:)
Both. And both can be done.
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I want to kill him calling him
I want to worry about me
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I want to hear him first , then call him and kill him at 20 yards....
What Greg said! ^^^
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
Both. Call him in and kill him. I don't believe in any of that nonsense about gobblers that cannot be called in or having to be "patterned" or ambushed or any of that crap that gets sold on here or any other place. I don't believe in call shy; thats a myth. They get shy of hunters (some hunters anyway) doing the same stupid stuff (googans) day after day after day. They may shy away from bad calling ( I hear a lot of it every season) so just imagine how much and how far away the gobblers can hear it. I heard the worst crow and the absolute worst rendition of gobbling on a box call I have ever heard in my life this season. They do not get shy of the sound of a wild turkey hen.
Quote from: guesswho on May 25, 2017, 06:55:01 PM
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
:TooFunny: :TooFunny:
I much prefer to call them in. But this old boy ain't above crawling, sneaking, etc if the calling Ain't working. I like my turkeys dead. At whatever cost. I feel like that was an AA confession
I want to enjoy every opportunity I get to hunt. I hope everyone has the same want. Whether you want too call or kill, as long as it's legal, safe, and you are enjoying your self, then be happy. If you're anything like me, time in the woods is far to valuable to worry about others opinions.
I want to call him up or call his girlfriends up. But you aren't always going to be able to do that.
If I have determined I can't call him I'm perfectly content to use topography and habitat to crawl, bushwack or ambush him.
That being said, I refuse to reap or use a fan. I think they're despicable ways to kill a bird that deserves to be harvested in a more skillful manner than either of those 2 tactics requires.
Quote from: guesswho on May 25, 2017, 06:55:01 PM
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
This.
Here I thought we were discussing calling hard to make him gobble or calling to kill him. That being said I love the gobble. I often call them pretty hard if I can get away with it. I love when they are running in darn near choking on their gobbles. Stopping to strut for a second before running again. I ain't scared to call but I ain't scared to back it down if needed. If you sound realistic I believe you can call a good bit with more birds than you think. I have stalked a few and killed them back in my younger days but in all honesty it didn't thrill me like calling them in. No doubt it takes some serious skill and in my case some serious luck to sneak into shotgun range of a turkey in most instances. Can't say I have ever waited and ambushed one though and can't say I will. I sat under a troublesome birds roost tree one morning and when daylight came he pitched right out in front of me. I snipped off the safety and yelped softly. If he would have even gone into a semi strut I would have killed him on the spot. He didn't though. He went into alert posture and walked away without a sound and I let him go. For me personally it just didn't feel right. Kinda like someone bashing me with a frying pan as soon as I got out of bed. Not saying it's wrong or right to kill one that way but it wasn't right for me.
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For me, it's more about the conversation. Now, I'll shoot a bird that comes in silent looking for the hen - but I love to hear the woods rattle. That's what gets me up at 0-dark:30.
Kinda like hunting rabbits with a beagle... dog barks, game on! No bark? No shoot...
I do not pay for a license, tags, shells, camo, calls, decoys and every other thing to turkey hunt just to watch them. I am out there to kill them. If I just wanted to "hear gobbles" or "watch" them no way in heck would I spend so much money to do something that does not require very much.
Calling for me after 40 years of turkey hunting I am past the have to kill stage. I never have been a crawler wasn't how I was tought to hunt. Younger years I have done rounders to get in front of them knowing where they were going. Never seemed as rewarding to me. Now day's I don't count success only in the trigger pull. I always have a little remorse after I squeeze the trigger the fun is over then. I think I would enjoy just counting coup. But they sure taste good with a few morrel's and fried taters.
Put me in the kill camp. Only caveat is that I want him in ethical shotgun range. Of course I want him strutting, gobbling, and coming to the call, and if I could hunt everyday of spring turkey season, I'd only kill them in that manner, but I'm all about adding to my collection of beards and spurs at this stage of my turkey hunting career.
Personally I want to blow him over. Preferred method is calling but short of out the truck window I'm cool with playing the game he wants. If I connect I know I beat him at his game. If I call him to the gun I just convinced him to play mine instead of his.
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
I must be in the call em camp because I take just as much or more pleasure in another pulling the trigger as myself. I do it most and like it best with no decoy or blind even with youths and newbys. Nothing compares to a thunderous gobble in response to a call. (like a lions roar!) Or when you know by sound and action that you are dealing with a monarch on his turf.
