Reminder: Hunt SAFE! (Turkey Hunter shot in Maryland)

[BowBendr]

BEARDED BIRD , how does this happen?  I will have to have good self control not to shoot back!

Absolutely, laws in most states specifically state that you must shoot a bearded bird, which requires you to positively see a beard before shooting. Both shooters in this case should be fined and imprisoned. Never be allowed to hunt again and pay all medical expenses back ten-fold.
I have read many papers regarding the beliefs of many psychologist about the theories of "seeing what your mind wanted you to see." Utter hogwash...hunting requires a great deal of mental capacities be used. If you aren't mentally capable of holding yourself in-check at the moment of shooting an "animal", do us all a favor and get out of the woods, you have no business being there, period.
If you were to shoot at me like that, I will assume that are trying to kill me, which you are, and I will shoot back, period.


Sent by this stupid phone

[sasquatch1]

Average 5'10" person vs a 2' tall turkey. Hmmm yea, they sure look close to alike.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bill Cooksey]

I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.

Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.

The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.

I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.

Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.

Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.

[Gobble!]

I live about 30 minutes from where this place. That is one piece of public land I never hunt alone. There was a story from years ago when you had to take deer to the check in stations that someone actually shot a goat and tried to check it in as a deer. Lots of movement shooters there.

[Gobble!]

I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.

Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.

The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.

I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.

Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.

Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.

So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?

[VanHelden Game Calls]

I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.

Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.

What?  He stated it was early and the heavy foliage made it even darker.  Not to hard to comprehend.........

The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.

I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.

Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.

Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.

So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?

[Bill Cooksey]

I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.

Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.

The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.

I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.

Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.

Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.

So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?

Not at all. It was well after legal shooting time. That would be thirty minutes before sunrise here, and it can be pretty damn dark in thick woods before direct sun hits them. Couple of years ago I shot a bird twenty minutes after sunrise, but due to the woods and the lay of the land I had to wait for him to turn sideways and his beard become visible before I was certain he was the gobbler I'd heard coming. It was so dark the color didn't even show on his head.

I take it you're saying you don't have much luck shooting gobblers right after flydown.

[Gobble!]

I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.

Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.

The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.

I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.

Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.

Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.

So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?

Not at all. It was well after legal shooting time. That would be thirty minutes before sunrise here, and it can be pretty damn dark in thick woods before direct sun hits them. Couple of years ago I shot a bird twenty minutes after sunrise, but due to the woods and the lay of the land I had to wait for him to turn sideways and his beard become visible before I was certain he was the gobbler I'd heard coming. It was so dark the color didn't even show on his head.

I take it you're saying you don't have much luck shooting gobblers right after flydown.

Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.

[Bill Cooksey]

Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.

Don't know what "Green Ridge" is. Possibly you should spend more time in the woods. It's amazing how different things look as light changes throughout the day. By the way, it was a "charred" stump. Black, just as a gobbler appears without direct sun hitting it. The stump was about 25 yards. In this case, an odd set of circumstances and lighting combined to almost fool me. The more time you spend hunting, the more likely it becomes that numerous factors will come together to cause you to have a somewhat similar experience.

Doubt all you like. I've hunted long enough, and successfully enough, to not be overly concerned by the uninformed opinions of those who have less experience.

[Gobble!]

Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.

Don't know what "Green Ridge" is. Possibly you should spend more time in the woods. It's amazing how different things look as light changes throughout the day. By the way, it was a "charred" stump. Black, just as a gobbler appears without direct sun hitting it. The stump was about 25 yards. In this case, an odd set of circumstances and lighting combined to almost fool me. The more time you spend hunting, the more likely it becomes that numerous factors will come together to cause you to have a somewhat similar experience.

Doubt all you like. I've hunted long enough, and successfully enough, to not be overly concerned by the uninformed opinions of those who have less experience.

Thats cute but your still the one who was going to pull the trigger on a stump at 25 yards in the middle of the dark. Glad that stump didnt put its head up or you may have shot someone.

[Bill Cooksey]

I apologize for my inability to articulate my thoughts in a way you can grasp. Most of the very experienced turkey hunters I know have had similar experiences.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Just out of curiosity, what states/areas do you and most of the experienced turkey hunters you know generally hunt?

[Bill Cooksey]

I hunt mostly in TN. The others are liable to be found in virtually any state. To the best of my knowledge I don't know any who was behind the gun in a turkey hunting accident, but I do know a few victims. Just because I understand how an accident can happen doesn't excuse the accident or the person who pulled the trigger.

Here's the deal. It's kind of like missing, spend enough time in the turkey woods and it's going to happen. Sooner or later, your brain is going to tell you to shoot when it shouldn't. 99.999% of the time it's a non-issue, and it will have nothing to do with another person. Most won't pull the trigger, and the few who do probably won't admit it. It's far more common than most realize or care to admit. Thank God it's rare for another to be on the receiving end.

[Gobble!]

I hunt mostly in TN. The others are liable to be found in virtually any state. To the best of my knowledge I don't know any who was behind the gun in a turkey hunting accident, but I do know a few victims. Just because I understand how an accident can happen doesn't excuse the accident or the person who pulled the trigger.

Here's the deal. It's kind of like missing, spend enough time in the turkey woods and it's going to happen. Sooner or later, your brain is going to tell you to shoot when it shouldn't. 99.999% of the time it's a non-issue, and it will have nothing to do with another person. Most won't pull the trigger, and the few who do probably won't admit it. It's far more common than most realize or care to admit. Thank God it's rare for another to be on the receiving end.

I feel like with all this experience you speak of you would have enough sense to not consider shooting at something you can barely see. Do you click the safety off at movement or anything red as well?

[Bill Cooksey]

Have fun with it.  Thing is, the ones to fear are those who don't believe their brains can play tricks on them in the woods. Folks like me will wait because we know we aren't immune.