The Myth of Hunting Pressure

[eggshell]

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Honestly, if you put a radio collar on one of the birds and said "Okay Mr Pro man, kill THIS bird, on THIS property and you don't get to know where he is from the GPS", it would be a different game for a lot of the "Pros".  Of course some of them would do it, but those are the humble killers, not the TV supastars. 

I have a close friend who hunted the country with Dick Kirby and others. he always brought them to our area to hunt and since I ran the check station they spent a fair amount of time hanging out. I know of two distinct gobblers with identifiable markings they put Kirby and Harold Knight on and they both killed those gobblers within a three day hunt. I also personally knew one of the TV Turkey Thugs and there is not much good I would say about him, caught him tresspassing on my property and he told me to back off so they could film....aaarrrggg. They changed their mind when they found out I worked for DNR.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Harold Knight and Dick Kirby are and were some great turkey hunters, without a doubt. But let me tell you something, there are a lot on this board that given 3 straight days to hunt a particular gobbler without interference will give him the same ride in a truck. You can take that to the bank and you may be one of them.

[g8rvet]

there are a lot on this board that given 3 straight days to hunt a particular gobbler without interference will give him the same ride in a truck

Agreed.  Also a lot of dudes I know would do the same, and some of them probably never get on a computer and dang sure don't have a TV show. 

I am an avid duck hunter and have been doing it a long time.  Have been interviewed twice for magazines (back in the 90s when people read them).  Not because I am a self promoting tool box, but because in one case the state waterfowl biologist is a friend and suggested it to them and the other a friend of the writer knew me.  About 90% of the duck hunting heros on the TV are dumb.  Had a group of nationally known "experts" watching our bag each day in Canada when we would come in, (in spite of us being on the low down so they would not see it) ask if they could put in with us and film.  We told them "No thanks".  We were freelancing, not using guides and it burned them up that we were killing at a good clip.  Had to get sneaky on them and give them the slip a few times. If we had let them film, it would have been edited down to video of them "smoking" the birds without a mention or image of us for sure.  Not that I am some superstar by any stretch, just been doing it a long time and know what I am doing and how we like to hunt. 

Same for the turkey hunters I know that are killers.  It is not about promotion or fame, just an avocation for them.  I always have a bit of distrust for anyone that turns hunting into a vocation. Not all are bad, but they have to prove to me they are not first. 

[jakesdad]

there are a lot on this board that given 3 straight days to hunt a particular gobbler without interference will give him the same ride in a truck

Agreed.  Also a lot of dudes I know would do the same, and some of them probably never get on a computer and dang sure don't have a TV show. 

I am an avid duck hunter and have been doing it a long time.  Have been interviewed twice for magazines (back in the 90s when people read them).  Not because I am a self promoting tool box, but because in one case the state waterfowl biologist is a friend and suggested it to them and the other a friend of the writer knew me.  About 90% of the duck hunting heros on the TV are dumb.  Had a group of nationally known "experts" watching our bag each day in Canada when we would come in, (in spite of us being on the low down so they would not see it) ask if they could put in with us and film.  We told them "No thanks".  We were freelancing, not using guides and it burned them up that we were killing at a good clip.  Had to get sneaky on them and give them the slip a few times. If we had let them film, it would have been edited down to video of them "smoking" the birds without a mention or image of us for sure.  Not that I am some superstar by any stretch, just been doing it a long time and know what I am doing and how we like to hunt. 

Same for the turkey hunters I know that are killers.  It is not about promotion or fame, just an avocation for them.  I always have a bit of distrust for anyone that turns hunting into a vocation. Not all are bad, but they have to prove to me they are not first.

Agree 100%. The guys I know that are flat out killers have been that way for as long as I can remember.They just have that "knack". I do pretty well but cant compare to alot of these guys.I will admit i've learned quite a few things from places like this website,but learned most of what I know thru trial and error. The killers learned it by doing it.Most of the ones I know have probably never heard of Longbeards or Hevi Magblend.I know for a fact several shoot fixed full choke guns with lead 4s and 5s.They wear camo they've had since they got out of the army or stuff they bought cheap at Walmart 20 years ago. Its not a ego contest to them like these TV guys. On equal ground i'd bet my money every time on the old schoolers over the TV "pros" on who would bring home the birds.