If you can't get a bird to come to your calls, will you use the woods/terrain to your advantage and put the sneak on him, or will you let him go to call him in another day? for me it depends on how easily I could sneak on the bird. Assuming there is enough cover to sneak up on a hung up bird, would you do it or quit and call him another day?
For those who hunt in the fall, do you prefer to call the flock or ambush/stalk them? I do a little of both in the fall, but prefer to stalk and ambush.
I do not ambush or pop shoot.
I do use terrain and re-set up though. Sometimes multiple times too but I still call to the bird. I don't think I would feel right not calling a bird in.
I don't know how I would fall hunt. I never gave it a serious attempt.
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i like to hunt turkeys... you dont always get that story book hunt ...hunt as you shall like
If I can't get him to work to a call then he walks. Calling is what the sport is all about. I don't want to ambush one but I will move position and maybe change calls to try to coax him in. In Pennsylvania it's illegal to stalk a turkey anyway. IMO it's too dangerous and unethical.
Calling a bird in is bushwhacking too.
1. You're camoed head to toe.
2. You're pretending to be a hen.
3. He comes in looking for a hen and gets shot in the face by someone hiding from him.
IMO this is one of the most tired questions/arguments in turkey hunting.
Would I use the terrain to get in front of them if they wont come to calling???? Yep. Did just that twice in the last week while everyone else is leaving the woods without turkey that arent responding much to calling.
I dont get the mindset that a better turkey hunter would rather watch one walk away then use the terrain to get in front of one and "bushwhack" him when he walks in to gun range.
As opposed to watching him walk away from you while you sit there and call at his tail feathers.... :wave:
I hate it for ya if you're going to bang your head against that wall but I got no problem using the terrain and making a move to get in front of one if calling isnt getting it done....I'll be toting that non-responsive turkey out while yall boys get on and talk about "call shy" and "henned up". :popcorn:
Quote from: CASH on March 21, 2013, 08:11:08 AM
Calling a bird in is bushwhacking too.
1. You're camoed head to toe.
2. You're pretending to be a hen.
3. He comes in looking for a hen and gets shot in the face by someone hiding from him.
IMO this is one of the most tired questions/arguments in turkey hunting.
agreed.
Quote from: redleg06 on March 21, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Would I use the terrain to get in front of them if they wont come to calling???? Yep. Did just that twice in the last week while everyone else is leaving the woods without turkey that arent responding much to calling.
I dont get the mindset that a better turkey hunter would rather watch one walk away then use the terrain to get in front of one and "bushwhack" him when he walks in to gun range.
As opposed to watching him walk away from you while you sit there and call at his tail feathers.... :wave:
I hate it for ya if you're going to bang your head against that wall but I got no problem using the terrain and making a move to get in front of one if calling isnt getting it done....I'll be toting that non-responsive turkey out while yall boys get on and talk about "call shy" and "henned up". :popcorn:
X2 Well put
Whether I beat one with a call or I beat him by sneaking on him, I still won. I am not above using a ditch or fence row to make a move on a bird. It's all just part of the game to me. Of course I'd rather work one that puts on a television worthy show, but I like to give them a ride home in the truck more. Some of my most memorable hunts have been what you would call "unorthodox."
Just last year while hunting with my dad we had a bird gobbling his head off in a cedar thicket but wouldn't budge. After listening to him for nearly an hour I started slipping through the cedars to close the distance on him. I managed to get within 5 yards while my father kept him gobbling and strutting. After letting him shake my bones with close range gobbles and drumming I killed him at 4 steps. He never took a step in our direction but without a doubt a hunt I'll never forget.
Would you rather call a 2yr old hammering all the way to the gun barrel or out manuver that ellusive Old tom with the sharp hooks and swinging rope.. I know what Im doing
I have no problem doing whatever it takes to kill a bird im after, we all preffer them to coming in roaring to everything we dish out but to consistantly lay them down a bag has to have more than 1 trick
I worked a bird once for over 3hrs just hung up out of range in a strut zone above me, can't count how many times he gobbled to me or himself but he eventually drifted off after a hen. After big big loop and I got right infront of him, never needed another cluck he walked right in, the hen almost tripped over me as she passed. I dont feel like less of a turkey hunter because I didn't seduce him out of the strut zone but I did figure out the Exact place he was going when he left.
