Would you shoot if you didn't call him in?

[Greg Massey]

I look at this in the same scenario, would i shoot a gobbler off the roost and the answer is no. The excitement and adrenaline can cause you to do things you may dread later. SO do we always make the right decisions, that a question you have to ask yourself and learn from your mistakes. How you want to hunt is entirely up to you and your conscience. I really don't know of any turkey hunting rule books and I've never seen turkeys follow any kind of rules.  Following the game laws are different.

  Everyone can learn from each other and you can ask yourself is my way the correct way maybe, maybe not in chasing gobblers.  I chase them the way i want and if I do something wrong in the process the only one i have to blame is myself ...

Safe, legal and fair chase...  That's your decision...

Regardless enjoy yourself in the chase ..

[Dougas]

I would shoot one I didn't call in, because I rarely use a call. I spot and stalk or set up an ambush. I have as much fun doing it that way as I have when calling. Each has its own challenges and rewards.

[Greg Massey]

I would shoot one I didn't call in, because I rarely use a call. I spot and stalk or set up an ambush. I have as much fun doing it that way as I have when calling. Each has its own challenges and rewards.

Nothing wrong with that tactic, for myself i just enjoy my calls / calling and the interaction with the gobblers...  I like to convince him to look for me...

[Farmboy27]

I'm definitely killing him!  I love hunting more than anything else I do. But if I wasn't doing it to kill, I'd carry a camera instead of a gun!!  Most on here wouldn't think twice about killing a buck that they happened onto on the way to their stand. Or a coyote that came strolling past. To say that one that isn't called in isn't earned is just silly. When do you consider it "earned"?  How about a love sick 2 year old that runs straight into the first set of yelps?  Didn't do much to "earn" that one. How about when one flys down and lands 30 yards away after you only made one call? Didn't do much to "earn" him either. Hunting is different for everyone and everyone has his or her own preferences and standards. I personally don't understand the concept of "earned" when it comes to hunting. If I get an easy opportunity, I'm taking it!  Passing on a lucky chance is like passing on a lottery ticket you just won on!  I mean heck, you should. You really didn't "earn" it!!

[CALLM2U]

One morning in a rush to get out the door, I left my vest at home.  Too late to go home by the time I realized it, so I hunted that day without any calls.  About 11am I came to the realization just how handicapped I was without calls.  I didn't kill a bird that day, but I vividly remember thinking that if I could have pulled it off, it would have been a very memorable hunt and hard earned. 

[Old Swamper]

Never have and never will. Proud to be a turkey hunter, and not just a killer. If that offends you, I could care less.

[joey46]

Never have and never will. Proud to be a turkey hunter, and not just a killer. If that offends you, I could care less.

But not enough to try and slam others.  Love these threads and time of year.  Things never change here but rapidly change in the real world.  YouTube - here to stay.  OnX - here to stay. Social media - here to stay.  Remember it's "Fore" not "Four" when you are on the links.

[Zobo]

Nope.

I, personally, fail to see the point in it.

  But, additionally, in my home state it's not LEGAL to shoot a spring bird you did not call to your location.

Horse pucky. Totally not enforceable and makes things a joke.  What State?

Every state should follow suit

Did you say "horse pucky"  

[Zobo]

I would shoot one I didn't call in, because I rarely use a call. I spot and stalk or set up an ambush. I have as much fun doing it that way as I have when calling. Each has its own challenges and rewards.

Nothing wrong with that tactic, for myself i just enjoy my calls / calling and the interaction with the gobblers...  I like to convince him to look for me...

There iIS something wrong with that tactic, it's called safety

[Zobo]

Not legal to shoot a bird you didn't call in?  I find that difficult to believe and waaay more difficult to enforce, basically impossible.

Enforceability is irrelevant

[WV Flopper]

This was a picture of the smell of sweet success, picture was taking at 640 AM.

Night prior the wind picked up to 40 MPH, as I lay in my motel room I mentally went through my hunting area for tomorrow.

If you notice the road behind me, that's what I walked in on. In front of me is a 50 year old high wall, the high wall makes a big U. A man made wind break.

I was standing a few feet from where this picture was taken when I could start to see turkeys on the roost 35 yards in front of me in the darkness. I slowly managed to lay down and crawl a copy feet to the base of a tree.

A Tom started gobbling what sounded like two hundred yards away, could have been less but the wind was ripping!

After forever those hens flew down, the Tom stopped gobbling and the hens scratched there way onto the side of the highway working right around it to me. Soon, there is the Tom strutting behind them. When he was at 30 yards I shot him.

I had, in the 40 or so minutes, slide a call in my mouth but never once did it break silence. Why would it? The only thing I could have done was screw it up, there could not have been an improvement to that hunt.

In this hunt, my ego did not tell me I had to call em up!

The hens on the roost were swaying at what I figured was at least 12' from side to side. I would have been a sick turkey from setting there all night!

Sent from my S62 Pro using Tapatalk

[Zobo]

I'm definitely killing him!  I love hunting more than anything else I do. But if I wasn't doing it to kill, I'd carry a camera instead of a gun!!  Most on here wouldn't think twice about killing a buck that they happened onto on the way to their stand. Or a coyote that came strolling past. To say that one that isn't called in isn't earned is just silly. When do you consider it "earned"?  How about a love sick 2 year old that runs straight into the first set of yelps?  Didn't do much to "earn" that one. How about when one flys down and lands 30 yards away after you only made one call? Didn't do much to "earn" him either. Hunting is different for everyone and everyone has his or her own preferences and standards. I personally don't understand the concept of "earned" when it comes to hunting. If I get an easy opportunity, I'm taking it!  Passing on a lucky chance is like passing on a lottery ticket you just won on!  I mean heck, you should. You really didn't "earn" it!!

Hey Farmboy, this isn't deer hunting

[Zobo]

This was a picture of the smell of sweet success, picture was taking at 640 AM.

Night prior the wind picked up to 40 MPH, as I lay in my motel room I mentally went through my hunting area for tomorrow.

If you notice the road behind me, that's what I walked in on. In front of me is a 50 year old high wall, the high wall makes a big U. A man made wind break.

I was standing a few feet from where this picture was taken when I could start to see turkeys on the roost 35 yards in front of me in the darkness. I slowly managed to lay down and crawl a copy feet to the base of a tree.

A Tom started gobbling what sounded like two hundred yards away, could have been less but the wind was ripping!

After forever those hens flew down, the Tom stopped gobbling and the hens scratched there way onto the side of the highway working right around it to me. Soon, there is the Tom strutting behind them. When he was at 30 yards I shot him.

I had, in the 40 or so minutes, slide a call in my mouth but never once did it break silence. Why would it? The only thing I could have done was screw it up, there could not have been an improvement to that hunt.

In this hunt, my ego did not tell me I had to call em up!

The hens on the roost were swaying at what I figured was at least 12' from side to side. I would have been a sick turkey from setting there all night!

Sent from my S62 Pro using Tapatalk

Perfectly fine , you set up. Has nothing to do with actual calling. It's about stalking and reaping

[Dtrkyman]

So where is it illegal to kill a turkey you don't call in?

Enforceability is relevant, they tend to not make too many non enforceable laws.

[zelmo1]

As above, " to each their own". I guess it would be a situational call. If I'm turkey hunting, 50/50. If someone else is calling it, I'm out of there. Z