I know people who wait or cluck a time or two until they un-ruffle their feathers and I know people who shoot them at first sight. What do you do? Does it matter?
I don't like to shoot em with their head tucked and puffed but I will if situation ever arises
Better to wait till they come out of strut and stick their neck out. Puffed up is too risky IMO. Too much risk of a body shot and a wounded bird.
When I first started turkey hunting, I didn't know you couldn't shoot one in full strut, needless to say the 30 yard shot I took only knocked off 3 feathers LOL. That bird was gone at a flat run. I looked everywhere for that bird and he was gone. So yeah, I dont shoot them when they're even ruffled up alittle. I will wait, make a call to get them to extend that head and neck out no matter how close they are. Good Luck Crappiepro
Dont blow your load prematurely..... better to wait for the kill shot :smiley-char092:
Cluck, cutt, cackle, yell "Hey you!" do anything to get them out of strut. It burns me up when they shoot them strutting on TV! :angry9:
I will only shoot a strutting bird if me and a partner are trying to double and the other one is somehow fixing to be unshootable (behind bushes....). I haven't ever lost one strutting, but I have seen them lost. Also if I am going to shoot a strutter, I want him quartering to me so I can aim right behind the head to get head, neck and backbone.
I have lost one strutting too! I forgot about it. Hammered one facing me dead on, but I had to shoot so far back over my shoulder that the recoil realy moved my line of sight. After I recovered he was just simply gone, blood and feathers everywhere, but no bird!
Daman
I've only shot one in strut and it went down hard. The only reason I shot it like that is because he was leaving my shooting lane and was pretty close to me. I like for for them to be out of strut though.
As long as you got a clear shot on his head you can kill him. Doesn't matter if he is struttin or walkin. The only problem with shooting them struttin is you will mess up alot of feathers and if your going to mount it thats not good. I had a buddy that went to Mexico for a Goulds and he shot his Goulds in full strut looking at him. He killed the turkey dead but in the process he broke 8 tailfeathers. Not good. I like to get them out of strut if possible but I'm not totally against shooting a turkey in strut as long as I can see his head.
TRKYHTR
Oh I "deflate" em alright.
The majority of guys on this sight are shooting HTL and discussing how much better it penetrates, even showing photos of it penetrating the entire breast of a turkey.............it will penetrate feathers as well. For that matter, lead will kill em that way too. There are two downsides to shooting a strutting bird
1) you can' t see as much of your target area because he's tucked it back (but its still all there)
2) I hate raking all the feathers out of a bird with a load of #6's.....if you want to take him to the taxidermist.......you just started the whole process off on the wrong foot.
"eight tail feathers" shot out of a Goulds............Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggg. I'd have beat my buddy with a stick for that :'( after I cried for a while.
It all depends on how far away they are. If they are inside 25 yards and I need to get them shot I will let'em have it while in full strut. Over that distance not so much.
i dont like to shoot them when they are strutting
full strut if I have to but they got to be side ways to me, prefer out of strut
I will take a broadsided strutting shot anytime, but I don't like to shoot them strutting facing me.
Quote from: TRKYHTR on March 25, 2011, 10:07:03 AM
As long as you got a clear shot on his head you can kill him. Doesn't matter if he is struttin or walkin...
Bingo! If he don't wanna come outta strut, I'm sending lead towards his head. Of course, I usually wait for him to turn sideways,...BUT I have "pillow cased" a few. :D
I prefer them to be out of strut and will usually try to get them to stick their necks out but I have shot them while strutting.
Quote from: doepee on March 25, 2011, 01:09:03 PM
full strut if I have to but they got to be side ways to me, prefer out of strut
Me too! :icon_thumright:
Quote from: TRKYHTR on March 25, 2011, 10:07:03 AM
As long as you got a clear shot on his head you can kill him. Doesn't matter if he is struttin or walkin. The only problem with shooting them struttin is you will mess up alot of feathers and if your going to mount it thats not good. I had a buddy that went to Mexico for a Goulds and he shot his Goulds in full strut looking at him. He killed the turkey dead but in the process he broke 8 tailfeathers. Not good. I like to get them out of strut if possible but I'm not totally against shooting a turkey in strut as long as I can see his head.
