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General Discussion => Turkey Hunting Tips ,Strategies & Methods => Topic started by: turkey_slayer on March 06, 2012, 06:41:01 PM

Title: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: turkey_slayer on March 06, 2012, 06:41:01 PM
I've hunted a lot of different ways. Run and gunned a lot in my teens. Killed a lot of birds that way but also bumped a lot of birds. I'm 31 now. Been more of a passive hunter the past 10 and killed a lot more birds out of the same spots. So here's my question. Do you believe run and gun hunting burns out an area?  I don't know how many times after a morning of running that I would spook gobblers from spots I had called from earlier even tho nothing answered. The gobbling would also decrease as the season went on as well. These were national forest spots tho at the time i was the only one hunting them so I knew it wasn't from other hunters pressuring and/or killing them.

Now I find the highest vantage points to listen from and form a plan from there. I don't go after the first bird that gobbles or the one that gobbles the most. I try to figure out which one offers the best opportunity for a kill without bumping other birds. By doing that I can now hunt one spot all season and hear as much gobbling on the last day as the first. What's everyones opinion on this? Do diff types of hunting have diff impacts on the birds?
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Frankinthelaurels on March 06, 2012, 06:56:08 PM
YOUR gettin old...it happens to almost all of us, we tend to slow down and enjoy ourselves. Think of it as wisdom and enjoy the ride, it will be less bumpy...sit down and smell the smells and watch all the other sights going on in the woods. Also I've found that I killed more long spurred gobblers with patience and just sitting still instead of run n' gunning...it works, but maybe it's for those teens and twenties!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/Frank_Litavish/spring10024.jpg)
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: guesswho on March 06, 2012, 07:14:41 PM
I don't know if a persons hunting style effects how vocal they are or not, never thought about it.  I don't run and gun, but I do spend as much time on my feet as I do my butt.  And the gobbling tapers off a lot in the areas me and my hunting clan hunt as the season wears on.   
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: turkey_slayer on March 06, 2012, 07:41:00 PM
I guess I should consider the lay of the land to. Here where its steep and mountainous you can get on the high ridges and hear as far as you can hear a gobble. When i hunted Tennessee it was rolling so there could be a bird a couple of hollers over and you might not even hear him. I did a lot of walking there just cause you couldn't hear em as far. I guess there's so many variables it would be hard to narrow it down to anything specific.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: turkey_slayer on March 06, 2012, 07:44:18 PM
And Frank I may not be no spring chicken but I'm not old  :toothy12:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: WildTigerTrout on March 06, 2012, 08:51:47 PM
I try to determine the best method for the current conditions and go from there. Sometimes I go slow and sometimes I run and gun. I must say though at age 52 I still like to run and gun! You don't have to be in your 20's. :lol:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: turkey_slayer on March 06, 2012, 08:54:29 PM
 2ounce were on the same page. Then again, i also have to think of the less fortunate that don't have the amount of time to hunt as me. I can hunt everyday. Most cant except for weekends and we have no Sunday hunting here so maybe for them run and gunning is the best method for them to connect on those suicide birds. If I don't kill one that day I always have the next day. Maybe i think to much lol
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: twinters on March 06, 2012, 08:54:47 PM
I used to spend a lot of time on my feet also,and even tho i killed lots of birds,i do believe I bumped a lot more.That being said,I still move around and look for birds,especially when they just aren't gobbling,I just move a lot slower and do a lot more listening,I am getting older,and now just being there is enough to satisfy me most of the time(still want to see some flopping).I have more Patience now so maybe thats most of it
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: jakebird on March 07, 2012, 08:13:24 AM
If runnin and gunnin is done haphazardly (sp?) it can certainly have a negative impact on the turkeys, and i'm sure there are some young newbs out there who misunderstand that definition or take it literally. I rarely ever move fast in the woods. My def of run and gun is simply hunting mobile till i locate a hot bird. I always stick to paths, trails, logging roads and avoid thick nesting cover, appproach bends, clearings, and fields with caution. I rarely ever bump birds when i take my time and hunt deliberately like this. Its the same woodsmanship we use when still hunting for deer except u dont have to play the wind. Move slowly, avoid skylining yourself, peek over rises, ease up to bends, clearings, etc. You can definitely keep it low impact by remembering those things. And like Frank said, slow down and soak up the whole experience. Even runnin and gunnin, i try to notice the rest of the natural things around me. Makes even the fruitless days into rich experiences.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Bigg E on March 07, 2012, 09:32:32 AM
I think you are right about the type of hunting having an impact on the birds in that area. I hunt alot of public land and have learned to slow down and take advantage of the silent birds that I would have walked past 10 years ago looking for that hot one. For me it seems like the hot ones are getting few and far between with all of the new hunters imitating what they see on TV.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: dirt road ninja on March 07, 2012, 04:00:19 PM
I've learned to be more patent the past few seasons. I kill more birds grinding on them rather than running all over the woods. Never leave turkeys to find turkeys.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Gooserbat on March 07, 2012, 04:45:23 PM
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 06, 2012, 08:51:47 PM
I try to determine the best method for the current conditions and go from there. Sometimes I go slow and sometimes I run and gun. I must say though at age 52 I still like to run and gun! You don't have to be in your 20's. :lol:

