Trying Not to Get Shot

[sasquatch1]

Some of these stories "shooting people and decoys etc etc"

Makes me realize just how many hens must accidentally gets shot every year

The pressure people put on themselves to kill for an Instagram/Facebook hero shot causes this stupidity

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[sasquatch1]

Today was our opener, on my local public land at 12:45  there were 15 trucks at one pull off on about 800 acres. There were also 6 trucks on 200 acres and 4 trucks on 150 acres. I drove two counties over to some National forest land and there were 6 trucks there, drove another two counties over and there were trucks or cars at every pull off except one that was at a swamp with a bunch of blown down pines, I got back in there and ended up working a bird, I had him 100 yards strutting and I hear leaves to my left crunching, thinking another had slipped in, I looked over to see two men walking 50 yards from me straight towards the gobbler, I sat there and let them pass and then slipped out and went back to the truck. I drove back to the county I originally started in to a tract of public that I've only ever seen rabbit hunters on the 8 years I've hunted it. The 3 pull offs had 3 out of state trucks and as I was driving up the road leaving, a car from New York whipped in one of them. I left and got supper with my wife and kids. I ain't chancing getting shot with that many out of staters doing the slam for the gram or whatever they do. We'll try again tomorrow in the mountains


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Sounds like Middle TN??


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[Marc]

Wear all white.

Next year, if I can get the clothes, I might just actually try it.  White is a color that occurs in nature, and have certainly seen birds around white pumps, or tanks, etc...  My personal theory is that other hunters will see you better, and turkeys won't care...

Outside of wearing white while hunting public:

I am less apt to use any decoys, and would not even consider using a male turkey decoy.
I am far more careful to sit against trees that would protect me from being shot from behind.
More likely to hunt the high ground than the low ground (as it is a lot less likely for someone to sneak up from above me).
If another car is parked in the lot, I move to a different area.
I like neon flags or colors to put on if I harvest a bird (I feel like the orange looks to much like the color of a turkeys head for an "over-enthusiastic" idiot hunter).
If I feel like a hunter is making a sneak on my, I will get vocal...  Maybe yelling something like "Yip Yip Yip," which potentially sounds enough like nature to keep hunting whatever bird I am on, but hopefully human enough to let the other hunter know I am "human."  (Never killed a bird after doing this though)

[GobbleNut]

I'm just glad I have had the privilege of hunting most of my life where the fear of getting shot in a mistaken-for-game accident is pretty much nonexistent for me.  If I had that fear, I am not sure if I would even hunt.  The reality is that getting shot hunting is far down the list of potential dangers involved in hunting trips. 

Having said that, simply stated, the best thing to do in any case is to "hunt defensively" both on your own behalf and for the sake of others in the woods with you.  There is no question, though, that the definition of defensive hunting can vary significantly depending on where you are at. 

[BDeal]

Some of these stories "shooting people and decoys etc etc"

Makes me realize just how many hens must accidentally gets shot every year

The pressure people put on themselves to kill for an Instagram/Facebook hero shot causes this stupidity

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I was thinking the same. How can you shoot at movement while identifying a beard.....

[ScottTaulbee]

Good Lord Scott! What state are you in?

Ky. I'm hunting the Central, Eastern, and North Eastern area of the state.


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[Marc]

Some of these stories "shooting people and decoys etc etc"

Makes me realize just how many hens must accidentally gets shot every year

The pressure people put on themselves to kill for an Instagram/Facebook hero shot causes this stupidity

I am sure a lot of hens get shot...  Not so certain it is accidental?  Pretty sure a lot of "hunters" want to shoot a turkey irrelevant of the hows/whys/whats they are shooting.

[old3toe]

   Like I've said many times before and like many of you guys I will not crowd in and try to cut someone off if theyre already there before me. I do my best to stay away from everyone else and if people are parked in an area I'm going to I simply move on. Like Scott's experiences recently is exactly how it is every year where I hunt. It really bothers me sometimes that people can be so inconsiderate and stupid about things but it's an every day thing honestly. It reminds me of a hunt a few years ago that I actually did not heed my own advice and I was so pissed I really didn't care what kind of confrontation unfolded. It started with me getting to the parking spot a good 2 1/2 -3 hours before daylight. I was the only one there. Fifteen minutes later a truck comes along and pulls in. Sits a few minutes then backs out and pulls down the gravel road a couple hundred yards and parks. Thirty more minutes goes by and here comes another truck. Sure enough he pulls in and sees me then backs out and pulls down and parks between me and the second guy. I knew exactly what they were going to do and the more I thought about it the madder I got. Instead of leaving like I normally would have, I thought well I might not get the bird but neither will they. I knew exactly where he was roosted within a few yards and decided since I have some extra time before light I'll sneak in right under him and set up as quietly as possible and not make a call. If I blow him out or he sees me then oh well he'll be around another day. As I was coming up a big side hill about to the edge of the field corner a guy turns his flashlight on to my right and starts trying to flag me off like he was there first. Imagine that? He was there first? Any way the closer I got to him the more hurried his light flashing and waving got. He didn't seem to be a happy camper when I went by him at about 30yds and proceeded straight to and then under the roosted gobbler. I quietly setup and waited for first light. At the first hint of light I was jarred by the old longbeards first gobble of the day and I knew then he hadn't made me out. And yes he was right above me. The way it ended up I had one guy behind me around 100 yds and the other guy in front of me around 60-70 yards. They both started calling and I just sat stone still. I was surprised he flew down so early but it wasn't long and he hit the ground just over my right shoulder. Then he started gobbling here and there. Problem was there were several small blown down pines between us and he was only 25-30 yds away but I couldn't see him. I sat there listening to him spittin and drummin and occasionally scratching but he never would commit to either of the other guys calls. But in turn I couldn't shoot him because of the downed trees. It still ended up being an eventful morning but noone killed him that morning. I hung out for three hours before moving and after not hearing anything else out of him for a while I moved over and tried to catch up with him or another bird. I never did and when I finally worked my way back to my  truck the other guys were gone. It never fails though year after year people do things like this.