, if it's legal, and it makes you happy, I support it and wish you the best of luck!! (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220331/e6da92afc8b1d8b20afb6a213c60bc7c.jpg)
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Quote from: Turkeyman on March 23, 2022, 03:54:45 PM
Haven't read all the responses but I'm with Happy and Gooserbat on this one. I'm not a what I would call a "meathunter" but rather a turkey hunter. If you're a "turkey hunter" you know when you've actually called a bird in as opposed to just having him interested. If you don't know the difference you haven't played the game long enough. Having a bird come in to 60, 70, 80 yards or whatever and swatting him with your super TSS load, or a rifle where legal, does not IMO constitute calling a bird in. So kill him at 80 or 90 yards and brag him up on social media if you like...but call yourself a turkey killer, not turkey hunter.
Are you sure you agree with him? Sounds like you're pretty set against killing them beyond the traditional yardage to me.
Gooserbat says: "I've killed birds at about any distance from 2 steps to 70. To be honest, all felt good to me, but the closer ones felt better."
Why don't you tell him he's a no good turkey killer and not a real turkey hunter?
We all like that bird to come storming down the barrel, but some just refuse to do that, and I make no qualms about killing those ornery birds after a hunt or two and moving on to easier birds. If he plays the old I'll come in for a peak but not an inch closer to many times, I'm not letting him pass on those genes any longer.
I've killed into the the 50s, and let quite a few walk in that range too. I don't care what anyone does, honest to God I don't, but how can you openly talk down to people, then agree with someone who claims to have done exactly what your on your soapbox about?
I've killed turkeys and been on hunts with others that killed them just about every way imaginable, and loved every minute of it.
I fully intend to utilize that evil TSS and kill one with my .410 this year. How about you? Whatcha shooting?
well I am pretty picky about my range and I am pretty touchy about people looking down on me. I'm really an emotionally fragile guy and I get emotionally wounded easily. So be gentle with the old man.
Now for some more range talk. I used to worry about judging my distance and shots, but they have these neat apps now for shooting solutions and I no longer have to carry a pen, paper and slide rule. I do still have the anemometer mounted on my helmet for windage and the spotting scope so I can see if it's a long beard before I loft a round. The fun part is just getting the shell close enough that the concussion kills him and I don't have to collect all the pieces.
Yeah sometimes our conversations just get crazy
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 24, 2022, 11:52:01 AM
It is a fine line, like bowhunting when I started 30 yards was considered far. Well I shot field archery before I ever hunted and we shot out to 60 meters so I didn't understand the 30 yard deal?
Bowhunting is completely different, as the limiting factor is animal movement in time when distances stretch beyond 3-40, and not accuracy at a set distance. One shouldn't take 60 yard shots on an animal with a bow, because the arrow takes too long to get there...with string noise, and the animal can move too far, or even a random step moves the kill zone out of the arrow path after release but before impact at 60 yards, no matter how good you are. That's why ethical limit for me there is 40, and for most others.
With turkeys and a shotgun, the limiting factor is pattern density and ke to kill cleanly. Obviously, people have both of those well beyond 40 yards today....so they shoot what they are confident it. I self limit to 40 yards, because I want to be sure, and because that's my own personal sporting limit. If I can't get him in closer than 40, than I'll try next time.
I called one in last sat for my friend in Alabama from way way off not even sure how far. Thinking 500 yards or more. It took 2 hours. Then the turkey magically appeared in front of him, and he never got a shot. It just got so close he couldn't make a move. That said I was above him and I had a 55–60-yard shot. Had my gun across my lab and had forgot to turn on my FF3. I know I could have laid hat bird down if I had been ready. My gun is more than capable of that kind of shot. If I had have gotten the red dot on him I still may have let him walk. Not because of ethics but because I wanted my friend to take one and tomorrow is another day.
I felt I won because I called him so far but also he won because he fooled us both. We still cant figure out how he appeared so close. Turkey walked out of our life but it was a magical morning for us. I wouldn't fault anyone who knows their equipment and takes one from that distance. But to throw a hail mary at one taking a chance of wounding it . I say no. Sadly most all of us have done it and regretted it too.
If I can't get one inside 35 yards I might as well go out west and shoot them with a rifle.
For me personally the closer the better, however if it's legal and it floats your boat sail away!I hunt with 3in 6 shot and it works for me, I've also played with tss and man it's amazing also. Good luck to you all this season.
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Just like archery each hunter and his weapon need to find their own proficient range and stick to it, the focus should always be to have an easy, clean kill shot well within that border and not pursue or glorify the blurred edges.
What I can't stand is bragging about the hail hairy, fleeting, or seemingly impossible shot that somehow worked. If you are shocked at the results you failed, even with a dead turkey if you "can't believe you killed him" you failed to do your part.
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I think most of us are on the same page. Someone's personal choices are part of who they are and we are a diverse lot of characters. I have watched a lot of these ethics discussions and every single one of them go down the same road. It's good discussion and thought, but rarely changes a person's preferences much. I think as we put the years behind us and build an identity we often become more conservative in our hunting strategies, but when we're new and experiencing the new rush we often push the limits. Many seasons and dead birds temper this somewhat and we choose a personal satisfaction level. There's no number where this happens it just does. I know guys that have killed 100 plus gobblers and they still take long shots and iffy shots. It just who they are. Of course it kind of bugs me because it's not my way and I know they cripple birds, but they don't want my opinion and they are more than entitled to theirs. So I swallow hard and let it ride. After all we love the USA because we have the freedom to do this thing and choose for ourselves. Let the lead or TSS fly.
Quote from: eggshell on April 01, 2022, 05:44:52 AM
I think most of us are on the same page. Someone's personal choices are part of who they are and we are a diverse lot of characters. I have watched a lot of these ethics discussions and every single one of them go down the same road. It's good discussion and thought, but rarely changes a person's preferences much. I think as we put the years behind us and build an identity we often become more conservative in our hunting strategies, but when we're new and experiencing the new rush we often push the limits. Many seasons and dead birds temper this somewhat and we choose a personal satisfaction level. There's no number where this happens it just does. I know guys that have killed 100 plus gobblers and they still take long shots and iffy shots. It just who they are. Of course it kind of bugs me because it's not my way and I know they cripple birds, but they don't want my opinion and they are more than entitled to theirs. So I swallow hard and let it ride. After all we love the USA because we have the freedom to do this thing and choose for ourselves. Let the lead or TSS fly.
Very nicely stated...
Steer clear of them big words if you don't use them regularly. Ethical isn't the word.
40 yards happens to be the practical limit of a good general purpose pattern. That's all.
As for how far it is sporting to shoot to kill a gobbler, that's up to you. Just don't expect anyone to be impressed if it's further than they do.