I'm 34 years young and I think this prety much sums it up.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: turkey_slayer on March 07, 2012, 04:54:16 PM
But are you guys hunting the same property again and again? If you have a few different places to hunt then yes the impact would not be near as noticeable.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: WildTigerTrout on March 07, 2012, 05:42:47 PM
Quote from: turkey_slayer on March 07, 2012, 04:54:16 PM
But are you guys hunting the same property again and again? If you have a few different places to hunt then yes the impact would not be near as noticeable.
No. I hunt quite a few different areas and ALOT of public property.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Shotgun on March 07, 2012, 07:58:19 PM
Quote from: guesswho on March 06, 2012, 07:14:41 PM
I don't know if a persons hunting style effects how vocal they are or not, never thought about it.  I don't run and gun, but I do spend as much time on my feet as I do my butt.  And the gobbling tapers off a lot in the areas me and my hunting clan hunt as the season wears on.   

Because their all dead by the end of season
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: guesswho on March 07, 2012, 08:03:01 PM
Quote from: Shotgun on March 07, 2012, 07:58:19 PM
Quote from: guesswho on March 06, 2012, 07:14:41 PM
I don't know if a persons hunting style effects how vocal they are or not, never thought about it.  I don't run and gun, but I do spend as much time on my feet as I do my butt.  And the gobbling tapers off a lot in the areas me and my hunting clan hunt as the season wears on.   

Because their all dead by the end of season
Dead birds don't gobble :laugh:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Shotgun on March 07, 2012, 08:17:51 PM
Quote from: guesswho on March 07, 2012, 08:03:01 PM
Quote from: Shotgun on March 07, 2012, 07:58:19 PM
Quote from: guesswho on March 06, 2012, 07:14:41 PM
I don't know if a persons hunting style effects how vocal they are or not, never thought about it.  I don't run and gun, but I do spend as much time on my feet as I do my butt.  And the gobbling tapers off a lot in the areas me and my hunting clan hunt as the season wears on.   

Because their all dead by the end of season
Dead birds don't gobble :laugh:

They sure don't....If i heard as much gobbling at the end of season as I heard at the beginning I would think they were laughing at me  :laugh:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: mfd1027 on March 07, 2012, 08:47:31 PM
I hunt the same property over and over and i run n gun.   I'm 60 and I will usually cover 1-2 miles a day.   Our total property is 1200 acres.   My idea of runnin n gunnin is not spending the morning in one spot.  lol   I've hunted this property for years so I know the birds pretty well.   I have relatively specific spots and in some cases specific trees  that i hunt from.   I always give a spot time to produce.   I will set up call for a min. or two then shut up for 10 min. (I used to actually time myself).   Then I'll call again starting out with something soft at first and then I'll pick it up if I don't get a response.   I'll call for a min. or two and then shut up for another ten min. or so,  call some,  wait another 10 min.  and repeat for the last time.   This is at the 30 min. point and if I haven't gotten a response or killed one sneaking in I get up and head to another spot.   I've found over the years that this is what works for me.   You'll be shocked at how many birds will respond on that second or third sequence and lot's of times all you will do is cluck a couple of time.   It's as if they have heard a hen over here and they're looking but haven't found her and as soon as they hear a cluck they will cluck rt. back or gobble.   A good seat is imperative when hunting like this and if you can build yourself a series of groundblinds.   We have a lot of wide open pines so I do that a lot.   I love hunting like this and I don't think it has a negative impact on the birds or the amount of gobbling they do.    I'm not sure if this method is what you consider running and gunning or not.   
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: bushwhacker on March 07, 2012, 09:44:19 PM
Where I hunt it's almost all timber and it's all public land. I like to walk and call, always moving. If I come across a promising spot or and area where I heard a gobbler a previous day I will sit and give it a half an hour, if nothing happens I move. I turkey hunt to hear them gobble, I don't like the silent birds and don't have a lot of patience for them unless I know he is close by. But as far as just blundering out in the brush and sitting down and hoping one happens along, not this guy. I have learned one thing from this type of hunting, if you happen to come back to the same spot you called from earlier give it another chance because one may have come to check you out.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: oldcreekhunter on March 11, 2012, 10:53:45 PM
ill run and gun and go get him while you wait lol...
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: GobbleNut on March 12, 2012, 08:48:30 PM
Quote from: bushwhacker on March 07, 2012, 09:44:19 PM
Where I hunt it's almost all timber and it's all public land. I like to walk and call, always moving. If I come across a promising spot or and area where I heard a gobbler a previous day I will sit and give it a half an hour, if nothing happens I move. I turkey hunt to hear them gobble, I don't like the silent birds and don't have a lot of patience for them unless I know he is close by. But as far as just blundering out in the brush and sitting down and hoping one happens along, not this guy.