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 25, 2017, 09:26:11 PM
I do not pay for a license, tags, shells, camo, calls, decoys and every other thing to turkey hunt just to watch them. I am out there to kill them. If I just wanted to "hear gobbles" or "watch" them no way in heck would I spend so much money to do something that does not require very much.
A butterball in aisle 12 is cheaper... ;D
Quote from: SteelerFan on May 26, 2017, 12:08:23 AM
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 25, 2017, 09:26:11 PM
I do not pay for a license, tags, shells, camo, calls, decoys and every other thing to turkey hunt just to watch them. I am out there to kill them. If I just wanted to "hear gobbles" or "watch" them no way in heck would I spend so much money to do something that does not require very much.
A butterball in aisle 12 is cheaper... ;D
:TooFunny:
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 25, 2017, 11:17:09 PM
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
:you_rock: :you_rock: EXACTLY
I enjoy calling them in for myself or others ,hearing them Gobble,and watching the responses from them then dropping the hammer.For myself I like killing turkeys,but don't have to in order to feel successful. I wouldn't get much satisfaction shooting one unless I knew it was coming into my setup due to my calling. I don't turn my nose up at other legal methods used by others though this is just my way I like hunting them.
Kill em
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Quote from: Gooserbat on May 25, 2017, 10:59:03 PM
Personally I want to blow him over. Preferred method is calling but short of out the truck window I'm cool with playing the game he wants. If I connect I know I beat him at his game. If I call him to the gun I just convinced him to play mine instead of his.
This!!!! I don't take a loaded shotgun with me when I roost one because I'm "listening" to him. But when I leave in the mornings with a loaded gun in my hand I aim to kill him. I've let a few walk not many but some. And there's been some I didn't get as much out of killing as I did others. But like ole TG Shepherd says I loved them everyone!!!
Quote from: guesswho on May 25, 2017, 06:55:01 PM
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
In John Madden Voice, "Now here's a turkey hunter who hunts turkeys!"
It's the whole experience for me. The ultimate goal obviously is to make him flop, otherwise I wouldn't load my gun, but that being said IMO it has to be more than that. If all I wanted to do was to hear him gobble, I would buy a couple of yard birds and strut with them. If all it is ever based on is the kill then we miss so much more of what is going on. All those sunrises, all the little things that make up each season like just being in the woods with creation. Yes, even the heartache of missed opportunities and the coulda shoulda woulda's. So to me its a collective and a good dose of all things is what makes a season to me.
Public land birds rarely gobble a lot and when you find one that does he attracts a lot of people . There have been times were I had one to myself and he gobbled all the way to the gun like those DVD turkeys doesn't happen often but it makes up for all the silent gobblers or the ones that never come in.
Quote from: guesswho on May 25, 2017, 06:55:01 PM
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
Pretty much this. ^^^
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 25, 2017, 11:17:09 PM
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
You are so narrow minded that you think the only way to beat a tukey is by calling? Maybe one day you sir will open your eyes and realize your preferred way is not the only way nor is it the only "RIGHT" way and will stop trying to impose your preference on others and let them hunt how they want. Just because I am about the kill does not mean I am not excited before season or that ai do jot scout and know the terrain. As a matter of fact I bet i scout more and know the terrain and turkey habits better than most people that prefer to call everyone up. Its easy to hear one and call to him and takes no skill other than sounding like a turkey. Takes alot more woodsmanship to learn that same bird and what he does everyday and then figure out how to kill that bird without making a single call. The easiest birds to kill are the ones that respond and come to calls. Sit down make some calls and wait for him to walk in to range. Nothing to it that requires much skill. Even a first time hunter can sit down and call birds in.
I want to kill them. Don't get me wrong I like to hunt them, walked out of the woods one morning last week with a smile on my face and laughing after two did a number on me, but I REALLY want to kill them.
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 11:23:27 AM
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 25, 2017, 11:17:09 PM
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
You are so narrow minded that you think the only way to beat a tukey is by calling? Maybe one day you sir will open your eyes and realize your preferred way is not the only way nor is it the only "RIGHT" way and will stop trying to impose your preference on others and let them hunt how they want. Just because I am about the kill does not mean I am not excited before season or that ai do jot scout and know the terrain. As a matter of fact I bet i scout more and know the terrain and turkey habits better than most people that prefer to call everyone up. Its easy to hear one and call to him and takes no skill other than sounding like a turkey. Takes alot more woodsmanship to learn that same bird and what he does everyday and then figure out how to kill that bird without making a single call. The easiest birds to kill are the ones that respond and come to calls. Sit down make some calls and wait for him to walk in to range. Nothing to it that requires much skill. Even a first time hunter can sit down and call birds in.
