When is Enough Enough?

[Spurs Up]

Simple open-ended question for you. Not trying to editorialize as I own them all. Where do or would you draw the line on use of technology in turkey hunting?  No matter whether it's legal or not...

Electronic Calls?
Guns (chokes, HTL shot, gauges, "smart guns"...)?
Decoys (motion...)?
Scouting aids (real time cameras/alerts)?
Timing feeders?
Listening devices?

Think about the recent evolution of technological aids and the advantages that give their users.  What's next and when is enough enough???

[catman529]

E calls are illegal here and I wouldn't see a need for em anyway. Baiting is also illegal here and turkeys are very vulnerable to it so I wouldn't support it ever...

Trail cameras or drones may help in some instances but really all they do is tell you the birds are there. You still have to hunt them. I had it easy enough looking out my window and seeing a turkey across the back field today I couldn't say a camera would help anymore. But I still had to go and hunt for the bird before I got a shot. Almost got busted once.

I guess I would draw the line at motorized decoys and posting about specific public land on the Internet. I may eventually be against fanning too if the population suffers from it... very successful method for any tom with hens, and dangerous in some instances, so it should be watched closely.

As for posting about public land online, I used to say where I killed my deer or turkeys several years ago, because I was proud of it, but now only people who know me know where I kill them. It's too easy to pick a spot to scout out based on what you Google search, and that eliminates all the work trying to find a good piece of public ground that most of us had to do. And results in overcrowding because everyone read on forums that WMA X was loaded with turkeys or some guys posted all their success from their trip to WMA Y.

[Spurs Up]

Great reply Catman!  Do you think cameras give you any advantage. Seems like they've made me more efficient...  good mention of drones too!

[g8rvet]

Simple open-ended question for you. Not trying to editorialize as I own them all. Where do or would you draw the line on use of technology in turkey hunting?  No matter whether it's legal or not...

Electronic Calls?
I don't even like using them on snows, where legal. 
Guns (chokes, HTL shot, gauges, "smart guns"...)?
HTL is fine, I shoot HW7 in a 20. 
Decoys (motion...)?
Decoys in fields I do, would never use artificial or even hand caused motion though
Scouting aids (real time cameras/alerts)?
Only my eyes.  My nephew puts out a camera pre season on out lease, but I don't pay it any mind. I moon it when I remember it is there and I am scouting.  There is so many sand roads there, you just don't need that.
Timing feeders?
No.  But chufas feed them, and I have hunted leases that fed those to THE GD HOGS!
Listening devices?
No.  I even co-invented one over a few beers with a buddy of mine and have a cousin with the technology to make it, but I decided, even if it made me money, I would rather it not be in the sport, so we just talk about it.

Think about the recent evolution of technological aids and the advantages that give their users.  What's next and when is enough enough???

Answers in the quote.

For me, enough is enough when it loses the fair chase for me.  All the holier than thou's like to preach about decoys and judge others. I am not into that at all.  It is about what makes it a sport for me.  My deer hunting evolution went from Rifle, to muzzleloader, to pistol, to compound to recurve.  I accomplished my goals and got bored.  I felt like a buzzard in a tree. I quit enjoying the HUNT.  I enjoy the HUNT with turkey and ducks and I enjoy being on the water chasing redfish.  I got pretty good with golf and just lost interest.  I may put my decoys away and never use them one day.  What I will never do is belittle others that want to hunt in a legal fashion and brag about how I hunt old school and if you don't you are somehow less than me.  And if I ever do, can y'all line up and smack me around a bit. 

This is a good thread and I will take my answers off the air. 

[Greg Massey]

This is why i ride my horse 16 miles one way to hunt and 16 miles back...i just leave my truck at home... Hunting over the years has changed i don't care what you think...from new type shotguns , shells , calls and camo.. So for people to say will i still hunt old school for turkeys YOUR just lying to yourself's.. Just because you don't hunt out of a blind use decoys or trail cam.  still doesn't make you a old school hunter...   I can remember we didn't even know what a turkey vest was, because we didn't have them or these new type turkey guns with special turkey chokes...So if you leave home in your 20000 - 40000 dollar truck with air -cond heading out turkey hunting your not old school in my book... my first old truck had roll down windows for air-cond and 6 cylinder motor that i turkey hunted with a 3 speed... my shotgun was a old browning and my calls were homemade snuff cans with a piece of rubber condom..  So in my opinion you don't know what old school is until you have walk in my shoes.. We hunted turkeys back in those days to help fill the freezer with meat to have food to eat along with deer and fish....     I hate to see people say well i HUNT TURKEYS OLD SCHOOL GIVE THIS OLD MAN A BREAK>>>>  YOU DON"T KNOW WHAT OLD SCHOOL IS THIS DAY AND TIME... WE PICK COTTON ALL DAY MAKING OR GETTING PAID 3 CENTS A POUND>>   SO let's enjoy all these new hunting equipment and hunt the way you want...

[LaLongbeard]

I don't think choke tubes or heavier than lead shot is in the same category as the others(if you keep shots under 40 yards that is). Cameras ,bait,electronic calls etc. are tools of lazy hunters period. For all those that cry and get upset when someone gives there opinion on what is cheating,1 question can you consistently kill gobblers without the use of decoys,bait, roost shooting,popup blinds game cameras etc. if the answer is yes then why waste the time and money if you could just as easily do it without them?I'm guessing most would answer no and that is the reason for the hurt feelings.And yes if another hunter can kill gobblers every season with nothing but a few calls and a shotgun and you have to have a trailer load of junk to kill one every other year then yes that hunter is better than you period.If I met another hunter that kills his limit every year with a homemade longbow hand made arrows and no blind or  camouflage It would  be stupid for me  to try and convince him I'm as good at turkey hunting as he is.If you make everything easy how do you know when your good at anything?