What bushwacker said.  Right on target for my mindset about turkey hunting.  Of course, there are circumstances where you have to change your regular hunting methods to be successful.  But if I have my preference, I'm going to cover ground to find a responsive gobbler every chance I get.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: redleg06 on March 12, 2012, 10:08:18 PM
Quote from: 2ounce6s on March 12, 2012, 08:57:43 PM
I don't call it run and gun. I call it walk and kill.

:z-winnersmiley:  I like it....

:z-guntootsmiley:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: GobbleNut on March 13, 2012, 08:30:40 AM
I'm not sure where the clever little phrase "run and gun" came from, but nobody should take it literally.  To me, the hunting style fundamentally is about moving carefully through your hunting area, and calling in whatever fashion you think will work the best under the prevailing conditions. 

To me, that is just a much more enjoyable way to hunt than sitting in one spot and waiting for turkeys to show up.  True, it is not always the best hunting method to use,..especially on small tracts of ground.  As in all other aspects of turkey hunting, good judgment must be used by the hunter in how he approaches things.

Hunters bumping birds is an unavoidable fact of life nowadays on all but the most exclusive properties,...and especially on public lands.  Learning how to kill those birds that get bumped on a regular basis is an art in itself.  Sometimes the best strategy is to "sit and wait",...and sometimes the best strategy is to "run and gun",...but no one should take that phrase literally.... 
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: redleg06 on March 13, 2012, 10:36:33 AM
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 13, 2012, 08:30:40 AM
I'm not sure where the clever little phrase "run and gun" came from, but nobody should take it literally.  To me, the hunting style fundamentally is about moving carefully through your hunting area, and calling in whatever fashion you think will work the best under the prevailing conditions.  

To me, that is just a much more enjoyable way to hunt than sitting in one spot and waiting for turkeys to show up.  True, it is not always the best hunting method to use,..especially on small tracts of ground.  As in all other aspects of turkey hunting, good judgment must be used by the hunter in how he approaches things.

Hunters bumping birds is an unavoidable fact of life nowadays on all but the most exclusive properties,...and especially on public lands.  Learning how to kill those birds that get bumped on a regular basis is an art in itself.  Sometimes the best strategy is to "sit and wait",...and sometimes the best strategy is to "run and gun",...but no one should take that phrase literally....  

My broter in law made it up..Now you know.


I went as his guest (when I was new to the family) to a property with some extremely hilly terrain and high humidity and was so frustrated by the two separate birds we bumped  that I would have whooped his azz if I wasnt so physically drained from chasing him around the woods... :TrainWreck1:
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: eaglea1 on March 13, 2012, 10:41:14 AM
Theres nothin wrong with run and gun, but I personally prefer to sit and call.JMTC
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: MOStrutter on March 13, 2012, 11:50:14 AM
I spend a lot of time scouting and patterning birds before and during the season.  I don't run and gun hardly at all.  I have my honey holes that I have found through this method.  I know I can go into one of my spots, and shoot one to two turkeys every time I go in there.  I sit and wait and be patient.  It may sound boring to a lot of people, but I love seeing the turkeys do their natural thing and it's a great way to take new hunters out and get them hooked on it.  I have started using a blind a lot and I do also use decoys since I hunt a lot of fields and pastures.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: GobbleNut on March 13, 2012, 06:24:41 PM
I suppose, when all is said and done, it all comes down to what each of us wants in our turkey hunts,...and what methods are best suited to where each of us hunts.  Personally, if I had to hunt gobblers by sitting in one spot and waiting for them to wander by to kill one of them, I would go nuts.  ...It's just not my style....

...On the other hand, if I hunted somewhere that I was constantly having to put up with the "run and gun" hunters that some have described here, I would likely be a bit disillusioned by that hunting style, as well.
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: swamppirate on March 13, 2012, 07:07:06 PM
Running and gunning=dead hunter in Georgia....way to dangerous....
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: Trevor2 on March 13, 2012, 10:00:35 PM
Still in my twenties and running and gunning is where I lose my winter pounds lol
Title: Re: effects of run and gun versus other styles
Post by: RemingtonRules on March 23, 2012, 01:48:04 PM
If you fly fish you will understand

Dry fly fishing is fun and can be productive at the right times, but 90% of a trouts diet is spent feeding below the surface.  I look at run and gun the same way.