:TooFunny: Narrow minded....form what i just read of your post WHO narrow minded....ha ha ha Your just jealous because you don't have near as many post on this forum as i do....
It's all about that gobble. I got on 3 different birds yesterday and had over several hundred gobbles to the call. Almost connected but went empty handed. Chased them all over. Had more fun on that hunt than I have had on quick ones where I've killed em silent
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You should only hunt the exact same way I do! That is the only way to truly enjoy it. We all must enjoy the same things the exact same way!! If someone taught you how to do something, then that is the only way it should be done...especially if it works. I mean, if it works and you kill thousands of turkeys with your method, you should not try another method. Please don't risk trying another person's tactics if your daddy didn't do it their way. Whatever you do, just remember there is only one correct method of turkey hunting. There is only one way to enjoy this great sport. We cannot afford change or try new ideas!!!!
After reading these comments, I will say this.... I don't care how you hunt turkeys, but if I had to pattern every turkey just to kill him when he walked by, I WOULD QUIT. To me, that's not turkey hunting at all. More of a deer hunt. It's all about the calling, fooling, reversing nature that you put on that gobbler. Now I'm not above an ambush or waiting on one that's cut my tail a few times, but if your only means of hunting turkeys is sitting and waiting on one to walk by while you make no call at all.....Is not turkey hunting in my opinion.
I want to call him and kill him preferably Gobbling ,drumming and strutting.
I ain't interested in patterning and bushwacking. I'll save that for the whitetail.
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Quote from: guesswho on May 25, 2017, 06:55:01 PM
I want to convince him to put his head somewhere he shouldn't by calling. If he does, I kill him on the spot. If he doesn't, I hunt him down and kill him for not doing it.
Absolutely could not have put it better myself. Perfect answer.
There is no such thing as Catch and release in Hunting!
With that said, of all the hunting I do, Turkey Hunting is the more about the hunt than any others.
The thrill of the gobbler answering back then getting closer and closer. The pounding in your chest as he fires off a gobble 10 yards behind you in the brush. The adrenaline pumping through your body as you hear him spitting, drumming and dragging his wings. Then the moment you put it all together with a well placed shot. The only thing better for me is when my kids do it.
Quote from: nosaj on May 26, 2017, 06:27:23 PM
There is no such thing as Catch and release in Hunting!
With that said, of all the hunting I do, Turkey Hunting is the more about the hunt than any others.
The thrill of the gobbler answering back then getting closer and closer. The pounding in your chest as he fires off a gobble 10 yards behind you in the brush. The adrenaline pumping through your body as you hear him spitting, drumming and dragging his wings. Then the moment you put it all together with a well placed shot. The only thing better for me is when my kids do it.
For me...This is the perfect answer...
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 26, 2017, 11:43:05 AM
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 11:23:27 AM
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 25, 2017, 11:17:09 PM
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
You are so narrow minded that you think the only way to beat a tukey is by calling? Maybe one day you sir will open your eyes and realize your preferred way is not the only way nor is it the only "RIGHT" way and will stop trying to impose your preference on others and let them hunt how they want. Just because I am about the kill does not mean I am not excited before season or that ai do jot scout and know the terrain. As a matter of fact I bet i scout more and know the terrain and turkey habits better than most people that prefer to call everyone up. Its easy to hear one and call to him and takes no skill other than sounding like a turkey. Takes alot more woodsmanship to learn that same bird and what he does everyday and then figure out how to kill that bird without making a single call. The easiest birds to kill are the ones that respond and come to calls. Sit down make some calls and wait for him to walk in to range. Nothing to it that requires much skill. Even a first time hunter can sit down and call birds in.
:TooFunny: Narrow minded....form what i just read of your post WHO narrow minded....ha ha ha Your just jealous because you don't have near as many post on this forum as i do....
Are you serious! You really are a piece of work huh. You absolutely are narrow minded to think the only way someone should kill a turkey is by calling. Really dont see how I am narrow minded with my open mindedness to using different tactics and NOT telling others how they should hunt and their ways are wrong if it is not the way I think it should he done. Just so you know I really aint jealous that you post so much. Heck I would too but I am to busy actually hunting, scouting and learning to jack around on here most of the time.
