For years now, I've been beating this drum and it just seemed like right the time to be big and bold about it. It does seem as though some of the big players in YouTube are getting more secretive. Others, simply, are not. It's a free country but with freedom comes great responsibility ;)
Regardless, I care not to argue about it anymore than I already have. I'm just merely coming here to tell you that this video now exists and there will be a few more, if you're interested in watching and supporting THIS STYLE of turkey hunting and secretism, give it a watch. If not, that's okay.
Thank you,
Trent
https://youtu.be/RgfDV_fdEr8?si=G-Gr292HqVME048r
I've not watched it yet but I love the idea
The education piece is certainly an uphill battle. Some folks just really don't care to learn or listen.
I was hunting a 20 acre piece of public one time, the only access was via one place and my truck was parked there. Bird gobbling his head off. Guy pulls up at daylight, parks behind my truck and walks right into the middle of the piece, blowing the bird off the limb.
I politely as I could explained the dangers of small piece hunting, ethics of being beat to a spot ect, ect. His response "It's public land, get over it"
Thanks for sharing Trent and enjoyed the video except it reminds me of 50% of my hunts on public. So my #1 takeaway is I need to go to Spirit Halloween and buy an old lady mask and maybe some guys will feel sorry for me and let me have the bird even after they walk in on me :)
I enjoyed watching the video... Trent ... looking forward to more.
Yes it's Public and every hunt is a learning experience for both parties..
Thanks for sharing
Quote from: bwhana on January 26, 2026, 08:07:36 PMThanks for sharing Trent and enjoyed the video except it reminds me of 50% of my hunts on public. So my #1 takeaway is I need to go to Spirit Halloween and buy an old lady mask and maybe some guys will feel sorry for me and let me have the bird even after they walk in on me :)
I can't say I have ever had it happen quite like this! Maybe I've just been lucky!
Quote from: Greg Massey on January 26, 2026, 09:22:58 PMI enjoyed watching the video... Trent ... looking forward to more.
Yes it's Public and every hunt is a learning experience for both parties..
Thanks for sharing
Thank you Greg!
Great job Trent. It's a shame that's how some hunters operate. When she saw your truck, she should have yielded and moved on. When she hung around after she knew you were set up, that tells me she will never be an ethical hunter. Sad, great video though. Good luck this year, stay safe!
Quote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2026, 07:37:44 AMGreat job Trent. It's a shame that's how some hunters operate. When she saw your truck, she should have yielded and moved on. When she hung around after she knew you were set up, that tells me she will never be an ethical hunter. Sad, great video though. Good luck this year, stay safe!
I wouldn't personally condemn her to quite that degree...yet. Hunting in the west most of my life, I can tell you that spring gobbler hunting has been slow to catch on and many hunters out here approach turkey hunting like they approach other big game hunting. Simply put, the ethic accepted by those of us that have been doing this a long time...which is to back out if someone else in there before us...has not fully developed among western turkey hunters as of yet. Not only that, but to a lot of westerners, turkey hunting is just a casual pastime...picking up a gun and going hunting just because it is a hunting season they can participate in during the spring. Knowledge of the sport and the established ethics of long-time turkey hunters isn't even in their vocabulary.
Not only is that ethic still in its development phase out here, there are a couple of other complicating factors at play. The first is that Merriam's turkey populations in most places they exist are not uniformly dispersed across the landscape. The birds are often concentrated in specific areas with lots of dead space between them. The second factor is that Merriam's gobblers are much too willing to give away their locations. Those scattered gobblers are perfectly willing to let everybody know they are there...and as such, hunters tend to concentrate where they hear them, often coming from several different directions.
The result of all of the above is exactly what Trent...and many of us that live and hunt out here...must deal with on a somewhat regular basis. Hopefully, Trent spoke with Donna long enough to at least make her think about things...and maybe adjust her approach to spring gobbler hunting. However, there are a lot more "Donna's" out here in this part of the country.
Yes I mean...it was a tough spot for me. Of course I deleted out a bunch of garbage you couldn't hear that well, in the video, but afterwords I really kind of felt bad. I was a bit taken back by knowing I was the one who could've done something horribly by "thinking" she had left. In the back of my mind, I didn't hear a truck leave but I thought maybe she went hunting somewhere else, toward the jakes I mentioned.