I think how you hunt is a personal thing and I'd never tell anyone what is right or wrong for them, except shooting them while on the roost.
But with that said, I'd use every trick in the book I could to get the bird within range. I've moved on them and several times in my life, I've made the right move and got in front of them. But I also change my calling when I do.
If I was using one of my box calls when he hung up, I'd switch to a slate or mouth call. And I'd change my style too. If I was giving yelps and cuts, I'd start nothing more than soft yelps, clucks and purrs with a little leaf scratching thrown in.
Interesting the variety of opinions.... Two things that stuck out to me - why is it illegal to stalk a turkey in PA? For safety reasons so you don't get shot? Also I saw where it was referred to as "unethical." I'm not going to knock anyone for hunting a certain way (long as its legal) but I don't get whats unethical about stalking a turkey? To me it's about the hunt, not just the sport of calling one in. Stalking is a good hunting skill IMO. If you don't want to stalk a turkey that's cool, I have nothing against it and I prefer to call em in myself. But it takes skill to outwit a turkeys vision long enough to get in range. In some cases it would be much more challenging to sneak on one than calling one in. Just my 2 cents on that matter. Now keep the replies coming, I like reading the different responses....
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 07:59:56 AM
If I can't get him to work to a call then he walks. Calling is what the sport is all about. I don't want to ambush one but I will move position and maybe change calls to try to coax him in. In Pennsylvania it's illegal to stalk a turkey anyway. IMO it's too dangerous and unethical.
The sport is all about hunting turkeys, however you choose to do it (within legal limits)!!! I do hope for those that sneak/stalk...you keep safety above all else. A old hunting buddy of my dads was shot, on private property, because the shooter had 5 gobblers get away that spring and #6 wasn't getting away!!! BE SAFE!!!
There one in the same. Well unless you are actually calling a bird to your truck :TooFunny:
But even when I set-up for "calling" I put myself in an area they want to be. So am I bush-whack'n or calling? How do I know if the bird came because I called or came because he was coming anyway? if I call one to my truck and shot him at 50+ yrds am I a caller or a bush whacker?
Sometimes we overthink :TrainWreck1:
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
Well we ain't in P'vania!
Quote from: VanHelden Game Calls on March 21, 2013, 12:29:28 PM
There one in the same. Well unless you are actually calling a bird to your truck :TooFunny:
But even when I set-up for "calling" I put myself in an area they want to be. So am I bush-whack'n or calling? How do I know if the bird came because I called or came because he was coming anyway? if I call one to my truck and shot him at 50+ yrds am I a caller or a bush whacker?
Sometimes we overthink :TrainWreck1:
100% agree with this. Every good caller is in part a good "bush whacker" also, setting up where turkeys want to be in the first place is one of the fundamental rules of calling.
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
Thats also PA, the land full of retarded game laws :TooFunny:. How in the hell would they even be able to prove something like that anyway?? "Well you see officer, I was moving in front of the bird in order to call him in" I myself choose to be a well rounded turkey hunter, knowing how to use terrain and cover to your advantage when birds ain't working is just another trick up my sleeve. :fud:
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
I would love to hear from a PA game warden how this actually gets enforced. Do you have to sit down and immediately start calling from where ever you happen to be standing as soon as you see or hear a bird?
What if a bird comes in but offers no shot and then walks away, do you have to walk off in the opposite direction? You certainly wouldn't want to risk repositioning on that bird and getting arrested for being a stalker...
What if you see a bird 1/4 mile away across open fields? Unless you call from where you are, you're stalking...
Let's say you're at least allowed to get a little closer to that field bird, if he's moving along the field edge and you get 300 yards ahead of him and shoot when he walks up, was that stalking? What if it was 200 yards? 150? 100? What if you yelp at him once when he's 60 yards out, are you a respectable caller now or a dirty bush whacker?
How about the classic bird that hangs up at 50 yards, drifts away, but will come back to 50 when you call to him again, good for nothing stalker if you call and then quickly move 20 yards closer?
All I can say is I'm glad I'm not hunting PA, I'd be too confused to ever know when I could shoot!
