Unethical or Not 2

[g8rvet]

Nephew has bird scouted on very public location - easy access, lots of folks know about the area.  Has listened to him for 4 days prior to opener.  On opening morning he parks where he wants to hunt. Gets there 4 hours before daylight.  Has a couple of trucks come in, see his truck and turn around.  One goes past (plenty of places to hunt beyond him).  The place he is hunting is a U shaped turkey oak flat above a creek bottom.  It is 600 yards wide and 300 yards deep at the deepest point. 

Just before gobble time he and friend get out of truck, waiting to see where he is roosted.  It is about 35 minutes prior to daylight.  Truck pulls in and sees him and backs up.  He is listening to hear if the truck drives off, but the bird sounds off, so his attention is directed at the bird.  The bird is on the end of the flat that he is parked next to.  Roughly 250 yards from his truck.  He heads in.  He gets as close as he dares and sets up.  Bird answers his call on the limb.  Flies down to the flat.  Gobbles.  He gives a little light calling when he hears a hen, toward where the guy backed up to.  The bird responds to that.  They have a little call war, with nephew being a little soft and late guy being aggressive.  Late guy has the bird coming and BOOM.  Shoots the bird (or at least no more gobbles and no tracks leaving the flat).  Not 150 yards from my nephew.  Definitely close enough to hear each other's calling.  The guy saw his truck and knew he was there.  Nephew walks back to truck and down the road to have a discussion but the guy is gone.  This is on 550,00 acre WMA in Florida.  TONS of rooms to spread out. 

I know what I think, but curious to hear from others. 

[chadly]

Welcome to public land.  I can tell stories very similar.  Being public each to his own.  I would never do to others as they a have done to me.  Saturday is the youth opener for us Iowans.  I will be there way earlier than necessary just for the reason you stated.  With that said it would not surprise me to hear someone calling from way to close after sun light.  Its beat and its public. 

[Spurs]

Rights are rights, but curtesy is curtesy. 

Your nephew sounds like a go getter for sure...it will pay off in the long run.

As the old saying goes, "what goes around comes around".


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[M Sharpe]

No, it's not ethical....but that's public land and those kind you just have to deal with. Greed will make folks do all kinds of things!! That's why I say it is not about the hunt any more, it's about the kill. GREED.....GREED...GREED!!!!!! Some folks just never had the proper up bringing!!!

[hobbes]

Legal.....yes.
Ethical.....no, provided the guy knew your nephew was set up on the bird.  Some folks are just plain ignorant of ethics.  Some folks are devious.  Hopefully the ignorant ones learn and the devious ones find another hobby. (I could think of a few worse things that could happen to the devious ones)

I've had it done to me at least a couple times.  Both birds got away.

[Happy]

Agree with all the above post. Unfortunately public ground is one of the worst spots for decent manners. I understand an honest mistake now and then. It happens. However I believe in first come first serve and try to get back in away from people before anyone even shows up. People in general are pretty lazy and aren't going to do a whole lot of work. Sorry your son went through that but doubt it will be the last time.

[silvestris]

Unethical, but legal for the if it's legal it's alright guys.

[catman529]

I wouldn't intentionally try to set up on a bird that someone else was likely set up on. But if it happened that someone else was calling to a bird I was working, then it's just a matter of who's better at calling him in.

[SteelerFan]

I'm going to put it in the category of just plain rude and inconsiderate. I don't know that it fits the definition of what is or is not ethical, to me. Symantecs - I know... Competition is always going to exist on public ground. That's the unfortunate side effect of unlimited access to a limited resource, even if it is 550,000 acres.

Like others have said, it's more of a reflection on that individual as a person, with a lack of common courtesy. More so than it is a matter of ethics.

I've often lamented the fact that we, as hunters, have to lock our tree stands and game cameras to keep them from being stolen by other "hunters". *sigh...

[mudhen]

You had me at "public land"....

I think many of today's turkey hunters will walk into an active gobbling situation, even if they know it's occupied...


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[Hookinembig]

Legal yes but its public land what do you expect. Its not any different then when some cuts you off in a car or skips in front of you in line. Common courtesy for the most part said good bye a long time ago. If you hunt public land this is not surprising. To help avoid this travel further off the beaten path and the chances of this happening decrease. Lazy hunters are less willing to walk  a 1/4 of a mile much less a half a mile to hunt so this guy wouldn't have been present most likely.

[Farmboy27]

I don't ever expect anyone to be ethical on public land. I once had a guy set up between me and the gobbler and never call. He shot the bird and took off but I caught up to him at his truck. He was in such a hurry to leave that the bird was not tagged and was still alive!!  Only time I every reported anyone to the game commission.

[sswv]

public land story...back when the 835 hit the scene a young friend of mine had to have one. he worked with it and picked his favorite ammo (which was slim back then). he practiced his calling and did his scouting. first week he's on public land set up on a bird on a wide ridge that runs off into a dirt road about 350-400 yards away.  he has a bird doing everything a hunter could ask for. the bird is coming in hard and he is ready. the bird shows up to his left strutting. he has the gun ready but watches the show for just a bit. the birds get in the middle of the ridge right in front of my friend about 35-40yds away. he makes a quick alert call and the bird sticks his head straight up, BOOM, bird starts flopping at the exact same time my friend hears blood curling screams from the narrow end of the ridge in front of him. Yep, he shot another hunter that was trying to sneak up on the bird. guy is full of shot cussing and screaming but not dying. friend gets help as soon as possible. local DNR shows and now keep in mind the sneaky hunter admitted he never once made a call.   I know the outcome but curious what the gang here thinks it should have been.

[g8rvet]

I know the outcome but curious what the gang here thinks it should have been.

No charges.  Punishment fit the stupidity.  No possible way to know what was behind his target. 

[Happy]

Agreed. He positively identified his target. What someone else does out of his sight is beyond his control. It's a horrible thing to have happen but I would put no blame on him.