Unkillable bird

[silvestris]

However, it is not illegal to simply "feed" the game; the illegal part comes into play when a person "hunts" where the feed was deposited.  That is why I encourage legislation to ban the deposit of feed in the outdoors.  How did those animals survive before we got here to feed them.  How is this practice in anyway described as "hunting".

[GobbleNut]

All gobblers are killable...but some are just not killable by ME because I just don't have the patience or the need to keep pursuing them in a manner that is not compatible with the reasons I hunt spring gobblers to begin with.  That is fine with me.  They will either play the game the way I want them to...that is, engage in a (hopefully lively) conversation and then show up and give me "the show"...or they can just stay in the woods.   

Having said that, I don't begrudge anybody that feels differently about that...and I most certainly don't blame folks that are forced to hunt individual gobblers day after day because of their particular circumstances.  It is just not what turkey hunting is all about for me, personally, and my circumstances allow me to look for those birds that suit my turkey hunting philosophy,...which, most often, is not compatible with those kinds of gobblers and their crappy attitudes.   

[g8rvet]

In Florida, baiting is not illegal.  Hunting within 100 yards of corn is illegal.  I do think it is unethical though.  When we got this lease, we turned off all the deer feeders and removed the bait from them.  Now the birds have moved where there is bait.  Not sure we are gonna re join next year because of this.  there are birds there and we have fooled with them, but there are a ton of hens and the longbeards know where they are spending the day, and it ain't on our property.  Another place I hunted, the birds would work back around to us, but no love here. 

[GobbleNut]

In Florida, baiting is not illegal.  I do think it is unethical though.  When we got this lease, we turned off all the deer feeders and removed the bait from them.  Now the birds have moved where there is bait.  Not sure we are gonna re join next year because of this.  there are birds there and we have fooled with them, but there are a ton of hens and the longbeards know where they are spending the day, and it ain't on our property.  Another place I hunted, the birds would work back around to us, but no love here.

I feel for you and your dilemma, g8rvet. This is also Texas hunting in a nutshell, although it is perfectly legal to shoot over the feeders there.  Where I have hunted there, if the property was not running feeders, the birds were gone and on the adjacent properties that had working feeders.  That really complicates matters when you are a hunter with disdain for feeders while also having to deal with the reality that not everybody feels that way...and, in fact, there seems to be no shortage of "hunters" that think that shooting turkeys at feeders is just "hunky dory"...often whether it is legal or not.   

[lalongbeard75]

The TV and YouTube Turkeys are usually 2 year olds. On hard pressured areas an old longbeard has survived 3-4 hunting seasons. He's seen and heard it all. Some of these older gobblers will not go to a hen period. Real hen, someone impersonating a hen he ain't going. In nature he gobbles and the hens go to him so it's not unusual for an old gobbler to refuse to go to a hen.

When they get like this and I've seen dozens like this in La, they usually are only killed by happenstance. Guy just happens to be in the right place and he walks by etc. But traditional set up and call him from the roost ain't happening. I don't let it get me down I just move on knowing that gobbler will fertilize plenty of eggs.

If you really believe you can kill any Turkey I have one that I tried 3 days in a row this season lol. He's still in that creek bottom and he ain't coming to a hen. Your welcome to him.

[Greg Massey]

I agree with others i would check back with that gobbler during turkey season if you're not tagged out in the meantime. I wouldn't put all my hunting time in chasing or trying to kill that one particular gobbler.

I myself think you are going about it the right way in chasing and wanting to defeat that gobbler at his own game and that's by calling him to the gun barrel..

I take my hat off to you and i hope in the future you get your gobbler.

[RutnNStrutn]

Where I have hunted there, if the property was not running feeders, the birds were gone and on the adjacent properties that had working feeders.   

Same with deer hunting in SC. It's legal to bait deer, so if you don't do it, the deer simply walk next door to the neighboring properties that do.

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[cracker4112]

It's tough for sure.  I run feeders on the northern boundary of the farm I manage (no competition on the other 3 sides - highway and public) because the neighbors do and they will pull the turkeys.  I would prefer to shut them down from the end of deer season until May, but I also like to have turkeys on my side of the fence.  We just make sure to stay away from them, which can be a real pain. The farmer is actually unhappy that I'm not running more feeders to help keep the deer and hogs off his crops.

[g8rvet]

If you really believe you can kill any Turkey

I definitely DO NOT believe I can kill any turkey, but I do believe any turkey may be killable. Right place, right time, dumb luck, gets separated from his hens, etc. 

For sure about the hens.  Every single morning, he heads to a spot, gobbles his head off at every noise and it happily joined by multiple hens.  I would not have gone to the bar when I was single if loose, purty women were coming to my house either!   

[lalongbeard75]

You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.

[Paulmyr]

I believe I can kill any turkey it just may take while. I hamstring myself by imposing rules I must follow. Rules I've acquired over the years. Rules that do not not allow me to pull the trigger unless I've made my presence known. When I was a much younger man I killed and unkillable gobbler by ambush. Hunted him 3 days in a row and he would not come to calling. 4th day I was waiting in his spot. Never made a peep. His hens came through my decoys and out the other end of the field. He flew down to the center of the field from God knows where shortly after they left. He bellowed out a gobble and strolled right in. It was a pretty hollow feeling when it was over.


Years later and rules in place I hunted a gobbler for the better part of 3 weeks. Had him to 60 2 times 1st time some clown came in and spooked him off, 2nd he stayed just out of range in a meadow because I had no decoy and the 1pm closing made me walk away with him gobbling as I left. Had him going nuts at another point hung up behind an unknown to me barbed wire fence in the woods. I had a blast chasing him around and there was always the anticipation he'd be there whenever I chose to give him a go.

The last day of the season had him show up after my last hurrah, tear the woods down, cutting, cackling, whitting, yelping festival and was heading for the truck. He must have walked right behind my truck and gobbled his butt off as he went by in the woods not 150 yds from me. Kinda like he was laughing at me.Telling me to go back home.

By know means was the hunt done that last day of the season. He was still out there and I had the whole off season to hunt him over and over. Planning and scheming for when I could get after him next spring. I never made back there the following spring but I'm still hunting that guy every know and again.

[g8rvet]

You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.

All true.  But "may not" also means "may be".  Half full vs half empty.    Paul described it well though.  I agree some birds won't go to hens, ever.  But without the rules we impose, it does not really make him unkillable. 

I killed one last year that would have been unkillable for some.  I knew he was there and was not leaving.  He answered my yelp at about 7:30, again about 9:30 and once more before he died at 11:30.  He knew a hen was there, but he tended to his live hens first and eventually got around to the "other hen".   

This year, this bird would be very killable for the guy on the other side of the line.  He struts in the same area nearly every day.  Just get there and keep quiet and wait for the day he is close enough to kill.  Not really my cup of tea though, even if I could access that property.

[Marc]

You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.

Well...  Maybe you call in that boss hen and he follows...

Or maybe you call in a jake, and he comes in to defend his territory...

Or maybe you happen to call right when those hens have left him for the nest and he wanders in to you...

For me, most likely none of those things happen, and the only turkey for me, is the Wild Turkey whiskey I pour when I get home to console myself.