Also, like I mentioned, if I would've known it was an older lady, I wouldn't just let her have her chance at popping up and shooting him. I have my suspicions of how that would've played out, but who knows. You can see it was a woman, when I zoom in on the video, but I didn't notice that in real time.
When she didn't seem to get the hint, at all, when I started telling her I didn't know where she was, I kind of dropped it. She was an older lady with sole health issues. That's really all I know. She kept her mask up the whole time and moved slow. She also kept saying she had a rough morning and couldn't get out of bed on time. I'm not entirely sure what that meant but think I have it figured out a bit. But anyway, I would've gladly just yielded for an older lady out hunting by herself.
That's not how it played out. I don't want to be hard on her in real time, or on the video but I thought it was worth a segment on safety and also just respect to hopefully turn the tide a little bit.
Sadly the public areas are just going to get more and more use. Our sport is changing and sadly not to our liking. I am old and my days are numbered in the field and part of me is ok with that under these circumstances. I feel for you younger guys though. I watched the video and posted this comment hoping it might make some viewers think. Like Trent I was in position and not the intruder.
Wow, I don't think you owe anyone an apology. It just magnifies the safety issue and I am glad you posted this. We should always know where our shot may go down range, but in flat land you can't always have a backdrop. As a hunter if you are waved off a bird and acknowledge that wave off and turn away, you need to leave the area, period. She was wrong and created the situation. Most any hunter would assume she left. Was she going to try and shoot that bird out from under you? I was shot and almost died in a similar situation several years ago. I know it's hard to do, but I could not have stayed on that group of birds unless I talked to the other hunter. I would have pulled out and tried to make contact with them. Take my word for it, no gobbler in the entire world is worth an accidental shooting. We must do our best to know what is happening around us, but sometimes our best isn't enough. Again She put herself in harms way, but that is no solace after an accident. The guy who shot me was a veteran turkey hunter and he was traumatized over it too. Everyone looses.
Quote from: eggshell on January 27, 2026, 09:40:24 AMSadly the public areas are just going to get more and more use. Our sport is changing and sadly not to our liking. I am old and my days are numbered in the field and part of me is ok with that under these circumstances. I feel for you younger guys though. I watched the video and posted this comment hoping it might make some viewers think. Like Trent I was in position and not the intruder.
Wow, I don't think you owe anyone an apology. It just magnifies the safety issue and I am glad you posted this. We should always know where our shot may go down range, but in flat land you can't always have a backdrop. As a hunter if you are waved off a bird and acknowledge that wave off and turn away, you need to leave the area, period. She was wrong and created the situation. Most any hunter would assume she left. Was she going to try and shoot that bird out from under you? I was shot and almost died in a similar situation several years ago. I know it's hard to do, but I could not have stayed on that group of birds unless I talked to the other hunter. I would have pulled out and tried to make contact with them. Take my word for it, no gobbler in the entire world is worth an accidental shooting. We must do our best to know what is happening around us, but sometimes our best isn't enough. Again She put herself in harms way, but that is no solace after an accident. The guy who shot me was a veteran turkey hunter and he was traumatized over it too. Everyone looses.
I responded to your comment over on the video but in short. You're right and really, on one hand I'm glad everything ended as a "happy" experience for us both but I also have that voice inside of me that says I should've done more. It was my responsibility to make sure she understood and instead of doing that, I chose to just "be nice" and drop it. I hope I'm better mentally prepared for next time this happens...
Quote from: POk3s on January 27, 2026, 09:55:15 AMQuote from: eggshell on January 27, 2026, 09:40:24 AMSadly the public areas are just going to get more and more use. Our sport is changing and sadly not to our liking. I am old and my days are numbered in the field and part of me is ok with that under these circumstances. I feel for you younger guys though. I watched the video and posted this comment hoping it might make some viewers think. Like Trent I was in position and not the intruder.