I feel that if you can sneak up on a turkey and kill him consistently you must be a pretty good hunter. It is hard to do and actually you are at a greater risk of getting busted than if you just called him another day. What ever works for you that you enjoy. I will kill one with either method that presents itself. The last two hunters I took both killed birds that we repositioned on and they put the sneak on and shot. They we happy and one said that was the most fun he had ever had on a turkey hunt. I will be guiding him the morning of our opener in two weeks. First question he asked, "can we stalk one?"
Quote from: VanHelden Game Calls on March 21, 2013, 12:29:28 PM
There one in the same. Well unless you are actually calling a bird to your truck :TooFunny:
But even when I set-up for "calling" I put myself in an area they want to be. So am I bush-whack'n or calling? How do I know if the bird came because I called or came because he was coming anyway? if I call one to my truck and shot him at 50+ yrds am I a caller or a bush whacker?
Sometimes we overthink :TrainWreck1:
Very well said.
Go get setup in an area he doesnt want to go to and THEN call him to you if you want some REAL sport :popcorn:
Putting yourself in a spot that they already want to go to just makes sense...calls aside.
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
First bird I ever killed was in PA, I worked a bird out in this big field he'd gobble but never break strut and leave his hens. Finally I just started soft calling with cluck and purrs and his hens started pulling my way when they got in close I realized a little dip in the field and high weeds made them not visible even though they were within range. It was after 11am and with the noon PA cut off I knew I didn't have the time to let them drift off and re set up. I laid down and crawled a few yards forward through the brush til I heard a putt-putt and looked up and saw him staring at me, I raised up and popped him before he could boogie out of there.. Did I call that bird in that he gobbled and came about 200yds my direction or did I Stalk him because I belly crawled 8yds in his???
I will tell you I'm proud that I killed him; I'm proud I called and the birds responded and I'm sure proud I crawled in and finished the hunt getting my first turkey.
Heck ya I'll bush whack one. If he doesn't want to play right, then I'll put the sneaky sneak on him and give him a dirt nap. It aint illegal here in Mo.
I have fished in PA but not hunted. I also think their fishing and hunting laws are a bit weird.
I don't turkey hunt to not kill turkeys. If it means letting one turn to head to the other end of a ridge strutting and me running like hell itself is after me to where he just left so I can be there when he makes his pass back by - that is what I will do.
I do prefer to have one come in strutting and gobbling, but that only happens cause I am where he was going to be anyway!
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
Bwahahahahaha!!! My Man!!
Quote from: ccleroy on March 21, 2013, 06:23:16 PM
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
Bwahahahahaha!!! My Man!!
.
LOL :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
I think this while thread is hilarious, I love how people get all poetic when it comes to killing turkeys.
Quote from: ccleroy on March 21, 2013, 07:40:25 PM
I think this while thread is hilarious, I love how people get all poetic when it comes to killing turkeys.
I know!!!
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
I will use any legal means to kill a gobbler - period - end of story!
Quote from: redleg06 on March 21, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Would I use the terrain to get in front of them if they wont come to calling???? Yep. Did just that twice in the last week while everyone else is leaving the woods without turkey that arent responding much to calling.
I dont get the mindset that a better turkey hunter would rather watch one walk away then use the terrain to get in front of one and "bushwhack" him when he walks in to gun range.
As opposed to watching him walk away from you while you sit there and call at his tail feathers.... :wave:
I hate it for ya if you're going to bang your head against that wall but I got no problem using the terrain and making a move to get in front of one if calling isnt getting it done....I'll be toting that non-responsive turkey out while yall boys get on and talk about "call shy" and "henned up". :popcorn:
Amen brother :icon_thumright:
I hunt out of state and if I'm paying out of state fees to hunt I'm going to use whatever means necessary to kill a bird.
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
last spring I accidentally got within 10 yd of a tree with a roosted tom in it. Expected him to fly down the opposite way because of the terrain. So I checked the sunrise time and saw I was in legal shooting hours. And that bird fell out of the tree. Lol
I don't see any real reason not to stalk a turkey. As with any good stalk pay attention to your surroundings, and plan accordingly.
Quote from: ccleroy on March 21, 2013, 06:23:16 PM
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
Bwahahahahaha!!! My Man!!
