my thoughts on reaping

[LaLongbeard]

The turkeys haven't changed their habits.  They have been sprinting to hens and gobblers in open fields since the introduction of the axe.  I don't know what to call it, but other than a crutch, it is not Turkey hunting, it is merely Turkey killing, and is a tactic suitable for Ned in the first reader.

This is a perfect example of an opinion and nothing else.  We all should know by now that people's opinions are hard to change.

Opinion?

So I can take any 9 year old that has enough coordination to hold a fan in one hand and a .410 in the other give him 2 min of verbal instruction and let him out across a field from a strutter and unless he drops the gun he's gonna get a shot. That's not an opinion that's a fact.
   Can I now take this same 9 year old give him a box call and his .410 and drop him off in the National Forest here in La and expect him to have any chance at all of killing a Gobbler? I've never yet met one of the fanners/reapers or anyone that promotes it or agrees with it that was even a decent turkey hunter. From what I've seen it takes a certain level of incompetence and desperation to even consider such tactics.

[GobbleNut]

First of all, I HATE the word Reaping.  It just sounds dirty.  Sounds like a fad word too and I don't like fad words (Thunder Chicken, etc.)

Totally agree with that EPG. 

Although we have beat this horse to death multiple times, there is nothing wrong with folks respectfully stating their opinions about it and sharing their thoughts on why they feel the way they do. 

I agree a lot with some of the opinions you state in your thoughtful post.  I just am not quite so adamant about it as you and a lot of others here are.  For one, I recognize that most all of us hunt under different sets of conditions and with different personal constraints and obligations.  I wish everybody had the time and desire to hunt turkeys the way I do.  I also wish everybody had the opportunity to hunt a place where having a gobbler come to a call gobbling and strutting on a somewhat regular basis would allow them to fully understand why some of us frown on the use of tactics like reaping (there are some other tactics folks use that seem to be more acceptable that I personally disdain,...but I choose to keep my mouth shut about them). 

When all is said and done, for me it is all about personal attitudes. It's about being aware of how your hunting method (whatever it might be) and how you apply it impacts on the resource.  Ask yourself this,...in an area with a "marginal" turkey population, is the guy that only has a weekend to hunt and reaps a bird or two a worse representative of the turkey hunting community than the guy that gets to hunt the entire season and kills four or five gobblers by calling?  ..Or worse yet, kills his four or five gobblers and then takes other hunters out to kill four or five more only to prove just how good a turkey caller/hunter he is?

You may have a firm opinion about that question based on the method of harvest,...but to me, it is very debatable.  Personally, I say kill turkeys the way you want to,...but always do so with a full awareness and understanding of just how your hunting method impacts the turkey population where you hunt,....and adjust your attitude accordingly.

[fallhnt]

Reaping 2020

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Happy]

Here's my opinion.  Some will agree, most probably won't.  And that's ok.

First of all, I HATE the word Reaping.  It just sounds dirty.  Sounds like a fad word too and I don't like fad words (Thunder Chicken, etc.)

Someone mentioned Reaping as "dumbing down".  I think that's the perfect description.  It's kind of like shooting these long range shells.  I'm not against shooting TSS, etc. for an improved pattern.  I don't care for the fact that folks use them to routinely shoot 60-70 yards at a turkey.  Once again, it becomes a crutch.

I don't buy into the "if it's legal, then it's ok."  Should it be accepted to use a remote control decoy to roll out into a field and drag a Gobbler to you?  It's legal in some states.  Deep in your heart as a turkey hunter, do you think that is honestly ok to do?  Just because it's legal.  Not always the best argument for something. That's a different subject though.

Agree or disagree, but this is a FACT whether you support it or not.  Reaping takes zero skill to kill a turkey.  You could hand one a reaping decoy to a dude off a street corner in NYC that's never been off the pavement, never seen a turkey in the wild, and he could have one in his lap in no time.   Sure it doesn't work every single time, but it takes no skill.  It takes nothing put in, nothing earned.  I'm not saying he couldn't choke on a call, sound more like a dying cat, and call one in.... it happens.  But, it's not sustainable.  I don't know how many times I've heard, "He wouldn't come to a call, so I reaped him.   He came running".  Or "he wouldn't come closer, so I shot him at 75 yards".  It just rubs me the wrong way.  I don't want to sound cheesy, but from a personal standpoint, I find it disrespectful.  Dead is dead, I get it.  It's like being told you are being fed fried bologna, but you get served Spam... it just doesn't sit right.   

I always hear this argument for hunter recruitment and that such views suppress hunter numbers.  I don't buy that.  Sometimes truths needs to be told and folks need to realize that participation trophies past the age of 7 or 8 benefits no one long term.  I can't speak for other regions, but in the south, hunter numbers cannot possibly be declining.  Maybe they aren't buying licenses, but they are hunting. 

I guess you aren't cool these days if you don't have a walk out video on social media with a dead turkey over your shoulder.  Chest poking out swagger.  Usually with some tunes.  All in good fun I know.  I know.

Anyway, so now I've posted my true thoughts on it, which I doubt no one really cares.  And I have probably gained no friends from being honest.  It's just an opinion and as someone else said, when understood as such it shouldn't make any one mad.  A couple of us have stated what many think, but won't post.   Hey, I may be totally wrong in my way of thinking.

I agree 100% on this. People tend to get upset when you call it what it is though. I however can ignore most people's behavior. The only things I will quickly speak out against is illegal behavior and the wasting of meat. Both of those things royally tick me off.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[eggshell]

You already know I am against reaping, but the last few post make some good points as well. I agree Gobblenut, I don't recruit people to take out and call for or assist. If someone calls and ask me for help I will do it if I trust them as ethical hunters. I know guys who just want to brag on how many kills they were responsible for. This year I tagged out on day 5 of our month long season. I hunted 5 other days and three of those were the last 6 days of season to try and help friends tag a bird. They called and asked, it was because I could take them to new ground. I had one guy call and ask if I could tell him someone to take so he could call in more birds, I told him no.