I like to eat turkey. I do not shoot over my limit. I do not break the law. I do not interfere with other hunters while they are working a bird and expect the same from them. Pretty much all the rest is my business.
I would much prefer to play the game I want to play. Sometimes he plays the game his way.
Do none of y'all, say about 10:30, when you have heard nothing the whole morning, sit for a little while in a place you know turkeys want to be and call? If nothing happens, move on a ways. Then maybe sit in another spot? If he comes in quiet, you won't shoot him? Do you know he did not come to your call? Is it different if he gobbled before he came in?
I don't care what your answers are, I just want to know what some folks consider ambushing one. Personally I would call that slow moving and striking an interested bird. But I think y'all should do what makes you happy (not Happy the poster, happy as in well, happy).
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 07:24:28 PM
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 26, 2017, 11:43:05 AM
Quote from: snapper1982 on May 26, 2017, 11:23:27 AM
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 25, 2017, 11:17:09 PM
I hope someday some of you learn what turkey hunting is all about and stop being so hostile. Turkey hunting like most outdoor recreation, is about the experience. It's the joy of running or setting in the woods trying to out smart a gobbler. It's not about killing for numbers or beards or spurs. It about planning, how to use calls, scouting, finding birds and learning the terrain of you hunting grounds. It's the excitement of i can't wait for opening morning and learning from your mistakes, like why did i go this way in the woods or why didn't i sit at this end of the field. Turkey hunting is all about learning from all the mistakes you made and then when that big day comes and your successful in killing that big gobbler. So for me it's the experience, excitement, mistakes and finally being successful....just a old turkey hunters perspective on what turkey hunting is all about...it's not just numbers and kill's ....or fan's hanging on the wall...it's like thank God i get to hunt these great birds and see another sunrise in hearing one gobble at the crack of daylight...just words of wisdom from a old turkey hunter...
You are so narrow minded that you think the only way to beat a tukey is by calling? Maybe one day you sir will open your eyes and realize your preferred way is not the only way nor is it the only "RIGHT" way and will stop trying to impose your preference on others and let them hunt how they want. Just because I am about the kill does not mean I am not excited before season or that ai do jot scout and know the terrain. As a matter of fact I bet i scout more and know the terrain and turkey habits better than most people that prefer to call everyone up. Its easy to hear one and call to him and takes no skill other than sounding like a turkey. Takes alot more woodsmanship to learn that same bird and what he does everyday and then figure out how to kill that bird without making a single call. The easiest birds to kill are the ones that respond and come to calls. Sit down make some calls and wait for him to walk in to range. Nothing to it that requires much skill. Even a first time hunter can sit down and call birds in.
:TooFunny: Narrow minded....form what i just read of your post WHO narrow minded....ha ha ha Your just jealous because you don't have near as many post on this forum as i do....
Are you serious! You really are a piece of work huh. You absolutely are narrow minded to think the only way someone should kill a turkey is by calling. Really dont see how I am narrow minded with my open mindedness to using different tactics and NOT telling others how they should hunt and their ways are wrong if it is not the way I think it should he done. Just so you know I really aint jealous that you post so much. Heck I would too but I am to busy actually hunting, scouting and learning to jack around on here most of the time.
If your so unhappy with peoples opinions on this forum you call leave anytime...and i don't think anyone on this post would think i was saying hunt my way...Sorry your so into yourself... i enjoy my friends on this forum...Your just a SAD person... I have NOT told anyone in my post how to hunt....
Quote from: g8rvet on May 26, 2017, 07:40:05 PM
Do none of y'all, say about 10:30, when you have heard nothing the whole morning, sit for a little while in a place you know turkeys want to be and call? If nothing happens, move on a ways. Then maybe sit in another spot? If he comes in quiet, you won't shoot him? Do you know he did not come to your call? Is it different if he gobbled before he came in?
That's pretty much my MO. I just call it Bobcat'n or slipass'n. And don't think for a second I won't shoot him if he comes slipping in. But if I just accidentally walked up on one I'll give him a pass. Be about like doing a drive by to me.
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on May 26, 2017, 07:12:26 PM
Quote from: nosaj on May 26, 2017, 06:27:23 PM
There is no such thing as Catch and release in Hunting!