TRKYHTR
:agreed: :icon_thumright:
I took my younger brother last year. One came in stutting so I whispered, "Shoot when he sticks his head up." ....I guess all he heard was shoot cuz he blasted him in full strut. Killed him deader than a doornail, but had to pull a few feathers out of the breast. Hahaha. Normally I won't shoot one in strut though. Ruins too much meat.
My dad told me when I first started to not shoot them when they are strutting, so I never have. I always give a cluck to get them to poke their head up. I had heard that if you shoot them when strutting it could mess up the fan for a mount, but I wasn't sure if that was true or not. I just wanted to get the concensus.
I don't like to shoot them while they are strutting. But if all fells an nothing works out I'm a turkey hunter not a turkey watcher I'll not let him walk off... :agreed:
I do not like to shot them in full strut or semi strut. I shoot my third turkey in full strut. He was a 10 yards or less when I shot at his head when he was broadside. It looked like I had shot a feather pillow. I hit his head and his saddle(back Feathers). I will not do that again. I got two hats full of feathers. That turkey would not come out of strut. Here is a picture of the strutter. You see where I shot out some of his saddle (back feathers). It is not as bad as some I have seen shot in full strut.
(http://www.jesseshunting.com/photopost/data/500/12140scan0025.jpg)
I shot one turkey in semi-strut. I shot part of his beard off. So get them birds out of strut. Cutt at him and that should get him out of strut. A good kee kee will do the job too.
First turkey I ever shot at was in full strut quartering to me, I shot, he started flopping. As I was standing up he took to the air and we never found him. Kinda shook me up and I haven't done it since.
With a bow yes, gun no, I want him to poke that head out just a little.
Quote from: BigHooks on March 26, 2011, 09:46:00 AM
I don't like to shoot them while they are strutting. But if all fells an nothing works out I'm a turkey hunter not a turkey watcher I'll not let him walk off... :agreed:
Bingo! :icon_thumright:
I will shoot one in full strut and broadside if he's at a distance where I know my pattern is tight and small, for my combo right now that is 20 yards or less.
Either way is fine, but if you are going to make a call to make him break a strutt, be careful that you don't raise your head and forget to put it back down on the barrel. I missed a couple like this before I realized what I was doing.
Quote from: TRKYHTR on March 25, 2011, 10:07:03 AM
As long as you got a clear shot on his head you can kill him. Doesn't matter if he is struttin or walkin. The only problem with shooting them struttin is you will mess up alot of feathers and if your going to mount it thats not good. I had a buddy that went to Mexico for a Goulds and he shot his Goulds in full strut looking at him. He killed the turkey dead but in the process he broke 8 tailfeathers. Not good. I like to get them out of strut if possible but I'm not totally against shooting a turkey in strut as long as I can see his head.
TRKYHTR
:agreed:
Nothing wrong with shooting a strutting gobbler. I've probably shot 3 or 4 dozen strutters and they all died, though I did have to chase one to a creek, but that had more to do with laying almost on my side when I shot and not seeing a good (normal) sight picture.
I never understood why this would be a bad shot...it seems to me if you have a tight shooting pattern, all of the vitals are in a closer area. Also, if the feathers are ruffled up, I think they provide LESS resistance to shot than when all layed flat like armour.
But to each his own, do what you feel comfortable with.
You can kill them just the same when they are strutting. They'll usually have to be nearly quartering to to get full contact with their head and neck, but it will kill them just as well as if they had their neck stretched out. The bad thing is getting pellets all in the breast.
Quote from: LeviSS on March 24, 2011, 11:04:03 PM
I know people who wait or cluck a time or two until they un-ruffle their feathers and I know people who shoot them at first sight. What do you do? Does it matter?
I had one get away from me once...never again..I wait until his head is up