Wow, I don't think you owe anyone an apology. It just magnifies the safety issue and I am glad you posted this. We should always know where our shot may go down range, but in flat land you can't always have a backdrop. As a hunter if you are waved off a bird and acknowledge that wave off and turn away, you need to leave the area, period. She was wrong and created the situation. Most any hunter would assume she left. Was she going to try and shoot that bird out from under you? I was shot and almost died in a similar situation several years ago. I know it's hard to do, but I could not have stayed on that group of birds unless I talked to the other hunter. I would have pulled out and tried to make contact with them. Take my word for it, no gobbler in the entire world is worth an accidental shooting. We must do our best to know what is happening around us, but sometimes our best isn't enough. Again She put herself in harms way, but that is no solace after an accident. The guy who shot me was a veteran turkey hunter and he was traumatized over it too. Everyone looses.
I responded to your comment over on the video but in short. You're right and really, on one hand I'm glad everything ended as a "happy" experience for us both but I also have that voice inside of me that says I should've done more. It was my responsibility to make sure she understood and instead of doing that, I chose to just "be nice" and drop it. I hope I'm better mentally prepared for next time this happens...
That's called learning. Anyone who is open to learning is welcome in my woods.
Quote from: GobbleNut on January 27, 2026, 09:00:42 AMQuote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2026, 07:37:44 AMGreat job Trent. It's a shame that's how some hunters operate. When she saw your truck, she should have yielded and moved on. When she hung around after she knew you were set up, that tells me she will never be an ethical hunter. Sad, great video though. Good luck this year, stay safe!
I wouldn't personally condemn her to quite that degree...yet. Hunting in the west most of my life, I can tell you that spring gobbler hunting has been slow to catch on and many hunters out here approach turkey hunting like they approach other big game hunting. Simply put, the ethic accepted by those of us that have been doing this a long time...which is to back out if someone else in there before us...has not fully developed among western turkey hunters as of yet. Not only that, but to a lot of westerners, turkey hunting is just a casual pastime...picking up a gun and going hunting just because it is a hunting season they can participate in during the spring. Knowledge of the sport and the established ethics of long-time turkey hunters isn't even in their vocabulary.
Not only is that ethic still in its development phase out here, there are a couple of other complicating factors at play. The first is that Merriam's turkey populations in most places they exist are not uniformly dispersed across the landscape. The birds are often concentrated in specific areas with lots of dead space between them. The second factor is that Merriam's gobblers are much too willing to give away their locations. Those scattered gobblers are perfectly willing to let everybody know they are there...and as such, hunters tend to concentrate where they hear them, often coming from several different directions.
The result of all of the above is exactly what Trent...and many of us that live and hunt out here...must deal with on a somewhat regular basis. Hopefully, Trent spoke with Donna long enough to at least make her think about things...and maybe adjust her approach to spring gobbler hunting. However, there are a lot more "Donna's" out here in this part of the country.
Good points Jim, you know I respect and read almost all your posts, you are a tremendous wealth of turkey knowledge. However, I do not experience as much hunter pressure as many of us on the forum and have a different feeling on what I saw in Trent's video. First off, he saw the truck pull up in the dark, pull a short distance past his, but still park too close to him. I believe she should have drove past at least a half mile or more to park. Second, he had to whistle, and flash his light to her in the dark. At that point, she should have left. 3rd, while he was working his Tom, she appeared to be "stalking" towards the strutter. Trent whistled her away again, but she looped back into his set-up. This to me is a bit much, this sport requires safe-space and common sense ethics while pursuing and calling in turkeys. Ethical buffers must be adhered to to make things safe, fun, and successful. This is just my feelings and how I play the game. I do know it is tough to navigate popular public lands, thus these guidelines regarding ethics are of paramount importance to all involved. It would be a good thing for Donna to join this great forum to learn from the great fraternity here. Lord knows I've learned so much from all of you, surely making me a better turkey hunter. Be safe, thanks for sharing Trent and Jim.
