Knowing When NOT To Pull the Trigger

[GobbleNut]

Awaiting the upcoming spring season, I tend to watch a few videos to get the blood pumping. On occasion, I will watch one where the hunter shoots a gobbler...or at one...that I say to myself "you should never have pulled the trigger in that situation". Those times are almost always when the shot is taken when it appears, from the camera angle, that there were other turkeys that could have been hit by the shot.

Giving the hunter the benefit of the doubt, I assume that the camera angle and the shot angle were different and the potential for secondary wounded/killed turkeys is not really there. The point of this post, though, is to discourage folks from taking those questionable shots in situations where multiple birds are too close together. There is never a time when the desire to be successful in killing a gobbler overrides making sure the shot taken is an ethical one.

Now jumping off soapbox...    

[eggshell]

Again we feel the same way Gobblenut. We were just hit with a big winter storm and I spent the last few days inside for the bulk of the day. I also have been watching some videos and I just had the same thought this morning. I watched one video where two guys in a blind tried to double up on a pair of gobblers by passing off the gun. The second bird was definitely wounded and the shot probably should not have been taken at a fleeing bird. What bothered me most was there was no comment or video footage that they even acknowledged a hit bird or tried to follow up and recover it. I had to comment on that one. This used to be more of an issue in the older videos and I think many of the newer youtubers do a good job at shot picking. At least the better known guys, yes even THP. I think there are a lot of wounded birds every season. Most probably recover but many don't. I would guess harvest numbers are 10% higher with these losses.

[Tom007]

Another great (important) post Jim. There is a lot that can go wrong when shooting at a gobbler, we all experienced this. Brush, the birds alertness and movement, and distance calculation. I mention the later because I now carry a rangefinder in my vest. This is a game changer.Even though I am an avid golfer, judging close range shots can be challenging. I range spots when I first set-up. 35 yards on in is my wheelhouse. Knowing your proficiency regarding distance is critical in assuring clean-ethical kills. Range time, practice and finding the best choke/load combo eliminates a few of the things that can go wrong during the moment of truth. Be safe...