X2 :you_rock:
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x49/redleg06_photo/162874_o.gif)
:popcorn:
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
If ALL hunters would follow the PA rule of "A bird must have a visible beard" they wouldn't need the No stalking rule!! WV has the same rule that all birds must have a visible beard, but every year someone gets shot. Why? Because someone thought they saw a gobbler, or heard one walking and ASSUMED it was the gobbler and shot! I have never saw a human that looked like a turkey, regardless of the amount of facial or chest hair they had. Visible beard means just that, a visible beard!! Maybe in Pa they should require turkey hunters to stand hunt if "Stalking" is that huge of a concern! They still have to have a visible beard to be legal, but at least they'll ensure everyone is staying put! I guess running and gunning could be considered illegal too in Pa.. :OGturkeyhead:
And I agree with some of the posts, are we really calling in the bird, or are we just where he wants to go? Who knows and who cares! Gobbler in range=dead bird!!
I don't care how you have to kill them, as long as it is legal, let'em have it!!! Some of those older birds die a little harder, and I love giving them a dirt nap. If I have to circle ahead of him and "Ambush" him, I'll do just that. :fud:
Quote from: CASH on March 21, 2013, 08:11:08 AM
Calling a bird in is bushwhacking too.
1. You're camoed head to toe.
2. You're pretending to be a hen.
3. He comes in looking for a hen and gets shot in the face by someone hiding from him.
IMO this is one of the most tired questions/arguments in turkey hunting.
:agreed: Hunting is just that HUNTING. I use whatever I have to get the job done. Again it goes back to personal choice & I am not going to question anyones methods (as long as it is legal & ethical) in which they get their bird. Happy hunting folks no matter which method you choose......
Couldn't agree more with what has already been posted by Tomstopper and regleg...if it is legal it must be right..you know they don't make any mistakes in making up these rules we must abid by. Whatever trips your switch...just don't let him get away.
I have no problem repositioning on a bird, but I don't particularly like to stalk/bushwhack.
I will get in between where they are going and where the left to try again, but I don't consider that bushwhacking.
Quote from: Spring_Woods on March 21, 2013, 08:07:14 PM
Quote from: redleg06 on March 21, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Would I use the terrain to get in front of them if they wont come to calling???? Yep. Did just that twice in the last week while everyone else is leaving the woods without turkey that arent responding much to calling.
I dont get the mindset that a better turkey hunter would rather watch one walk away then use the terrain to get in front of one and "bushwhack" him when he walks in to gun range.
As opposed to watching him walk away from you while you sit there and call at his tail feathers.... :wave:
I hate it for ya if you're going to bang your head against that wall but I got no problem using the terrain and making a move to get in front of one if calling isnt getting it done....I'll be toting that non-responsive turkey out while yall boys get on and talk about "call shy" and "henned up". :popcorn:
Amen brother :icon_thumright:
I hunt out of state and if I'm paying out of state fees to hunt I'm going to use whatever means necessary to kill a bird.
I agree with both of these responses. If you call a bird close enough to shoot and then "ambush" him ain't that the same basic thing as "bushwhacking" him? Does it really matter how you get close enough to kill him with him not knowing you are there?
Calling in gobblers is why I hunt them. To me sneaking up on one and shooting him would be cheating me and the gobbler. Calling is my passion the more I can sound like a real hen the more birds I call. I make my own calls so I have to call them :)
Somebody said that its against the law to sneak or stalk a turkey in Misssouri but I've never read anywhere about it. If i'am wrong please tell me. I have hunted turkeys for almost fifty in Mo and never seen it. I have only one conviction about how and thats the turkey has to be at or under 40 yds. There just might be a hunter siting 20 or 30 yds. form that turkey your shooting at 75 yds. What would you feel like if 2 oz. of shot came by your ear? Think twice before you pull the trigger. You can't pull it back. There are some unwritten limts to what you can do to get that tom turkey. cluck
Quote from: CASH on March 21, 2013, 08:11:08 AM
Calling a bird in is bushwhacking too.
1. You're camoed head to toe.
2. You're pretending to be a hen.
3. He comes in looking for a hen and gets shot in the face by someone hiding from him.
IMO this is one of the most tired questions/arguments in turkey hunting.