This doesn't just happen on public land. I've had hunters drive down the road on our lease, even after passing by my truck parked a 1/4 to 1/2 a mile up the road they came in on and blow your hunt. They are ROAD HUNTING turkeys from their truck, with zero respect for anyone. Most of time, I've been there an hour before daylight, and they roll in at daylight or after. Gobblenut said it best, they approach turkey hunting like other Big Game hunting, with ZERO ethics toward others. Love his post. Learn how to Ethically hunt Turkeys before you try to Turkey hunt! :z-twocents:
The challenge is that the people who need to learn this information, aren't visiting a turkey hunting forum. Or even watching a lot of turkey hunting videos.
Likely the best way for it to reach as many people as possible is if some of the bigger names in the hunting industry (both on and off of Youtube) produce some videos with scenarios to help educate.
I know that won't be a popular idea with the anti-YouTube crowd, but if they have the huge impact they say they do, then this would mean a big impact for good.
What about this wild thought......you go hunting. You work hard - challenge yourself and your skill. That gives you satisfaction. The end
Solicitating likes from strange men is a bit odd.
Hunt for the hunt. Not attention from others.
Loose lips sink ships
There is a trap that our mind sets for us that I believe almost everyone falls into sometime or other. This trap is the same one that causes riots and violence in some of our cities. That trap is I have a right to this bird, I earned it and I claimed it, I was here first and by God I ain't giving it up! Now I won't be surprised if this comment gets me some negative feedback. My position is; My only right is the opportunity and privilege to buy a license and hunt. For landowners there some additional land rights, but not a right to the game (the state/government owns the game in reserve for the people). When we enter a property and we set up on a gobbler we get a battlefield attitude, I am killing this bird period! I will not give up this ground it is mine. We convince ourselves that our whole season is at stake on this one set up. Well, it's not and this is not YOUR BIRD.He is a free roaming animal and the right to the space is his. You have already exercised every right you have by being there and pursuing your sport. When someone else arrives and invades that space then one question must be answered; does that person have equal right to be here? If it is public the answer is yes, if it is private then that is to be determined by the landowner. However, in both cases you must ask yourself if one 13-25 lb bird is worth a war, injury or dying over. If you kill the bird you whoop whoop, show it off a little and then eat it and it becomes a memory. The other alternatives follow you the rest of your life. At best you rob your beloved sport of the joy and release from life that you do it for, it just becomes more of life's misery. In the worst case scenario you give up your life for a damn bird, you'll never spend another day with your family or friends and they will suffer the rest of their life for your pride. In the next scenario a whole host of legal issues are coming your way. Then there's the scenario that your just wounded, maybe severely. I can testify that this scenario is equally as bad. Unimaginable pain and anguish, legal issues, thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical bills. Dr appointments out the butt. You will physically never totally recover and your mental health is equally challenged. Now imagine, all you need to do is walk/drive away and say, "you can have that gobbler he isn't worth the cost". There will be another. Since my accident, I will not go into an area where someone else is parked unless I have talked to them and made a plan. If someone shows up where I am, even if I am working a bird, I make an effort to talk to them or I leave. I don't care if I have sat on that bird for hours, I'm leaving before I get in a conflict. Most time I yield even if I hear a call. I don't care if I was the first one at the gate. You may say,"but they are wrong, I was already here". That's the trap of the mind. I can assure you when your laying in a hospital emergency room and a whole lot of people are frantically trying to keep you alive you won't give a damn who was there first![/font]
Quote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2026, 12:19:58 PMI do not experience as much hunter pressure as many of us on the forum and have a different feeling on what I saw in Trent's video. First off, he saw the truck pull up in the dark, pull a short distance past his, but still park too close to him. I believe she should have drove past at least a half mile or more to park. Second, he had to whistle, and flash his light to her in the dark. At that point, she should have left. 3rd, while he was working his Tom, she appeared to be "stalking" towards the strutter. Trent whistled her away again, but she looped back into his set-up. This to me is a bit much, this sport requires safe-space and common sense ethics while pursuing and calling in turkeys. Ethical buffers must be adhered to to make things safe, fun, and successful. This is just my feelings and how I play the game. I do know it is tough to navigate popular public lands, thus these guidelines regarding ethics are of paramount importance to all involved. It would be a good thing for Donna to join this great forum to learn from the great fraternity here.
