Shoot a double if it ended your season?

[mcw3734]

So I just responded to the "how many shells do you carry" thread (great one Tail Feathers!), and it got me thinking of a hypothetical question for us turkey addicts still on this website in June.

Situation:
You're a resident in a state that allows 2 spring gobblers and which can legally be shot in the same day.
You planned it out at home/work and you're going to have a solid 8-10 full days to hunt this spring.
Bird numbers are decent, but not great. Filling a tag will be tough. To fill both makes you the talk of the town.
You CAN NOT go out-of-state, you CAN NOT call for a buddy, these two tags are your only tickets to the woods.

Now, it's opening day, about an hour after fly-down, and after a fantastic back-and-forth you've got 2 nice longbeards slowly strutting into perfect range completely oblivious to your presence. You got multiple shells in your gun, you know you can take them both cleanly.

What do you do?

A) Shoot them both, a clean kill double. Bragging rights for sure and a memory forever. But... your spring hunting is over. Done. Period. Walk back to the truck, see you again in 12 months. Go fishing, golf or whatever.

B) Shoot just one, let the other go. All while knowing that you may hunt hard the rest of the season and you would not be surprised at all to still have an empty tag in your pocket. But... you get to hunt another 7-10 days, with all the experience (good and bad) gained from investing that time.

Of course, this is just a theoretical question to have fun with in the off season. But hey, what would you do?

A or B? Why?

[3bailey3]

Just shoot one, maybe the other will work another day, to me a hunt is with one bird!

[Yoteduster]

I'd shoot one and enjoy more time in the woods

[turkeyfool]

Just had this happen to me. Shot a bird on May 27th-ish. He was a brute. Well there another longbeard behind him that I knew was there but lost sight of him/didn't believe he was behind the bird I was targeting. Needless to say when I ran over there, there was 2 birds flopping. It's a state that allowed 2 birds, so it was legal. But it sucked to end my season 3 days early

[WiLL B]

Just one. No way I would want to be through the first morning

[Loyalist84]

I'd probably wait, since I had very similar constraints this season and still tagged out on a one-per-day limit, but there's a lot of wisdom to that adage of "never pass up on the first day, what you'd take happily on the last day".

[MK M GOBL]

Too many hypotheticals for me... just not in my game plan.

I have killed by myself (solo), with another or others 16 times since the first time in 1999 and have killed a double every year since 2013 and doubled twice in 2014. As long as I have the tags to do it they're going down.

This Years Double!!


MK M GOBL

[Greg Massey]

Back in my younger days i would of shot both in the same morning. But I'm not near as mad at them anymore so i would let one walk...

[Tail Feathers]

Tough call!  Seven more days to hunt?  I'm taking one and hoping the next week produces bird #2.   I love the spring woods and would feel shorted by ending it so soon.  Even for two birds.

[Gooserbat]

I've shot doubles and it's fun for about 15 minutes and the pictures are taken.  Then you realize two things, there goes the second tag and you hope you have a sling on your shotgun because you now have two birds to carry out.

[Mossberg90MN]

If I was strictly limited to knowing that I only have 7-10 for the year. Then yes I would double.if I was going to be able to hunt the whole season, then no. I would focus on my 1 bird and keep coming back for more.


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[DUCKDIGGLER]

Option B for me......just the one.

I am all about the hunt......finding them and fooling them. I look forward all year to the Spring woods and all the sights, sounds and smells that they offer. If I can be out there for one more chance I'm all in.

I could have killed at least one more long beard opening morning this year.....never even considered it. Your mileage may vary.

[Cowboy]

I would just take one. I would rather have another day to hunt or take someone else. There is one place I hunt where I just take one bird period. We can get 3 tags a year but if I can take one gobbler per season and hunt  several mornings and work them, I feel I'm a blessed man.

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[ChesterCopperpot]

Don't live in a place or hunt many areas that I believe can support a lot of doubles. I'm just shooting the one even if I got to go kick the other one off my dead bird.


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[Happy]

Not even a question for me. Just take one and leave the other for next year. I would look for a tom in another area for bird #2.

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