With that said, of all the hunting I do, Turkey Hunting is the more about the hunt than any others.
The thrill of the gobbler answering back then getting closer and closer. The pounding in your chest as he fires off a gobble 10 yards behind you in the brush. The adrenaline pumping through your body as you hear him spitting, drumming and dragging his wings. Then the moment you put it all together with a well placed shot. The only thing better for me is when my kids do it.
For me...This is the perfect answer...
I like the way you think :z-guntootsmiley:!! :z-guntootsmiley:
I want to call him up & kill him. I'd rather hear him gobble too but if he comes in silent I will gladly bust him & be happy that I was able to call him up. Like someone else said if you are on public land like I hunt & he gobbles too much he's gonna attract too many other hunters as well & you are more likely to have someone else ruin your hunt. But I do understand it's more about the hunt & the experience than the kill. Being able to close the deal is just icing on the cake. The older I get the more I enjoy just being out in the woods & admiring God's wonderful creations. That alone is a blessing in itself.
The pleasure for me is in fooling them. I've called plenty, waylaid a few and have walked up on a number I didn't attempt to shoot. Every few years though, I run up on one that likes to leave tracks in my boot tracks, plays dirty and such and on those types I sometimes just take what I can get. Don't mind being honest about it. Does one cluck to stop him and straighten him up count as called? LOL!
If I am hunting one particular bird, I will hunt him trying to call him off the roost for three or four mornings. If that doesn't work the gloves come off and it's by what ever means it takes as long as it is with in the laws of my state.
I LOVE turkey hunting. And whether its chess or checkers I just love playing the game..... :smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
Both. The game is not over until I call him in and end up standing on his neck to end the game!
All the years I've turkey hunted, this is the first year I killed a gobbler that I didn't call to. I was surprised when he was drumming to my decoys, but I was thrilled when I got to fill my second tag. I would have preferred that he gobbled, though it didn't stop me from shooting him. In no particular order, I definitely hunt for the thrill, the experience, the challenge, the gobble & strut, and the food he provided. More than any other pursuit, turkeys own me.
Jim
Is sitting up against a tree, and having a wild turkey or deer walk by you, and not see you, not considered "fooling" them, or any different than making a sound (call) that "fools" them?
To answer the OP, I would rather kill a turkey than call a turkey and not kill it. I hunt to hunt, not to sit in the woods and call to have nothing happen. Yes, I enjoy when a turkey or a deer comes in my field of view, but I don't spend the money that I spend, and take the time for preparation just to go hunt and come home empty handed. Now, that does not mean that I will do anything illegal, or even "reap" or "fanning". I think fanning is the dumbest thing a person can do, and those people who do it belong in a special category of stupid..
Fact of the matter is, a turkey is a turkey, and a deer is a deer, and they are both animals. I will not put them up on a pedestal because somebody else believes that they are some mystic, ancient, holy creature. Game animals are merely animals that are there for humans to hunt and eat. As long as nothing illegal or dangerous is done, I have no problem shooting (some call it harvesting) a turkey or a deer, even if it did not put on a show, or "play the game."
Anywho, I recently had my heart surgery postponed to a later date, and every day it gets worse, so I have no qualms about saying what I feel now, even if it offends somebody.
I am deleting my account after the turkey contest is over (waiting so I don't cost my team any points), so if you do not like what I write, you won't have to read it much longer. As a matter of fact, you really don't have to read it now if you don't like it or don't want...
I like calling them in but in the end I am there to kill them. The easiest birds I've ever killed have been called in and the toughest I guess I cheated on because they weren't called. One bird in particular I got on opening day, was on him every day I hunted and killed him the weekend before season closed. I finally gave up trying to call him, got between him and a hen, scared her off and did the Mohican sneak on him going up benches, through drainage ditches and slithering through treetops.
I follow all the game laws for anything I hunt, but I'm not like a lot of guys that think a turkey is some sort of sacred being that can only be killed if he comes in gobbling. That's like saying you won't shoot a buck unless he comes in when your rattling.
"I was sitting in my treestand when a nice 10pt came strolling by at 30yds broadside. I hadn't rattled in about 2hrs so I knew he wasn't looking for me so I just let him walk." - I don't think I've ever seen that said
Like it or not, I'm there to kill them.
Given that choice, it would be call them. I love to harvest Toms' and do fill my tags but, get just as much out of calling them for others. And boy did we ever call them in this season. Hunted most every day.