Killing versus hunting

[Greg Massey]

A start would be to bring up these points / discussions at local state chapters NWTF and TFT chapters ... IMO... Also doing podcasts about these problems ... Some of these problems have been discussed with a few local podcasts ...   I know TFT is behind finding solutions. IMO...

[Canadian]

Something else i thought of is the common view of "who cares if killing by all means legal and necessary is done in areas with high turkey populations." A part of me has previously thought "yeah, its not a big deal in areas with high turkey volumes", but what if we are finding that this mentality is a 'contribution' to the direct cause of these declining numbers? Shouldnt we slow down before its too late, even though there is indeed high turkey volumes in certain areas?

Hope that makes sense.

Sent from my moto g 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

[topnotch]

Guess I'm just a whiner. I'd rather play the game and lose than to take a shortcut.
I got some great memories of people I've met in years gone by that left me with my impression of fair chase.
On the other hand, without a younger group of hunters behind us who knows what will become of the sport.

[Happy]

The only thing we can do is raise our kids to do better. It is still a tall order compared to the number of kids being raised by the internet.

[deerhunt1988]

The only thing we can do is raise our kids to do better. It is still a tall order compared to the number of kids being raised by the internet.

Amen. The scary thing is what will turkey hunting be like for our kids in 20-30 years?

[WV Flopper]

 IMO, the kill will fizzle out.

The kill will fizzle out when the population crashes across the country. When this happens all the non turkey hunters will stop hunting. When they hunt for 6, 10 days without hearing a bird they will stop hunting. That will cut the pressure down 50-75%.

When this happens state laws will change.

When the population rebounds in 30 years, if we can still hunt, it will be a more enjoyable hunt. 

On a good note, I encountered far less people this year. Seen less vehicles parked around and heard way less people. I think the pressure decline is already happening in some areas. As the population dips further, decline in pressure will continue.

[Marc]

Hunting verses killing...  Yes there is a difference.

We are raising a generation of entitlement, in which success is expected.  Every kid in class gets an award, and you get a trophy for being on the team (even if you did not win a game, or even show up for that matter).

Most of us on these forums are a bit older, or are more serious "hunters."  Someone that strongly advocates "reaping," or shooting birds from a roost, will likely not stay on this forum long.

While I am NOT for taking away hunters' rights, I am for hunters being the stewards and advocates for conservation and hunting ethics.  While I have never killed a bird reaping, I have put a fan in front of myself and walked up to birds I never could have otherwise gotten close to...  To me, NOT fair chase here.   

And...  Just cause it is legal, does NOT make it right.

What I do...
*Attempt to instill hunting ethics in my own children
*Speak out against unethical hunting methods and write the appropriate people on my position(s)
*Make a tactful/respectful comment on a YouTube video where I see something that I feel is unethical.

My personal ethics for killing a bird are not the same as everyone here...  I would not expect them to be.  I (at this point in my life) have to feel like I called in a bird.  I take no animosity towards someone who patterns and successfully ambushes a bird...  Two different skills, with a (slightly) different pleasure taken in each.  I see someone shoot a bird on a roost, I am going to be a bit judgemental though.

Watched a YouTube video where someone "dropped" a bird at 50 yards...  Retrieved the bird, and it got up and ran away.  He chased it down and shot it (again)...  My comment was "Too far."  It was NOT well-received by the author...

Killing birds at long ranges is a personal choice...  Posting them on YouTube is promoting killing over hunting.

[Howieg]

Call me what you want ,, call him up , or at the very least use woodsman skills to get in his path .
Any visual aid . Decoys / and especially fanning is a cheap way to " kill " a gobbler .