My can of worms.

[Howie g]

I see the " after season blues " and boredom is setting in ...

[3bailey3]

Kings of Leon?

[Tail Feathers]

I'm a caller, not a crawler.
If it's legal, do what makes you happy.  But if you are carrying electronic tail-raising decoys or decoys on wheels into the woods, please reconsider turkey hunting and take up fishing.

[eggshell]

I too have my preferences and I have tried most methods, old and new. I have settled into the fold of traditional, "call the bird to you" group, because that is what I find most enjoyable. I agree the only true standard is what is legal, but not all  that is legal is, for want of better words, kosher. will I, in the right circumstance, go off plan and preference to kill a certain bird, yes. There is really only two groups of sportsmen I despise, slobs and unsafe. How do I define both?

Slobs - I will do or get what I want no matter who likes it or who it hurts and offends. I will glorify myself and let the whole damn world know how great I am. Laws are for suckers and courtesy means your last in line. I poach, over harvest and wound and cripple, as long as I get mine the hell with everyone else. The final part to this group is, total disregard for the well being of the resource.

Unsafe - Thoughtless and unconcerned about others. Simply careless and too lazy to take proper caution. Usually driven by success first and foremost. There's usually a good measure of slob in the unsafe. There is a faction of true sportsmen that still are unsafe, and they typically just aren't focused on it.

Beyond these two groups I can tolerate and wish anyone success and good luck afield.

[Swenny]

Whew, grab some popcorn for this post!

Hunting is under enough pressure from the antihunting people, we who love it need to circle the wagons.

Protect and improve habitat

If turkey numbers are low cut tag numbers

Show others that "hunting" is very different from "killing"


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[2eagles]

I killed a bird this year. Not in any way a traditional hunt. I posted the story on a duck hunting site in a turkey hunting section. NO WAY would I post it here because I knew I'd be tarred and feathered on old gobbler. I followed all laws and I have turkey to eat. I'm happy!
Some guy named "Gooser" started this thread so that must mean it's ok to mention waterfowl here.

[RutnNStrutn]

Turkey hunting is something I've done a long time. Only attend church on Sunday beats my record for lengthiest life long places to find Sam.  Now in the 37 years I've been doing this I've also been around nowhunting as well.  Bowhunting has evolved ahead of turkey hunting in a lot of aspects. Popularity, methods, tools...so the ranks of bow hunters have become divided into traditionalist, compound hunters, crossbow hunters, treestand hunters, stalkers, and so on.  Many of these won't hunt, communicate, or even break bread together.

Same thing is going to happen with turkey hunting.  Now we have fanners, callers, decoy spreaders, blinders, and run n gunners. We have sub-gaugers, lead is deaders, TSS is the way to the promised landers, and arrow slangers.

And a lot of each have forgotten that there two reasons you are a turkey hunter.  To have a good time and kill the turkey.  Simple ain't it.  You need to enjoy yourself and let the next guy enjoy himself.  Honestly I've killed birds about every method I've mentioned and some I find really exciting and others are, well slow.  The case in point is I find it exciting. 

We are going to become our worse enemies if we divide our ranks.  Just remember have yourself a good time, be safe, and kill the turkey.

Absolutely Sam!! Excellent commentary.
I've made my feelings known on this subject many times in the past. As long as it's legal, and it makes you happy, then I say good luck to you!! I may not chose to shoot a jake, or a bearded hen, and I might not employ the techniques that others use, but I'll wish them luck and success.
We all don't have the same opportunities in terms of time off to hunt, money to spend on hunting, access to land, ability to put in a chufa plot, etc. Therefore I don't discriminate against those who have less opportunities than I do, or those that have more. I've killed birds with decoys and without, in blinds and sitting against a tree, I've called them in and I've bushwhacked them when I couldn't. I've never reaped or hunted a chufa plot, but I'd like to try it for the experience.
I also won't get into ethics. Legal is written verbatim, whereas ethics is up to individual interpretation.
As hunters we are often our own worst enemies, and we don't even realize it. So I support all legal methods, even if I don't use them. I don't agree with the holier than thou, do as I do or you aren't a real hunter BS.

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

Jim we're going to have to meet up and kill some turkeys together. Maybe in KS with a fan.

I'd love that Sam!! I haven't been to Kansas yet!!

