Roosted is roasted, sort of...

[JK Spurs]

It should be illegal in all states....it's poaching IMO. I hunted one last year who kicked my A!!. I had him close one late afternoon and couldn't see him to get a shot. It's starting to get late and flys up to roost above my head. I just looked up and laughed (gave him the finger too) and walked out.

[beakbuster10]

I would have been more concerned about letting other hunters getting that close to me without making my presence known. That's how people get shot. If the gobbler pitched down between you all, you wouldn't have shot them, but they very easily could have shot you. I'm not saying I know everything about the situation because I wasn't there, but from what you described them shooting the bird off the roost could have been a blessing in disguise. 


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[catman529]

I did say they should have let him fly down and he would have come right to one of us. To which the guy replied "we drove 5 hours to hunt here". I shot one off the limb a few years ago when I was pretty new to turkey hunting. I accidentally found myself 10 yards from his tree and he was only my 2nd longbeard. I wouldn't do it again, but have no regrets.

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Not sure I understand your reactions? First roost shooting is wrong, and illegal everywhere as far as I know. Secondly was it even legal shooting hours? He did it twice, but will not do it again?, I have no doubt this idiot would do it again, maybe not if he see's your truck there, other than that I'm sure he'd do it again.

no you misunderstood. I said that I have shot one before, and wouldn't do it again. He said "we drove 5 hours to hunt here". I'm just saying I've done it too, but under different circumstances. And no it is not illegal here. Yes it was legal shooting hours. Just not any fun to shoot one off the roost.


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[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

Speaking of roost shooting stories, here's one for you.

A friend of mine was hunting with his son.  They had walked in and set-up above a roosted gobbler up on a ridge in the dark, getting there very early before daylight.  They had gotten in pretty close, about seventy five yards from the bird and sat down where they were about level with him in the tree.

They had been setting there for a while and the gobbler had started gobbling some very early.  Pretty soon they saw a guy coming in from their left, right at them.  My friend shined his flashlight at they guy and he knows he saw him, but the guy moves between my friend and the gobbler and sits down (hard to freakin' believe!). 

My friend doesn't want to cause a scene with his son along with him, so he just sits there waiting to see what happens.  Soon it gets light enough for them to see the gobbler in the tree, and the guys starts scooting down the hill on his butt towards the bird.  Roost shooting is illegal here, but the guy just scoots down the hill until he is within range of the bird, and right there in front of my friend, he shoots the gobbler out of the tree.

The guy runs down the hill, grabs the gobbler, and takes off back towards his truck.  Well, my friend follows the guy out, gets his license plate number, and turns him in.  The guy got a big fine and lost his hunting privileges for a few years,...and my buddy got a $500 reward for turning him in. 

Sometimes there is justice after all!

I hope the guy learned a lesson!

[Ihuntoldschool]

Bout par for the course on public land