killing silent birds

[howl]

It takes more skill and knowledge of behavior to get the silent ones. Most of the ones I've taken were 3+ year olds that you couldn't get by calling because they had been conditioned to avoid hunters.

[Uncle Tom]

Amen to Warrent423...finally someone on here tells it like it is. When you get to the point in your turkey hunting that you are after the older,smarter, hard to get toms and doing what it takes to harvest this bird...whether it is calling in this bird or being in right place at right time and he comes marching in silent and on your blind side and you get him...well if that isn't satisfaction I don't know what it would take to make me more thrilled. And to do it without a decoy or a "house with windows and doors, heat and who knows what else" and you swing him over your shoulder having to be careful for those extra long hooks can do some serious damage and "man, this thing is getting heavy, got to change sides for a while" ....well you will one happy camper tonight. Then the thought comes to you that you have one more tag and you got an idea of where this big boys partner lives, well that is a turkey hunters dream season. Hope you get him.

[Punisher]

When I leave the truck to hit the woods--I am turkey hunting---not turkey calling, not turkey listening, not turkey watching. A gobbler in range has a good chance of getting himself "kilt". 

X2.  If I walk up on one, sneak in on one, call one in gobbling, or call one in silent; I still enjoy shooting them.  The thrill to me is getting my hands around his legs and knowing that I have just killed one of nature's most wary animals.  The first turkey I killed this year was one of my best birds in twenty years of hunting.  I put the slip on him after I had already spooked him, and ended up lowering the boom on him.  If I had decided to leave and wait to I had a chance to "work" him he would not be at the taxidermist right now.  I see know shame in killing a silent mouth bird.  Most of the turkeys that gobbled their fool heads off I have killed were 2 yr. old turkeys.
As I have stated before, if it is legal and ethical, then I see no problem with how the game is harvested if it makes the hunter happy.  I also see no reason for someone to tell some anyone else other wise.  JMO

[DeWayne Knight]

Last year the 1 1/2" spurred bird in my avatar came silently to my calling and was killed by a 9 y.o. boy after thrashing my jake strutter decoy. I missed a bird earlier this year that I called 300 yards down a hill, gobbling the whole way. I figured he was a 2 y.o. bird that hadn't wised up yet. He'll be harder to kill next year. Each kill was equally satisfying.

[mdtkyhntr]

Had one this year gobbling his head off but wouldn't leave the field edge. Moved on him a bunch of times, and he finally went silent. I snuck around the edge if the field near quitting time, spotted him, used some vegetation to get in range and killed him. Probably the best bird I've killed. I've learned that you need to adapt to have consistent success, and so you can bet I had no regrets.

[GobbleNut]

I hate hunting silent birds.  You can have them,...regardless if they are long-bearded, dagger-spurred ancient gobblers.  Do I like to kill those gobblers?  Sure, I do.  But my passion for spring gobbler hunting came about because of one thing.  That is, I like to call turkeys, have them answer my calling, and then come to me. ...And if they come gobbling and strutting,...all the better.

Wherever I am hunting, I will exhaust all possibilities of finding a responsive, gobbling bird before I resort to hunting for the silent ones.  There have been occasions where I have had to do that, but those instances have been rare,...and they have never been as satisfying to me as those times when I have put in miles of hiking to finally locate a gobbler that wanted to play the game the way I like to play it.

Yep, I'll take those strutting and gobbling two or three-year-olds that will respond to my calls all day long. 

[howl]

If you don't like calling in the silent ones, keep at it. When one walks up behind you and pirts in your ear, then walks by so close you think of just reaching over and grabbing him, your ideas on how exciting it can be might change.