Personal Ethics-Tree Gobbler

[Tom007]

In the future, I've learned from this thread that the only victim to suffer here was the roosted gobbler. Forget about right, wrong, ethical, non-ethical if this happens to, I will stand up, fire a shot into the air, and walk out of the woods singing loudly. This way, the bird flys off unscathed, the invading hunters learn a lesson, and you have this fine Tom to hunt another day. I know this is "Monday Morning Quarterbacking", but I try to learn from experiences on here. This really is something to learn about for the future.....Be safe...

Tom007,  The only thing I could disagree with in your statement, that the other hunters learned a lesson.  The ones have come across don't ever seem to learn!

I have definitly walked away from folks wanting to mix it up!  My comment to them was they weren't worth the effort!

Ralph

Amen Ralph, I avoid crowds, controversy, and altercations with hunters.....it just isn't worth it. My "rumbling" days are over since I retired from Ice Hockey a few years ago. Now it's just time to hunt and enjoy the woods.....

[High plains drifter]

Yes I did shoot one out of a tree very early in the morning once, when I first started turkey hunting. That was a long time ago, and I wasn't thrilled about doing it, and as I became a better turkey. Hunter, I realized it was wrong, and I wouldn't do it again.

[Marc]

As Happy stated it's a personal choice. I've been hunting turkeys a lot longer than most on here and not near as long as some others. But I consider myself to have good ethics when it comes to the way I hunt. I own property in my home state and in a neighboring state. No I don't have money but I have worked my tail off my whole life and have been blessed beyond measures by the good Lord. I'm pretty picky on killing a tom on those places but I have hunted public lands my entire turkey hunting history and my season wouldn't be the same if I didn't kill one on public every year. But the way the majority of these new age turkey hunters are and the disrespect they have for other hunter has made me throw ethnics out the window more than once. One instance I roosted a bird one evening next morning in there at 4am. Now this was opening day. Not a soul there the evening before.This is not a parking lot, it on the side of a road middle of nowhere. 1st truck drives by a hour and a half after I have been there, goes a quarter and parks. 2nd truck pulls up to my truck backs up 100 yds and parks by this time it breaking day. Turkey starts gobbling. 3rd truck pulls up to my truck stops gets out heard a gobble, drives 100yds past my truck, they get out. Now by now I'm as close as I can get to the turkey. 3 different people are moving in every gobble. I haven't said a word, which I hardly ever hoot. But the closer they get the madder I get. One person is less than 100 yds now, it's daylight the turkey is strutting and gobbling 35yds from me on the first big limb in a giant white oak. I told myself I will kill him or nobody will. So you know how it ended they didn't kill him. I hate to shoot one like that but I refuse to be disrespected like that and then get it rubbed in my face. They got what they deserved. This same thing has happened a couple times. I'm sure some of you would have done it differently but I'm sure there are others that would have done the same thing if you where put in that situation.

I have read the responses to your post, and generally agree with the negative comments...

What you taught these other fellas was to shoot a bird out of a tree before someone else does. 

I read the comment: "I told myself I will kill him or nobody will."  To which shooting that bird was an act of vindictiveness...  Admittedly, of which myself, and most of us on here are NOT above.  Me...  I might not have been above turning on my headlight, walking right up to that tree while whooping like a wounded coyote until the bird flew off, and then yelling at the crowding hunters "thanks for crowding me boys, have a good morning..."

Maybe...  But probably not, some of these boys might recognize my truck in the future, and understand that I am not above sabotaging my own hunt in order to not to get crowded.  On the other hand, there is a better chance I would return to a truck with 4 flat tires...

Gotta' give you credit for having the balls to post this on a public forum, knowing how poorly it would be received...  I have made plenty of mistakes, most of which you could not water-board out of me on a public forum.

[Twowithone]

Ive had quite a few opportunities to get a Gobbler on the roost their beard swaying when their gobbling I dont know the laws in Pa. on this subject but even if it was legal I wouldnt do it thats not hunting.

[High plains drifter]

This conversation is about roosted birds, but I'd be interested to hear what folks think about a gobbler boogering and getting up into a tree? You call him in. He's at 50 and closing. No shot opportunities. Bird catches movement or something he doesn't like. He putts, runs a few steps, takes off into a tree. Now the bird is in a tree and you've got an open lane, do you shoot?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

.   Maybe,but probably not.

[cannonball]

The only circumstance I would shoot one in a tree would be if I already shot and wounded the bird and he flew up there afterwards. I have never had this happened and it's the only reason I would do it.