Hunting Gobblers

[redwad]

I take the first good shot I get. Generally it's the strutter because he will catch my attention. Plus the bird strutting isn't as alert. The looker may put and cause the strutter to stretch his head real high. Boom. Mike chamberlain talked about this theory and said there's no absolutes on which bird is bigger etc. It can go either way from what I've heard.

[boatpaddle]

The first gobbler, that presents a good shot will get a ride in the pickup...

Way to many ways for the hunt to get screwed up...

When the Mrs. asks for a gobbler to deep fry, I try to get her one...She doesn't care about weight, spurs, or beard length, just a turkey to eat...

"Butterballs aren't good, like a wild one."

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[Gobbler428]

I have always evaluated gobblers by their beards because I don't have superman vision like some folks seem to have where I can see a gobbler's spurs from forty yards away...or even at ten yards unless there is no ground cover, which I have found to rarely be the case in almost every place I have ever hunted. 
...Hence, if multiple gobblers come in and present equal shot opportunities, I will always shoot the one I think has the best beard. As for the aforementioned spurs, like Forrest always said, spurs are like a box of chocolates for me...I never know what a gobbler will have until I have latched onto him. 

X2

[GobbleNut]

I find it interesting that a few are saying "I shoot the strutter".  Thinking about that, I have found that if I call multiple gobblers in at one time, they are (most of the time) either all strutting or all not.  Of course, there have been exceptions to that over the years, but generally speaking, they are all doing one or the other...or sometimes trading off and doing both. ...Just a personal observation.

[Kygobblergetter]

If one is noticeably more vocal, I'll try to shoot the other one if there's easy opportunity at both. That only applies to the private land that I hunt with my dad and brother because I figure they will have a better opportunity to kill the more vocal bird later on. Other than that I don't give it much thought. Whichever bird gives me an opportunity first is going to get shot.


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[Marc]

I have always evaluated gobblers by their beards because I don't have superman vision like some folks seem to have where I can see a gobbler's spurs from forty yards away...or even at ten yards unless there is no ground cover, which I have found to rarely be the case in almost every place I have ever hunted. 
...Hence, if multiple gobblers come in and present equal shot opportunities, I will always shoot the one I think has the best beard. As for the aforementioned spurs, like Forrest always said, spurs are like a box of chocolates for me...I never know what a gobbler will have until I have latched onto him. 

Presentation first (i.e. the one presenting the best shot), but I also prefer to shoot the longest beard...  Although coloration and size might come into play as well...

We apparently have Rio's and rarely Merriam's here in CA.  Couple years back, I had a pair come in, and shot the bird with Merriam coloration.

Last year, I had a pair come in behind me...  They came up the draw in front of me, and somehow got above and behind me...  As they were originally walking uphill to me, they appeared to be of similar size, both with long beards...


I was able to spin around, when I realized they got behind/above me, and they both poked their heads up over a knoll (so that I could only see their head and necks).  I shot the bird whose head was poking up the highest...  He had 6 (count em' 6) beards, and the longest was a rope!

Turns out I was darned lucky...  After I shot, both birds instantly disappeared, and two birds took off in flight.  Thought I must have shot over the top, and dejectedly walked up the hill to scope out the scene, and there laid my third, and dead bird...  That third bird that joined them, could have easily been a jake.

[Dtrkyman]

First one that gets in the way of my bead!

No real proof there is an advantage to shooting the Strutter so I don't care!

There are a few theories around about leaving the Strutter cuz he's dominant, but he's only dominant over the other bird he's with it doesn't mean he's the man of all the local Tom's!


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[Greg Massey]

In most cases your better off shooting the looker not the strutter, reason why you could turn the looker into a non-gobbling turkey. Hopefully in passing up the strutter you will still have a gobbling bird to hunt the next day.

Sure anything is possible and anything can happen...

It's all up to you which gobbler you want to shoot and I agree public / private land does plan a part in your decision

IMO

Lots of great posts ...

[bbcoach]

In most cases your better off shooting the looker not the strutter, reason why you could turn the looker into a non-gobbling turkey. Hopefully in passing up the strutter you will still have a gobbling bird to hunt the next

Question for you guys that have been at this sport for a longer period of time than I have.  If the strutter (dominant bird) is taken out of a 2-gobbler group, with or without hens, doesn't the sub assume that role? 

[Greg Massey]

In most cases your better off shooting the looker not the strutter, reason why you could turn the looker into a non-gobbling turkey. Hopefully in passing up the strutter you will still have a gobbling bird to hunt the next

Question for you guys that have been at this sport for a longer period of time than I have.  If the strutter (dominant bird) is taken out of a 2-gobbler group, with or without hens, doesn't the sub assume that role?

Good question, I think anything can happen in the pecking order if that gobbler is challenged at some point...

[WV Flopper]

From years ago:

In my experience if hunting good ground and you heard a gobbler, you hunted it. With luck you killed it. If this were the mature, dominant Tom of the area, typically this was the only turkey you heard gobble. Even if he were not alone. Sometimes his scout would sound off on a great morning or by excited calling. Sometimes.

If this was the mature dominant tom, and you killed him..... About three days later the holler would be lit up by other gobblers!

Today, I kill the first one that hits the magic yard line!

[Tom007]

Cleanest shot at the one with the nicest beard takes a ride in my "Canyon of Heroes" (My GMC Canyon Pick-up).

[tal]

From years ago:

In my experience if hunting good ground and you heard a gobbler, you hunted it. With luck you killed it. If this were the mature, dominant Tom of the area, typically this was the only turkey you heard gobble. Even if he were not alone. Sometimes his scout would sound off on a great morning or by excited calling. Sometimes.

If this was the mature dominant tom, and you killed him..... About three days later the holler would be lit up by other gobblers!

Today, I kill the first one that hits the magic yard line!

Bingo. You kill the dominant bird in a well established spring flock and the next couple of days (until the pecking order is worked out) you'll think you're the Pied Piper. The pecking order plays a strong role in the behavior of turkeys.

[Cowboy]

First clean shot on a mature gobbler....Looker has traveled home with me several times...

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[Turkeybutt]

I don't care how you cook them, you can boil them, fry them, bake them; those spurs and beards don't taste good! Take the shot that presents itself to you and be thankful for the opportunity.