:agreed:
I have to agree with turkeybilly on this one. If gobblers did not respond to my calling and come in with all the assorted fanfare, strutting and gobbling, I would never have gotten hooked on hunting them. I will kill them by other legal means (except roost shooting, whether it's legal or not) if I have to and an opportunity presents itself, but the satisfaction for me is never the same as when I call one in.
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 28, 2013, 06:35:17 PM
I have to agree with turkeybilly on this one. If gobblers did not respond to my calling and come in with all the assorted fanfare, strutting and gobbling, I would never have gotten hooked on hunting them. I will kill them by other legal means (except roost shooting, whether it's legal or not) if I have to and an opportunity presents itself, but the satisfaction for me is never the same as when I call one in.
I agree with what you're saying. I'm happy whenever I take one, even if he doesnt gobble or put on a show, but it sure is more fun when they do!
For me the calling is the hook. The fun stops when you squeeze the trigger. If I didnt call him in he walks. Im gonna start paint ballin em so I can call them in again next week. LOL :funnyturkey:
If I just wanted one to eat I'd get a butterball that way I wont chip a tooth on the shot. Cheaper too!
FloppinTom
Butterball! I'd rather eat a turkey that I killed. It's healthier too... But that's just me.
I dont have a problem with bushwhacking but I don't prefer it because I don't get the satisfaction of calling him into range. Its the same with ducks, we have a lot of ducks that land wide in the corn, one of our guys always wants to stalk them and try and shoot them as they fly away, just doesn't feel right...
I would much rather call a bird into range but if I can't I'll try to position myself for a shot by stalking or ambushing. It's called TURKEY HUNTING for a reason.
If you kill a deer by still hunting you are quite the hunter, if you kill a turkey by cutting him off you are a outlaw? I would rather kill a bird by calling, but if I can use my knowledge of his habits to kill him I will.
If its legal and safe its all good in my eyes. Regardless of the tactics you use, the animal usually still has the upper hand. If they didn't it would be killing instead of hunting.
The last 2 years I've had Toms hang up out of gun range. I decided I needed to work on my calling, and have spent many enjoyable hours making, buying, and working calls! It's a challenge that sets Turkey hunting apart from any other upland hunting.
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
After what I witnessed on Saturday, PA dnr has a lot more to worry about than how you're killing a turkey.
Furthermore, the quality of the calling displayed by your fellow PA hunters left me wondering if most of them should give up calling and adapt another tactic.
I see this topic is still coming to the surface. Let me say that I tagged out early this year and 3 birds were called to the gun, and one was henned up and I stalked and ambushed him. That was by far the toughest one to kill this year. The three that I called in took anywhere from a few minutes to an hour to call in. The last one I even called in twice - he came in the wrong way and I repositioned ahead of him and called him in again. The tom I stalked and ambushed with a hen took hours and I almost got busted by three jakes in the process, and the woods were full of hens too. So the stalk was much more difficult and more rewarding than calling in those lonely 2 year olds. oh and it was on public land and nobody else was around, not a worry about sneaking. Also I will say I still prefer to call one in to the gun, but stalking or ambushing is never out of the question for me.
You know, the more birds I kill, the less important it becomes to kill a bird. I have found that I have had great hunts that I didn't kill on. However, it is called turkey hunting season not turkey calling season. Don't get me wrong, I still love to shoot them when they run in gobbling and strutting. But anybody can drop a box call and have a two year old come running to it, shooting a six year old bird in the back of the head as he looks the other direction is much more challenging. I like a challenge, and I think the old Native Americans would be proud of me for doing it.
To each his own though.
Quote from: AUDoubleBeard on March 21, 2013, 09:47:21 PM
Quote from: ccleroy on March 21, 2013, 06:23:16 PM
Quote from: WNM on March 21, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Some of y'all sure are elitists. I'll bushwhack a turkey and water-swat a duck. Get rid of your corn piles, trailcams, and scouting rubs and scrapes-you should only be able to call deer, not ambush them.
If I've snuck up close enough to a bird that I can see him on the limb and it's legal shooting hours, it would give me great pleasure to roll him out of the tree.
