Shooting a Gobbler standing up

[Greg Massey]

How many of you have ever killed a gobbler while standing up. In all my years of hunting one of the best gobblers i've ever killed i was standing up. I have the bird mounted in a full strut at my hunting cabin.

[870supermagnum]

I've never shot one standing up, but I missed one three times standing up (was off balance).   

[busta biggun]

I don't think it's fair to shoot them when they are asleep so I always wait for them to stand up! ;-) (ok, sorry for the sarcasm, I couldn't resist) I have shot a standing turkey before. I was fall hunting and we were walking through the woods. Seemed odd to me.

[Bill Cooksey]

First year TN had a four bird limit, I shot three while I was standing and one while I was kneeling. Fun to move in so close you don't have time to sit. Also, often you have a better view and more open shooting lanes while either kneeling or standing. By not being set (sit) in your ways, you have a whole lot more options on where to set up.

[Tail Feathers]

I've killed two or three while standing up.  The last one was in a field and wouldn't respond at all to my calls from afar.  I slipped up to the tree line at the edge of his field and was too visible to risk trying to sit down.  When he finally broke he ran right up to the tree line and 20 yards where I was standing behind a tree.

[Jwall]

One morning on public land I walked down a deep dry ditch and accidentally or luckily snuck up on a tom in full strut showing off for two hens. The hens putted and began to walk off but I didn't give the tom that opportunity, as I was standing there here was trying to figure out what hill he wanted to run up and the 870 gave him the ol TKO.

[taylorjones20]

Yep killed a few standing up and kneeling.  Killed some laying on my stomach as well.

[TauntoHawk]

A few actually, I'm thinking like 4 for various reasons. My favorite though was a buddy and myself went after a swamp bird one morning that I had hunted the week before, but I was on the wrong side of the railroad tracks when he started to gobble and I couldn't get to him because of a train coming down the tracks and by the time the train passed and i got over there he was down on the ground and 400yds out into a field headed off with hens on property I didn't have access to but his beard seemed to drag on the ground which intrigued me.

To get to these birds we had to cross a railroad track in the dark the next weekend and then on the other side the woods had a deep creek meandering through it and lots of low swampy ground and some raised up plateaus with Pines and oaks. We went left and set up but he started gobbling late and on the right side so we had to loop out and around the creek to get close to him. We set up and he was gobbling good but didn't seem to be moving much in the first few minutes when we hear a train coming again. My buddy said he that it was going to be super loud and there's enough cover in here we can slip really close to him without being seen and be in good position to kill him as soon as the train passes. So when the train started rattling by way to loud to hear anything or call we started slipping quickly down a deer trail toward the gobbler. We got maybe 50-60yds when my buddy who is a full head taller than I am told me to freeze, "dude here he comes right at us", "where"... "like point your gun right down the trail he's gonna come over the next rise and be right down your gun barrel"

He was right this bird pops up over the rise in full strut straight infront of us a mere 12yds away, he must have thought hey that hen will never hear my sweet gobbling with that darn train rattling by I better go get her fast. he was so into his strutting he never saw us both standing there in full camo and I shot him head on full strut mid drum at 8yds with a fist full of mag blends.

He had my longest beard to date at a 11 1/8th in and when we came out of the woods had one of the prettiest sunrises coming up over the Hudson just a mere 3/4mile away. Fun hunt and was over in 10min

[chcltlabz]

Yep killed a few standing up and kneeling.  Killed some laying on my stomach as well.

I don't know about you, but that hurts   Recoil of a turkey load down onto your shoulder does not feel good at all.

I shot one like this up a small grade.  He wouldn't come out of strut for anything, but he was facing right at me, so I shot him anyways (he was near the top of the hill, so 2 steps and he would have been gone or I would have waited).  I broke both wings, both legs, broke the breast bone and I thought I broke my collar bone.  I ended up grinding the whole bird so I could get all the pellets out, and still ran a couple through the grinder.

I've killed one spring bird, and a few fall birds standing, but the most notable was a "fall" bird I killed on snowshoes.

[stinkpickle]

I've done it a few times.

[guesswho]

About 20-25% of the ones I've killed have been while I was standing.

[snapper1982]

Several standing and several more kneeling.

[OldSchool]

I've killed a few standing and spooked a few that probably wouldn't have if I'd been on the ground with a lower profile.

Bob

[fallhnt]

Just in the fall

[beaverslayer]

I killed one a few years ago while standing with a Bow.  I leaned against a big ole oak and he come by at 30 yards.  When his head went behind a tree I drew and when he came out he stopped, I put the 30 yard pin at the base of his wing, and released.  The arrow smacked him and he ran down a large ridge.  I picked up a blood trail at the bottom and tracked him to a shallow creek where he laid all sprawled out dead.  He had an almost 12" beard and 1 3/8 spurs.  I used a homemade box call to call him up.  I had to stick it in one of the pockets of my pants and I was scared to death it was going to sqwawk every time I moved.