Closet Reapers??

[jordanz7935]

Heres a conversation starter for the group.....What do you guys think of this hunt? We have been awfully critical of THP and Pinhoti on this forum, just wondering where this ranks?

https://youtu.be/eNVlKZ5FRLg

[Kylongspur88]

? to each their own I guess. I personally don't fan birds and if I shoot one I sure don't just sit there and let it get flogged by another bird. Kinda disrespectful imo. Glad the kid got one but I would have done it differently. Again. Just my opinion

[Ranger]

Clown activity no matter how you slice it.  And a lot of the criticism of the other guys is not necessarily how they hunt, but the costs of their hunting and exposure. A lot of people aren't mad because of what they've shown on camera, it has more to do with the places they pimped out once they were done with them. Cove has a reputation for it

[Greg Massey]

Have a safe 4th July Everyone ... Enjoy your time with family and friends ... Fireworks / Food .....

[Turkeybutt]

Fanning isn't my cup of tea and seems to me a good way to get shot or lets agree it raises your chances.

? to each their own I guess. I personally don't fan birds and if I shoot one I sure don't just sit there and let it get flogged by another bird. Kinda disrespectful imo. Glad the kid got one but I would have done it differently. Again. Just my opinion

I have to agree, I don't like to see a bird or any animal for that matter flopping around, ( especially on a video) be respectful and go take care of things properly or don't show it on the video.

[Happy]

Haven't watched it and aint gonna. My life is happier when I ignore most things and concentrate on myself and the things I can control. Do I wish things were different for the turkeys sake? Absolutely. Are people I don't even know worth my attention? Absolutely not.

[Greg Massey]

Haven't watched it and aint gonna. My life is happier when I ignore most things and concentrate on myself. And the things I can control. Do I wish things were different for the turkeys sake? Absolutely. Are people I don't even know worth my attention? Absolutely not.

X2 Happy , i so agree ...

[NCL]

X3 what Happy said.

[jordanz7935]

I've reaped a few and they were great hunts..... that said it's not my preferred method by any means, puts unneeded pressure on birds, especially if you plan on hunting them anytime soon. Definitely gives big advantage if "properly" employed.... just look at Waddell and Culpepper....now to the flopping and flogging comments. That's part of turkey hunting and nature in general..... but to each there own I understand where you guys coming from but have different way of thinking about it. But at the end of the day we all on same team here. happy 4th of July everybody!

[Ranger]

For me personally its less about speaking out against fanning because I intend to tell another man what to do, its more about speaking against it because its an extremely dangerous practice that could lead to legislation about turkeys and turkey hunting. If there was a push to ban turkey hunting altogether in your state because of multiple accidents due to reaping, it would be worth your attention then. 

[Marc]

Well...  The comments were turned off...  For a reason.

No doubt that such methods are a "short-cut" to killing a bird.  When taking young hunters out, I have encouraged methods of take, that I myself would not do at this point in my life (such as shooting a duck on the water).  But...  I did not post it on YouTube.

I have played with the method (of reaping) myself for fun (did not have a gun or harvest a bird)...  Used a turkey fan to see how close I could get to birds in an open meadow.  Put a fan in front of me, leaned over, and walked right up to them.  I was two for two on this...  Birds held their ground, and let me walk virtually right up to them.  One bird approached me as I approached them.

I do think there is a difference between fanning (using a fan to draw in a dominant bird), and reaping (using a fan or fan and decoy to walk up on a bird).  My impression is that fanning will draw in that dominant bird, but there are birds that would likely see the fan and go the other direction...  I would consider using a tom decoy with a fan in line with fanning.

With my limited experience in these methods...  I feel that birds are more likely to hold their ground while reaping, than coming into a fan while fanning...  Dominant birds will approach in either situation.  Given a voice in the regulations, I would remove both from the hunting methods in my area.  Both give an unfair advantage, and I am uncertain what effect removing so many dominant birds would have on the breeding cycle?

As far as watching birds flog a dead bird, I take no issue with it.  Bird on the ground is dead...  I have let birds flog a shot/dead bird, not to watch it happen, but to avoid educating the birds doing the flogging.  Then again (as mentioned above), I did not post it up on YouTube, where I know it will be offensive (to at least some) hunters and non-hunters watching.

[El Pavo Grande]

Poor parenting choice?  The guy can call and obviously hunting a property with turkeys, so not sure why he needs a prop, such as a reaping set up.  It's killing, not hunting, and maybe he's ok with taking a chance he and his young son get shot in the face.  The YouTubers exploiting and promoting public land is a different subject, though worthy of criticism as well. 

[Spurs]

Haven't watched it and aint gonna. My life is happier when I ignore most things and concentrate on myself. And the things I can control. Do I wish things were different for the turkeys sake? Absolutely. Are people I don't even know worth my attention? Absolutely not.

X2 Happy , i so agree ...

While I understand this side of the coin and would prefer to ignore some things, that isn't the reality of being a good steward of hunting.  If we all took this stance, we wouldn't have limits, states would still allow rifles, and in all honesty, we probably wouldn't have a turkey to hunt.

The difference with me is that I simply write/email my representatives and voice my concerns.  After that, the monkey is on their back.  I express my thoughts online to get a better understanding of the other side of all topics and make informed decisions off of the collection of others experience and knowledge of topics.

Just sitting back out of convenience should never be an option...but anger won't do anything either.  We all need to find that middle ground and make good decisions for the animals sake.

[silvestris]

 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before the fall."

It is not turkey hunting, rather it is merely turkey killing, and there is a huge difference.

"Live artfully". Ken Morgan from "America, Wild Turkeys & Mongrel Dogs."

[Happy]

Haven't watched it and aint gonna. My life is happier when I ignore most things and concentrate on myself. And the things I can control. Do I wish things were different for the turkeys sake? Absolutely. Are people I don't even know worth my attention? Absolutely not.

X2 Happy , i so agree ...

While I understand this side of the coin and would prefer to ignore some things, that isn't the reality of being a good steward of hunting.  If we all took this stance, we wouldn't have limits, states would still allow rifles, and in all honesty, we probably wouldn't have a turkey to hunt.

The difference with me is that I simply write/email my representatives and voice my concerns.  After that, the monkey is on their back.  I express my thoughts online to get a better understanding of the other side of all topics and make informed decisions off of the collection of others experience and knowledge of topics.

Just sitting back out of convenience should never be an option...but anger won't do anything either.  We all need to find that middle ground and make good decisions for the animals sake.

I get it, sir, and I do the same. My point is merely in response to YouTube hunting. I am not giving anyone another "view" to feed their egos, and nothing I say would be  taken seriously. It's gonna get worse before it gets better, I am afraid. Every year, I write letters to our wildlife officials requesting changes.