Bwahahahahaha!!! My Man!!
X2 :you_rock:
X3 y'all can hunt with me any day
I have not tagged on longbeards for the last 15 years in KY, killed multiple turkeys at Ft. Campbell Military Base, and tagged out the years I hunted Missouri, because I have waited for the "movie star" turkey hunts where the turkey comes in strutting and gobbling every step. I like turkey hunting, but I enjoy turkey hunting a whole lot more when I kill turkeys. Where I hunt, turkeys can get tightlipped quick and sometimes a good "bushwack" or "ambush" does the trick to fill another tag. To each their own, but I have I personal vendetta against turkeys. I enjoy shooting them in the face. :fud:
Quote from: redleg06 on March 21, 2013, 08:13:53 AM
Would I use the terrain to get in front of them if they wont come to calling???? Yep. Did just that twice in the last week while everyone else is leaving the woods without turkey that arent responding much to calling.
I dont get the mindset that a better turkey hunter would rather watch one walk away then use the terrain to get in front of one and "bushwhack" him when he walks in to gun range.
As opposed to watching him walk away from you while you sit there and call at his tail feathers.... :wave:
I hate it for ya if you're going to bang your head against that wall but I got no problem using the terrain and making a move to get in front of one if calling isnt getting it done....I'll be toting that non-responsive turkey out while yall boys get on and talk about "call shy" and "henned up". :popcorn:
X2
I use whatever work's!! Calling is number one. If I am going to "bushwack" him, I have to stalk him and know the lay of the land and use woodsmanship.
if you can't call em, crawl em! I have lived by this moto and killed many birds doing so. it takes a lot to get one close enough to shoot without calling to him.
I call it the Missouri sneak an I have never regretted doing it to fill a tag.
I have done both and will continue to do so. I think most everyone would prefer to call them in, but as a turkey hunter I will do what it takes to be successful minus shooting them out of a tree. If I was paying a guide, I would want him to have the same attitude.
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on April 30, 2013, 07:31:03 AM
Quote from: WildTigerTrout on March 21, 2013, 12:59:30 PM
I repeat it is ILLEGAL to stalk a gobbler during the spring hunt in Pennsylvania. I will quote the regulation from Pa.'s 2012-13 Hunting and Trapping digest. On page 35 under turkey seasons, bag limits and regulations it says "Statewide. Only turkeys with visible beards are legal. Hunting by CALLING ONLY-NO STALKING- one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 27 through May 11, and then from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset from May 13 through May 31. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1pm when closing hours are noon". So you can see if you choose to stalk or try to sneak up on a turkey in Pa. without calling you are breaking the law and subject to arrest. With the high hunting pressure that we have here it is a safety issue plain and simple. In Pa. like I said before the sport is in the calling.
After what I witnessed on Saturday, PA dnr has a lot more to worry about than how you're killing a turkey.
Furthermore, the quality of the calling displayed by your fellow PA hunters left me wondering if most of them should give up calling and adapt another tactic.
Yes PA has the worst DNR in the counrty IMO I lived there most of my life and still travel back every year out of habit. But the game commission in that state couldnt manage a 1000 acre high fence.
The people that work are not hunters don't understand hunting or even wildlife biology. I travel to kentucky as well every year and dealing with their DNR is night and day! As for the hunters in PA its like anything else some good some bad but I have quit rifle hunting in that state for that very reason its not the rifle hunting I don't enjoy its the people and how they act. Its a shame a state with such a rich history has decimated there wildlife populations other than select private lands they have no control.
I imagine it's an entirely different ball game closing the distance with calls in the fall vs spring? Have many of you had much luck luring in turkeys in the fall w/calls and decoys. I would expect bush whacking ought to be an easier route to go in the fall...but possibly setting up immediately adjacent to roosting/feeding sites may work?
I admittedly do little fall turkey hunting but it is growing on me. I'm always ussually switched into archery mode that time of year. The success I have had calling birds is breaking up a flock and calling them back in other than that its tough to call a flock of fall birds in.
Bushwacking in the spring? I try to avoid at all costs have I done it yes but find myself doing it little as I get more birds and years under my belt. I do use the tactic of setting up in areas I think they want to go but for me personally calling is 90% of my enjoyment.