REAPING Is Out--New Jersey Is Right.

[SteelerFan]

Hasn't been legal in Pennsylvania, either. As per the regulation: "NO STALKING...Hunting by calling only"

[wvmntnhick]

Hasn't this been beaten into the ground enough? Seems like this gets brought up quite a bit.

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Not to my knowledge.

I have not heard of a state outlawing Reaping or stalking with a decoy/fan before. Maybe there is another state the outlawed it???

Have read the Reaping posts which are usually quite heated, but that's not what this post is about.

Maybe the OP made a comment about reaping, but still the post is about a state outlawing it. However it will deteriorate into an argument I am sure.

My comment wasn't geared solely at the participation or practice of reaping. Many of the following posts weren't either. They were veering towards the "safety" aspect and personal opinion of such a method. Any time reaping gets mentioned here it becomes an "issue." Some like it, others don't. Something we all have to just deal with and get over. As for the outlawing of such methods, MY OPINION is that it's crazy. Think that was stated in my original post but don't see that in your quote. Once they find a way to outlaw one aspect of the game, they'll find ways to regulate more of it. Al it takes is a small foothold to get started up the mountain.

[Bowguy]

Hasn't this been beaten into the ground enough? Seems like this gets brought up quite a bit.

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Not to my knowledge.

I have not heard of a state outlawing Reaping or stalking with a decoy/fan before. Maybe there is another state the outlawed it???

Have read the Reaping posts which are usually quite heated, but that's not what this post is about.

Maybe the OP made a comment about reaping, but still the post is about a state outlawing it. However it will deteriorate into an argument I am sure.

My comment wasn't geared solely at the participation or practice of reaping. Many of the following posts weren't either. They were veering towards the "safety" aspect and personal opinion of such a method. Any time reaping gets mentioned here it becomes an "issue." Some like it, others don't. Something we all have to just deal with and get over. As for the outlawing of such methods, MY OPINION is that it's crazy. Think that was stated in my original post but don't see that in your quote. Once they find a way to outlaw one aspect of the game, they'll find ways to regulate more of it. Al it takes is a small foothold to get started up the mountain.

Just to be clear, maybe my first post wasn't correctly worded. In a sense it was never legal, no one actually outlawed it. It was reworded in the hunt digest to include fan on a stick.,you always had to call them n in fact by law you can't even be in the woods without a call, also always stated no stalking, same as Pa.

[renegade19]

Just curious, how effective is this method of "hunting"?  Just because it works on TV doesn't really mean a whole lot to me.  I mean I see guys (and girls) that I have generally poor opinions of kill 200" whitetails quite often on some of the so called hunting shows.  We all know it's not quite as easy as the pay as you go high fence ranch stuff makes it out to be.  Really not sure where I stand on this "issue".   I'll hang up and listen now................

[/quot
The two times I've utilized a fan it worked great. Not an expert on it, but will gain more knowledge on the subject thru trial and error/success.

I'd be really interested to see how it works for you in the future.  Post your findings if you get time.

[dirt road ninja]

Will do.

[mikejd]

NJ is a little different tghen olot of other states as there are hunters in every wood lot. But I dont think it should be illeagal. If you hunt in a place where it is safe to do it probably a fun way to hunt. There is never a shortage of stupid rules and laws.

[Number17]

Hasn't been legal in Pennsylvania, either. As per the regulation: "NO STALKING...Hunting by calling only"

It wasn't always illegal in Pa.

I've tried it twice. Once I had a gobbler charge in to 10' and strut his butt off. He got an arrow for his effort.
The second time I had a hung up rainy day longbeard slowly approach to about 60 yards and slowly walk away. I was in a wide open picked bean field without a stitch of cover anywhere.

Neither time did I stalk the birds. I simply crawled to where I could be seen and sat behind my decoy/fan. Clucking and yelping softly to keep the second one at ease. The first one never gave me a chance because he was on me within seconds.

I see it as setting up a decoy and sitting tight rather than crawling away.

I certainly beats hunting out of a pop up tent.

Now Pa says something about reaping specifically, not sure on the wording, but again, I have not used a decoy to stalk closer to the birds. I use them to decoy the birds to me.
I guess the best argument against it would be that you are using a decoy as a "blind". Since you aren't fully concealed, that would be against Pa law.
If they outlawed the idea of sitting withing "x" feet of a decoy, I wouldn't shed a tear over it. I'd just go back to the plethora of other ways I've used to kill longbeards.

[quavers59]

Even on private property you may not be alone and that would have to be on the minds of hunters who try crawling out into a field with a moving gobbler tail. Gun Club leased lands would not be good for (reaping) either. How well I remember 2 turkey hunters--one had blue pants and white sneakers! They trotted off a connecting woods road and onto Gun Club leased land. A gobbler was hammering hard in the woods 75 yards in the woods and I was at a field edge and just ready to enter the woods. They ran towards me port-arms until they saw me - then ran down the field to get around on the tom. That was scary!! They spooked the tom.  Some neighbors off your private land may know your land as well as you.