I preface these remarks by stating that I wrote all of this up before eggshell's last post. (His focus on the safety issues but otherwise note the similarities)
I agree with you about all of this Tom...and if everybody that decided to hunt spring gobblers would come to OG, perhaps they would hit the woods with a better understanding of what is expected of them from OUR perspective regarding those ethical and safety issues you mention above. However, I suspect Donna had no clue about any of that and was merely approaching the hunt in the same way she probably approaches deer, elk, or whatever else she might pursue.
Although you and I...and most other folks here...play the game based on those ethics and safety issues, there are still plenty of people that have taken up spring gobbler hunting that have no clue as to those concepts.
Here's what I would bet went on in Donna's mind: First off, if she lives in the area, she was probably aware that there were a bunch of turkeys there...and had already made plans to hunt that spot. In addition, she had most likely hunted there in the past and probably felt some sense of "proprietorship" about hunting there. Although she drove past Trent's truck, she probably thought nothing about it. Her thought was probably one of "Gee, I wish nobody else was here, but there are a bunch of turkeys here and, even though there is somebody else around, maybe I can get lucky and kill a gobbler anyway."
I would bet she probably did not have a turkey call, or if she did it was secondary to trying to stalk the turkeys (which is pretty obviously what she was doing). I'll give her credit for backing out after Trent whistled at her, but again her thought process was probably "I'll just hang around here and see what happens. Maybe a gobbler will come by me". I doubt she ever contemplated the safety issues involved in that.
The above may vary a bit in the thought process, but based on my (and I would bet other's) experiences), I can tell you that there are plenty of people out here in this part of the country that hunt spring gobblers that way. They hear a gobble and try to sneak up on it and kill it...anybody else in the area be damned. That mindset of "It's public land and I have as much right to that gobbler as you do...and if I can get to him first, well, that's just too bad for you" is prevalent.
It is an unfortunate reality that we must deal with... ::) :-\
Quote from: eggshell on January 28, 2026, 09:21:05 AMThere is a trap that our mind sets for us that I believe almost everyone falls into sometime or other. This trap is the same one that causes riots and violence in some of our cities. That trap is I have a right to this bird, I earned it and I claimed it, I was here first and by God I ain't giving it up! Now I won't be surprised if this comment gets me some negative feedback. My position is; My only right is the opportunity and privilege to buy a license and hunt. For landowners there some additional land rights, but not a right to the game (the state/government owns the game in reserve for the people). When we enter a property and we set up on a gobbler we get a battlefield attitude, I am killing this bird period! I will not give up this ground it is mine. We convince ourselves that our whole season is at stake on this one set up. Well, it's not and this is not YOUR BIRD.He is a free roaming animal and the right to the space is his. You have already exercised every right you have by being there and pursuing your sport. When someone else arrives and invades that space then one question must be answered; does that person have equal right to be here? If it is public the answer is yes, if it is private then that is to be determined by the landowner. However, in both cases you must ask yourself if one 13-25 lb bird is worth a war, injury or dying over. If you kill the bird you whoop whoop, show it off a little and then eat it and it becomes a memory. The other alternatives follow you the rest of your life. At best you rob your beloved sport of the joy and release from life that you do it for, it just becomes more of life's misery. In the worst case scenario you give up your life for a damn bird, you'll never spend another day with your family or friends and they will suffer the rest of their life for your pride. In the next scenario a whole host of legal issues are coming your way. Then there's the scenario that your just wounded, maybe severely. I can testify that this scenario is equally as bad. Unimaginable pain and anguish, legal issues, thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical bills. Dr appointments out the butt. You will physically never totally recover and your mental health is equally challenged. Now imagine, all you need to do is walk/drive away and say, "you can have that gobbler he isn't worth the cost". There will be another. Since my accident, I will not go into an area where someone else is parked unless I have talked to them and made a plan. If someone shows up where I am, even if I am working a bird, I make an effort to talk to them or I leave. I don't care if I have sat on that bird for hours, I'm leaving before I get in a conflict. Most time I yield even if I hear a call. I don't care if I was the first one at the gate. You may say,"but they are wrong, I was already here". That's the trap of the mind. I can assure you when your laying in a hospital emergency room and a whole lot of people are frantically trying to keep you alive you won't give a damn who was there first![/font]
I believe this perspective applies to almost everything we do in life. We always have to evaluate is the risk worth the effort and what are the possible consequence of any action. I got into a situation a few years ago where a "hot headed" friend got involved in a confrontation that started over a low hole fishing incident. The incident escalated into a prolonged confrontation over a long distance and time. Fortunately, at the final point there was a cooler head on the other side and nothing tragic happened. As I think back if we had just keep going, I was not driving, this would have never been a problem,
Quote from: arkrem870 on January 27, 2026, 08:40:37 PMWhat about this wild thought......you go hunting. You work hard - challenge yourself and your skill. That gives you satisfaction. The end
Solicitating likes from strange men is a bit odd.