I used to do the call as many as I could thing, but I quit that many years ago.

I'm like those teenage girls, I just want to have fun. After I tag out I sit on my deck and listen to birds gobble every morning or I go out to the farm and just sit and watch birds. If I don't want to do that I go fishing.

[Bowguy]

Hmmm


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Turkeyman]

Many of us hunt differently than others. Some reap, some use blinds, some use decoys, some call, some bushwhack, some use rifles (certain states) etc. All legal in your locale. What it really boils down to is your personal satisfaction with the hunt. Personally, I turkey hunt for the fun of it, not the meat...although we certainly enjoy it, not the bragging rights or to see how quickly I can get it on Facebook or YouTube or any social media platform...just the fun of calling in a good bird on my terms. Re: social media I've often wondered how many of those guys would even turkey hunt if they couldn't post and brag on it. These days...at my age...when I kill a good bird I always say "Lord, thank You for this opportunity to do what I do." ...and I'm not really a religious person. Quite frankly, I doubt if He cares whether I kill a turkey or it gets away!!

[El Pavo Grande]

Many of us hunt differently than others. Some reap, some use blinds, some use decoys, some call, some bushwhack, some use rifles (certain states) etc. All legal in your locale. What it really boils down to is your personal satisfaction with the hunt. Personally, I turkey hunt for the fun of it, not the meat...although we certainly enjoy it, not the bragging rights or to see how quickly I can get it on Facebook or YouTube or any social media platform...just the fun of calling in a good bird on my terms. Re: social media I've often wondered how many of those guys would even turkey hunt if they couldn't post and brag on it. These days...at my age...when I kill a good bird I always say "Lord, thank You for this opportunity to do what I do." ...and I'm not really a religious person. Quite frankly, I doubt if He cares whether I kill a turkey or it gets away!!

I also thank God and it's more in perspective of giving thanks for providing the resource and the opportunity.  I have a friend that thought his brother killed more deer because he tithed more at church.  I told him there are a whole lot of folks that kill way more game that have never stepped in a church or probably even believe in God.

I'm amazed at the number of guys that say they don't hunt in my home state, but travel to hunt in one of the destination states.  And those that I know personally, it boils down to the difficulty of killing one as compared to an easier path.  Maybe it's wrong of me to think this, but I think most of those are placing more importance on killing, and in many cases, posting on social media, than they are with actually enjoying the hunting aspect of it.  It's the desire for instant gratification and glory with many.  I'd rather kill 1 hard earned gobbler than 3 non pressured from a turkey paradise.  Now, don't get me wrong, occasionally those are very nice and accepted, but personally get more out of the other.  Everyone is different though. 

[Happy]

I guess my problem with reaping is purely from a management and ethical standpoint. I am not for telling people what they can and can't do from a safety standpoint. In other words I support darwinism to an extent. What I wish would happen is that people would realize that we have implemented several different methods of killing turkeys that are very efficient and don't require time and skill to master. This in turn is doing a lot of damage to our turkey populations and age structures. No one wants to hear it but those people bragging about "stacking them up" and posing for as many hero shots as possible will be the first ones complaining about the lack of turkeys. We are our own worst enemy and refuse to acknowledge it. It would do us all good to remember that we are conservationist first and foremost. There is absolutely no shame in leaving some gobblers for next year. They have already made it to adulthood(which is the hardest part) so the odds are decent you can hear him gobble the following spring. Nothing will change on that front though until bag limits are cut or legal means of hunting are restricted.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Pluffmud]

This is slightly off topic from the previous few comments but I think it has been talked about in this thread, so I figured I would ask here. Does anyone have a link to the video where THP shot a dusting hen? I want to see exactly what went down there.

[GobbleNut]

This is slightly off topic from the previous few comments but I think it has been talked about in this thread, so I figured I would ask here. Does anyone have a link to the video where THP shot a dusting hen? I want to see exactly what went down there.

Here are the links to the video and THP boys discussion about the incident.
https://youtu.be/aoanRZsfwSM
https://youtu.be/X0jD8LJ7qxs

[Pluffmud]

Thanks.

[3chunter]

Older birds used to never die beginning of the season.  Most older birds wouldn't die at all.  Now with a strutter decoy and open field a big old longbeard is way easier to lure and kill.  When the old birds die easy at beginning of the season  then I think it messes with the breeding cycle in a major way.  Half the newbies hunting now couldn't kill one without a decoy.  Again my main concern is older birds now die way to easy and way to early in the season. 

[GobbleNut]

Older birds used to never die beginning of the season.  Most older birds wouldn't die at all.  Now with a strutter decoy and open field a big old longbeard is way easier to lure and kill.  When the old birds die easy at beginning of the season  then I think it messes with the breeding cycle in a major way.  Half the newbies hunting now couldn't kill one without a decoy.  Again my main concern is older birds now die way to easy and way to early in the season.

Totally agree with this.  The use of "strutting gobbler" imitations in spring gobbler hunting has totally changed the mortality rates for mature gobblers in terms of hunting harvest.  There is no question that the impact of this relatively recent development in spring gobbler hunting has to be assessed as to its impact in declining turkey populations.

[eggshell]

Kind of Leary of reviving  this discussion, but hey we haven't had a good go round for a while. Back when I ran a check station most of the truly big old birds came  in at the end of the season, they were still actively gobbling and breeding when the jakes, two and three year old were getting back into gobbler flocks and not gobbling much. So I think this premise has merit. I agree it could have a link to our falling populations. Actually, we are scary efficient predators, there are no others on the planet like us