[GobbleNut]

Posted this on another site having the same discussion,...too lazy to reword it for this one....

I agree this is a "dead horse" issue. For me, its pretty simple,....if you like hunting in this manner, do it,...and if you don't, don't do it. If we get to the point where "reaping" becomes a biological issue and threatens the well-being of our turkey populations, then I will change my tune about it. ...Or when it becomes clear that there is a genuine safety issue involved (there is no data available at this time to support that idea), then I might be persuaded to oppose the practice.

Each of us hunts under conditions that affect our abilities to be successful. The tactics and methods I use where I hunt are not necessarily the same tactics/methods that someone else needs to use to be successful where they hunt. Here's a question to ponder: Should the guy who hunts public (or private) land that is hammered by other hunters to a point that it is virtually impossible to call in a gobbler be restricted to the same hunting methods as the guy who hunts a private property that is loaded with lightly-hunted gobblers that are easily called in?

Personally, I have hunted both types of places. And I have concluded, in some of those places, that I was not going to kill a gobbler simply by using a call and having a gobbler come to it. I am not a "reaper",...but I have by-golly changed my preferred hunting tactics to something else,...something that some others that hunt under different conditions might have frowned upon,...in order to ultimately be successful. And conversely, there are those that have come here from other places and resorted to tactics that I would never "endorse" using here.

Here's another thing. I happen to be one of the people that believe turkeys are capable of "learning", through experience, to avoid things that are dangerous to their well-being. Turkeys that are called to a lot over time, and have negative encounters with hunters as a result, will learn to avoid going to turkey calling. I believe gobblers (and hens) will learn to avoid reaping techniques/fanning/gobbler decoys in those places where those techniques are commonly used.

[Greg Massey]

Posted this on another site having the same discussion,...too lazy to reword it for this one....

I agree this is a "dead horse" issue. For me, its pretty simple,....if you like hunting in this manner, do it,...and if you don't, don't do it. If we get to the point where "reaping" becomes a biological issue and threatens the well-being of our turkey populations, then I will change my tune about it. ...Or when it becomes clear that there is a genuine safety issue involved (there is no data available at this time to support that idea), then I might be persuaded to oppose the practice.

Each of us hunts under conditions that affect our abilities to be successful. The tactics and methods I use where I hunt are not necessarily the same tactics/methods that someone else needs to use to be successful where they hunt. Here's a question to ponder: Should the guy who hunts public (or private) land that is hammered by other hunters to a point that it is virtually impossible to call in a gobbler be restricted to the same hunting methods as the guy who hunts a private property that is loaded with lightly-hunted gobblers that are easily called in?

Personally, I have hunted both types of places. And I have concluded, in some of those places, that I was not going to kill a gobbler simply by using a call and having a gobbler come to it. I am not a "reaper",...but I have by-golly changed my preferred hunting tactics to something else,...something that some others that hunt under different conditions might have frowned upon,...in order to ultimately be successful. And conversely, there are those that have come here from other places and resorted to tactics that I would never "endorse" using here.

Here's another thing. I happen to be one of the people that believe turkeys are capable of "learning", through experience, to avoid things that are dangerous to their well-being. Turkeys that are called to a lot over time, and have negative encounters with hunters as a result, will learn to avoid going to turkey calling. I believe gobblers (and hens) will learn to avoid reaping techniques/fanning/gobbler decoys in those places where those techniques are commonly used.

Agree, great words of wisdom, hunt the way you want and the way you need and use common senses and Techniques. Be safe..

[1iagobblergetter]

Hasn't this been beaten into the ground enough? Seems like this gets brought up quite a bit. I'm not taking shots at anyone in particular but people will hunt the way they want. If others don't like it, don't watch or participate. I've not done it yet but the open fields here certainly lend themselves to the opportunity. Might try it, might not. I'm with DRN on this one. Hate to see anything outlawed. It starts there then they find other ways to take things away.


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x2 I have know interest whatsoever, but doesn't mean others dont! Once that's outlawed it makes it easier to come after something I like. I'm sure whoever hunts turkeys this way have to know of the danger and if it's a chance they want to take so be it. If it doesn't go the way they want it'll probably be the last time they do it.

[Big perm2]

If you can't callem!!!!! Crawlem!!!


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[wvmntnhick]

If you can't callem!!!!! Crawlem!!!


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[Greg Massey]

If you can't callem!!!!! Crawlem!!!


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x2 funny

[turkeyfoot]

If you can't callem!!!!! Crawlem!!!


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Best one I've read in while    And to the don't want to see it illegal methods of hunting already have lots of restrictions wouldn't be end of world if state outlawed it due to lack of skill required into holding up a fan and stalking birds in states with declining numbers I could see this doing some real damage