Hunt for the hunt. Not attention from others.
Loose lips sink ships
So well said, my friend! Just hunt. Don't worry about posting it anywhere!
Quote from: arkrem870 on January 27, 2026, 08:40:37 PMWhat about this wild thought......you go hunting. You work hard - challenge yourself and your skill. That gives you satisfaction. The end
Solicitating likes from strange men is a bit odd.
Hunt for the hunt. Not attention from others.
Loose lips sink ships
Boom.
Gotta boost that ego with the likes and subscribes though. Those little dopamine hits! Its a mental illness.
Quote from: GobbleNut on January 28, 2026, 09:40:35 AMQuote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2026, 12:19:58 PMI do not experience as much hunter pressure as many of us on the forum and have a different feeling on what I saw in Trent's video. First off, he saw the truck pull up in the dark, pull a short distance past his, but still park too close to him. I believe she should have drove past at least a half mile or more to park. Second, he had to whistle, and flash his light to her in the dark. At that point, she should have left. 3rd, while he was working his Tom, she appeared to be "stalking" towards the strutter. Trent whistled her away again, but she looped back into his set-up. This to me is a bit much, this sport requires safe-space and common sense ethics while pursuing and calling in turkeys. Ethical buffers must be adhered to to make things safe, fun, and successful. This is just my feelings and how I play the game. I do know it is tough to navigate popular public lands, thus these guidelines regarding ethics are of paramount importance to all involved. It would be a good thing for Donna to join this great forum to learn from the great fraternity here.
I preface these remarks by stating that I wrote all of this up before eggshell's last post. (His focus on the safety issues but otherwise note the similarities)
I agree with you about all of this Tom...and if everybody that decided to hunt spring gobblers would come to OG, perhaps they would hit the woods with a better understanding of what is expected of them from OUR perspective regarding those ethical and safety issues you mention above. However, I suspect Donna had no clue about any of that and was merely approaching the hunt in the same way she probably approaches deer, elk, or whatever else she might pursue.
Although you and I...and most other folks here...play the game based on those ethics and safety issues, there are still plenty of people that have taken up spring gobbler hunting that have no clue as to those concepts.
Here's what I would bet went on in Donna's mind: First off, if she lives in the area, she was probably aware that there were a bunch of turkeys there...and had already made plans to hunt that spot. In addition, she had most likely hunted there in the past and probably felt some sense of "proprietorship" about hunting there. Although she drove past Trent's truck, she probably thought nothing about it. Her thought was probably one of "Gee, I wish nobody else was here, but there are a bunch of turkeys here and, even though there is somebody else around, maybe I can get lucky and kill a gobbler anyway."
I would bet she probably did not have a turkey call, or if she did it was secondary to trying to stalk the turkeys (which is pretty obviously what she was doing). I'll give her credit for backing out after Trent whistled at her, but again her thought process was probably "I'll just hang around here and see what happens. Maybe a gobbler will come by me". I doubt she ever contemplated the safety issues involved in that.
The above may vary a bit in the thought process, but based on my (and I would bet other's) experiences), I can tell you that there are plenty of people out here in this part of the country that hunt spring gobblers that way. They hear a gobble and try to sneak up on it and kill it...anybody else in the area be damned. That mindset of "It's public land and I have as much right to that gobbler as you do...and if I can get to him first, well, that's just too bad for you" is prevalent.
It is an unfortunate reality that we must deal with... ::) :-\
Amen my brother, well said