Getting shot while turkey hunting

[Sir-diealot]

Many hunters see what they hope to see, even when it should be ovbious that they are not seeing what they hoped for.

I can't tell you how many stump deer I have seen in the early morning light.

[NCL]

I could add a few rocks that looked like gobblers in strut

[DMTJAGER]

Just MY opinion, but under NO circumstances WHAT SO EVER would I EVER use a Jake or Tom decoy on public land.
Again MY opinion but with how ridiculously life like decoys are being made today, to use a Tom or Jake decoy on public land is asking to get shot.

Watched a guy shoot cans of tuna at 70 yards with WLBXR 20z #5 shot and 8 pellets pernitrated one side of the lid of the can and badly dented to bottom of the can, so #5 shot can sure as **** due you some serious dirt at beyond 100 yards for sure. Anything under 60 yards and your in VERY serious trouble.

I make a point to put in for areas with very limited draw numbers to minimize my chances of encountering other hunters.

[HFultzjr]

I've taking a Blaze Orange Ball Cap with me.
I keep it in my pocket or satchel and when I see another hunter, out it comes.
I'll even wave it if necessary.
Probably cost me some turkeys, but I feel better.

[BDeal]

I've taking a Blaze Orange Ball Cap with me.
I keep it in my pocket or satchel and when I see another hunter, out it comes.
I'll even wave it if necessary.
Probably cost me some turkeys, but I feel better.

I do the same. I also feel using any decoy increases the risk of an accident.

[Sir-diealot]

I've taking a Blaze Orange Ball Cap with me.
I keep it in my pocket or satchel and when I see another hunter, out it comes.
I'll even wave it if necessary.
Probably cost me some turkeys, but I feel better.

I do the same. I also feel using any decoy increases the risk of an accident.

x3 when I have hunted public land.

[JohnSouth22]

Nothing like a 22 mag to the buttcheek to kick off turkey season

[jtg88]

It's ironic that I see this post now as I just recently had a wake up call in regards to this very subject.  I've always been the type that never understood how someone could shoot another hunter in mistake for a turkey.  I've always been 100% sure what I was shooting was in fact a bird for the last 25 years but 4 days ago I realized how it could happen. 

My wife and I set up on a hot bird at daylight on some moderately pressured public land and, as usual, he had hens that proceeded to march away from us after fly down.  When the flock went over a steep ridge several hundred yards from us, we hustled over and paused just below the crest.  I cutt on a call and the bird nearly knocked us down with a gobble from about 100 yards straight down the spine of the ridge.  We eased up on the spine with him, I sat my wife (shooter) down, told her to to get her gun on her knee, ready to shoot the ridge top, and set up just behind her.  After about 3-4 minutes, I caught movement about 60 yards down the ridge slightly off the spine.  It was fairly thick and all I got was a glimpse but I could tell something dark with a lighter splash of color on its back was moving towards us.  I thought what I was seeing was a turkey body with the light spot being the wings folded on his back.  I told my wife, "get ready, I see a turkey coming but I'm not sure if it's a hen or the gobbler".  About a minute later, I see more movement through thick brush at about 50 yards and I can tell something isn't right. Whatever is moving towards us isn't moving like a turkey.  When it goes behind some brush I feel it can't see me through, I ease the binos to my eyes and focus on the object.  When I get it dialed in, I see a man wearing full camo with a faded butt pad, almost cream color, strapped to his back (the light spot I thought was a wing) crawling towards us.  My heart hit my throat.  I immediately told my wife it was a man, don't shoot, but also, don't move. 

Now, why this guy was crawling towards the hen yelp instead of the gobble, I don't know but I knew we had a dangerous situation on our hands.  I abandoned any thought of killing the turkey and instead just wanted to get out of this without any shots fired from either party.  He was obliviously close enough that I was afraid to move so I whistled just as loud as I could.  He froze. I whistled again and he started back peddling.  As soon as he disappeared I put a large tree butt between him and us, put my wife in front of me, and got out of there as quickly as possible. 

As I said earlier, I've never fully understood how someone could shoot another hunter but that morning was a wakeup call.  While I don't believe my wife would have shot the guy (she wouldn't pull the trigger on just movement or color), she still had a shotgun loaded with TSS, safety off, pointed in his direction just waiting on a gobbler to appear that I told her was coming.  It may cost me a turkey or two, but we will be a little slower to knock the safety off in the future and a blaze orange cap will be added to my vest just in case I find myself in that situation again.

[Bingoman]

Question...
This dude was shot with a. 243?  That's a legal hunting round for turkey? That would leave me to assume the rifle had a scope on it. Also the blind was setup behind a fence, looks to be about 70so yards back.. Field of view would be pretty good at that range. So much doesn't add up here. I guess I can't rationalize stupidity

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[PNWturkey]

I've taking a Blaze Orange Ball Cap with me.
I keep it in my pocket or satchel and when I see another hunter, out it comes.

I do the same thing, and I also wear it when I'm walking in and out of my setup spot in the woods...

[Ihuntoldschool]

With the tactics that people are using now, and when you factor in the increased hunting pressure compared to what it used to be, it's inevitable that this will happen more and more often as long as they continue to allow these new methods of Spring Turkey Hunting.   It's natural selection to a point especially when you have guys with a gobbler on their face crawling/walking on public land and other hunters out there with their 222, 223, or worse 243.

Never wear the colors red, white, blue while turkey hunting, but hey Jake Decoys, go for it, Full Strut life like gobbler decoys, reaping, sure why not, put a gobbler on your face/head, sure go for it...