[Bearhunter247]

No to hearing devices , no to htl ( not against it just not interested), electronic calls no takes the skill out of learning. Don't mind decoys though only I've only used it to kill 2 birds but enjoyed seeing the interaction. I enjoy the one on one with a bird and feeling like I earn them. On the other hand.... Electronic calls for predators have at it! That's killing not hunting to me an ID like predators wiped out. And I'll use any kind of technology based gps tracking system to find my bear and coon hounds but then again I don't hardly ever shoot then I'd just assume to "jump em stump um tree um and free um" an let them go to chase again. But truthfully idc how ppl hunt. My grandpa said if u spend your time minding your own business you won't have anytime to mind anyone else's.

[Spurs Up]

Bearhunter, your granpa sounds like a wise man.

At what point is more about the gadgets and aids and less about the chase? Do we run the risk of becoming too efficient--taking the challenge out of the pursuit?  Where's that tipping point?

[Tail Feathers]

My line would be no electronic decoys or electronic calls.  The e callers are illegal here anyway, but I wouldn't use them if there were legal.
I sometimes using hearing amplification due to hearing loss.  I use it to help locate and put 'em away when I get close enough to hear one on my own.
No problem with HTL loads, but cameras for scouting seems unnecessary to me.  Not wrong, just really not needed.  We're not trying to judge antlers in the turkey woods.
I won't hunt over a feeder.

[Bearhunter247]

Thank you if the second part of the post was to me, it's all about the chase. I let a bird walk Monday because we lit off the limb in gun range after me tree calling twice. Thought we was most likely a 2 year old an I want the boss on the farm I'm hunting.with the dogs : if I didn't have to worry about them getting onto landowners that throw fits the tracking collars wouldn't be AS important. I love making puppies an a good chase is all that we yearn for the sound of the hound not the thrill of the kill

[MickT]

No to e calls

I don't have an issue with modern shotgun and shotshell technology as it makes us more efficient from 40 and in. The same goes for optics. The worst possible outcome from pulling the trigger (short of hitting a person) is wounding and losing a bird. Shotgunning is a game of probability every time you pull the trigger.

I'm not a big fan of decoys and certainly would not support anything that runs on batteries. I don't feel terribly strong about it otherwise.

Trail cams don't tell you a whole lot without bait. I'm opposed to any feeding preseason or otherwise. I know several hunters that need it to consistently kill on opening day.

I'm torn listening devices, simply because most of them are actually hearing protection devices. While I don't think we should stack the deck any more in our favor, turkey hunting would be a whole lot less less fun if i can't hear them at a distance.


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[catman529]

Great reply Catman!  Do you think cameras give you any advantage. Seems like they've made me more efficient...  good mention of drones too!

I don't know I've never used cameras for turkeys, just to see what kind of deer use the area. Drones are more of a novelty and probably not realistic (or legal in some states).


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[Happy]

For me it's about camo, a shotgun and shells. I have used a single hen decoy from time to time but I am not convinced that it helps as much as it can hurt. I think HTL can be a great tool but is often abused. Game cameras and bait are a no go. So is roost shooting electronic calls, strutter/jake decoys and blinds. Investing effort and skill into a successful hunt is what I prefer and I want to earn it.

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[Spurs Up]

Technological advances are sure to continue and, in an entrepreneurial spirit will be adopted and applied to hunting. If you doubt that, just think about turkey hunting today versus a short 20 to 30+ years ago.  Some of that change has made it easier and easier to get into turkey hunting and to enjoy success. Will you support that continued progression if it ultimately means more limited hunting opportunities (for example, shorter seasons and fewer available tags)?

[Ihuntoldschool]

I completely agree with the original poster about the technological advances and the advantages that many hunters are choosing to take just to get a bird killed.  Most hunters now are all about the kill and would take any legal advantage/aid or whatever you want to call it to kill a bird, LOL. 
All I take is a shotgun, lead shotshells (no copper/nickel), turkey calls, camouflage. I don't believe in blinds/decoys/fans/food plots/rifles/feeders (baiting I assume is illegal in all states anyway, not to say it doesn't happen because it does) I personally do not rely on technological gadgets to kill my birds; I don't need them but I know there are many that do. On the other hand you got a lot of good turkey hunters that choose to hunt the same way I do. I believe that is how turkeys were intended to be hunted when this sport started back in the day to preserve fair chase conditions and for the conservation of the wild turkey.  Things have sure changed but I will never change where I draw the line. I would quit turkey hunting before I had to resort to taking an unfair advantage. So no, I am not a fan of the way the sport has been made easier thru unfair tactics and technological advances so that the masses can have quick success without ever learning  how to turkey hunt.  Kind of like a participation trophy for all?

You take decoys/fans for example, take the wild right out of the wild turkey.
Blinds, let you move undetected and protect you from the elements.  This defeats the turkeys sight advantage and is unfair. Also, the turkey does not have a blind to crawl in when the weather is not suitable.  Why should the hunter?  If you going to call yourself a hunter you should have to brave the elements just the same as a turkey does.   And No I personally still will not use bug dope, as I know of at least one inquiring mind that wants to know.  This is where I draw my own lines as far as fair chase conditions, I realize others will have different opinions.  When I fool him, my bird is earned not bought.