Would you?

[HOOKS1]

NO!!!!

[hookedspur]

Uhh..... Yea.        

[unclerick]

You mean you have to ask a question like that??

  Yeah!!!!!    

[turkey slayer]

  I would

[surehuntsalot]

in a heartbeat

[Jay]

This exact thing happened to me a few years ago...I hunt in an area with very few birds and our seasons are very short..5 to 9 days..I took the shot,and while I was very glad to have gotten a bird,the reason I hunt em "the thrill" wasn't there.I probably wouldn't do it again.

Then you wouldn't stalk a bird either?

When I move on a bird it's to get in a better position to call him from.Many times that move is done slowly/quietly,if that is what you call a stalk , then yes.But the thrill is in the strutting/gobbling.

Well, there seems to be some negative to stalking, but to work your way close enough to get a shot at any animal with superior senses was considered the true sign of a hunter by the American Indian.   Of course they were using a bow, which was a bit more challenging.

[RutnNStrutn]

Then you wouldn't stalk a bird either?

But the thrill is in the strutting/gobbling.

Well, there seems to be some negative to stalking, but to work your way close enough to get a shot at any animal with superior senses was considered the true sign of a hunter by the American Indian.

While I agree that the thrill is in strutting/gobbling, I never pass up an opportunity because I don't get that many each year and I want to make good on every one that I do get.
There is a negative connotation that some people put on stalking, but I think it is nonsense. As Jay said, the American Indian thought that ability was the sign of a true hunter. And while they used bows, they were also as good with them as most guys are with a turkey shotgun.
So to answer the question.......

[redleg06]

 

[OLE RASPY]

There is a negative connotation that some people put on stalking, but I think it is nonsense.

Me 2 it is nonsense.People can think what they want and giving the oppurtunity i will stalk.Perfectly legal and perfectly ethical.

[chatterbox]

I would. If I got that close without him knowing I was there, I would take the shot. No question.

[NYbassman]

I would not pull the trigger. I did the same thing once and it didn't settle well with me, just didn't feel like I earned him. Felt like crap about that one for awhile. I would rather go without filling my tag than to tag one like that. If anything, wait til he moves off and reposition to try and call him in.

[keyser12ga]

Absolutely!  While hunting does require skill, theres always room for a little luck.

[flintlock]

DEFINITELY at 25 yards.  30 is at the max of my range, so I may give him a soft purrrr/cluck to see if I might pull him a few yards closer.

[guesswho]

You mean you have to ask a question like that??

  Yeah!!!!!    

Not really.   I figured I knew most peoples answer. 

Forty years ago he would have been a dead bird.   Then after about ten years it was an at the moment decision.   Twenty years ago I might kill him one out of ten chances.  Now for about the last ten years killing him don't even cross my mind.   It seems like I get a chance or two every year to do it, but now I'd rather watch him walk off and kill him under different circumstances later on.

[turkey_slayer]

I would not pull the trigger. I did the same thing once and it didn't settle well with me, just didn't feel like I earned him. Felt like crap about that one for awhile. I would rather go without filling my tag than to tag one like that. If anything, wait til he moves off and reposition to try and call him in.

Same here. Shot one like that and I never got the adrenaline rush or excited feel.  Felt bad for taking his life like that instead of playing the game.  I dont care if someone else does though as long as they are happy with it