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[JohnSouth22]

If I wanted a sport I would have picked up a baseball, but I picked up a 12 gauge. As long as it's legal who cares. Old heads have a stroke when you tell them you go hunting to bring home meat

[jhoward11]

Change can be hard for a lot of people. Old...Old timers used a single shot and a grass reed to bring in birds, what would they think about us newbies using auto-loaders, decoys, blinds, and all the numerous calls? They must have thought we were the scum of the hunting world, and would degrade that great hunting experience they new. These new young-uns, shooting birds at 40 yrds. What has the world come to??? "Hunting will come to an end before long", they would say.  But 60/70 years later, hunting is better than ever. I'll go church on you all....You don't have to like the sin....but you should still love everyone....Just like, you don't have to like the way everyone hunts, but it's not your place to judge. Just love them for being a hunter and part of (as Gooserbat said) our team!

[MS TurkeyHunter]

Gooserbat, I see your point with what you say . However, what gets me about the newer methods of killing turkeys is it opens the doors for a series of problems...... Problems that other wise would not be there if turkey hunting culture ramaind around calling the bird in.


Do all the new methods today work to kill more turkeys absolutely. However, these new methods are so easy to imploy anyone can do it and kill a turkey. Unlike the guys who took time to learn how to call turkeys with years of experience in order to be successful.

Point I'm making here is that most pepole that invest time in a skill usually need to devote a lot of time/years to be proficient in it.  A lot of people drop out because it's to difficult to learn or they lose interest. Now that there is plenty of easy fixes to kill turkey the resource will take a much more serious beating then what the traditionalist hunters where doing.

With more and more newer hunters now then ever before because of social media and youtube these tactics will hurt turkey populations everywhere. This of course can be disastrous for states that are struggling like in the south east. Not to also mention some of these tactics are just plan dangerous. I don't think it's wise that some groups promote these tactics on public land giving new hunters more encouragement to do something obviously stupid.

All being said I have my way of hunting I like best because for me it's about respecting the bird and fooling him with what he thinks he "HEARS" is a turkey as that gobbler comes in looking for you. This of course as you know is hard to do and usually a low success game with the turkey winning most cases. Thats ok because in my opinion it's about having fun and not always killing a turkey. You are after all trying to reverse nature by making a turkey do what he was designed not to do. If you can pull this off you have really done something. Even if you don't "kill" a turkey you got everything one would won't in my opinion. Hunting In this way also protects the resource as stated before it's very difficult to do and odds not stacked in your favor.

Now take today's new hunters and methods and it's all about the I just got to kill a turkey or a lot of turkeys at all cost. Blinds that a person can pop up in the middle of an open field that completely conceal movement. Life like decoys that you can attach real feathers and even wear on your head to replicate turkey appearance and behavior. Shot shells that can kill turkey farther then what was thought possible at ranges that a gobbler usually hangs up at. All this driven by mast droves of new hunters fallowing there favorite social media/you tube hero's doing anything for a dead turkey to get them likes.

Dose not sound very respectful to the bird to me as these tactics and tools take to much of an advantage over there basic natural instincts. Primarily there sharp eye site that they rely very heavily on to survive.

I don't of course agree any of this is good for the betterment of the wild Turkey. As i think it will deplete the resource beyond what the current game laws are to keep populations in check. Especially in places turkeys are struggling. All this brings me to the point of just because you can hunt anyway or however you won't when dose it come to a  point of hurting the resource beyond what we or Mother Nature can fix?

For this reason this is why there are laws in place to protect wildlife that people cant take advantage of. Is it easer to catch fish with a casting net then catching them with a rod, yup.  Would it be easier to spot light and kill deer at night when there more active Instead of during the day, heck yea. Lastly is it easer to take full advantage of a turkeys eye site by fanning, useing decoys, or shooting them at ranges so far with TSS it's almost like using a rifle? Absolutely!

I have said this before and will say it again. Just because it's legal dose not mean it's ethical and particularly good for the resource. Turkey hunting is not a sport in which success should be measured by a kill or how many you kill. Nor dose it require a world full of score keepers intent on killing them anyway they can.


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[Happy]

Gooserbat, I see your point with what you say . However, what gets me about the newer methods of killing turkeys is it opens the doors for a series of problems...... Problems that other wise would not be there if turkey hunting culture ramaind around calling the bird in.


Do all the new methods today work to kill more turkeys absolutely. However, these new methods are so easy to imploy anyone can do it and kill a turkey. Unlike the guys who took time to learn how to call turkeys with years of experience in order to be successful.

Point I'm making here is that most pepole that invest time in a skill usually need to devote a lot of time/years to be proficient in it.  A lot of people drop out because it's to difficult to learn or they lose interest. Now that there is plenty of easy fixes to kill turkey the resource will take a much more serious beating then what the traditionalist hunters where doing.

With more and more newer hunters now then ever before because of social media and youtube these tactics will hurt turkey populations everywhere. This of course can be disastrous for states that are struggling like in the south east. Not to also mention some of these tactics are just plan dangerous. I don't think it's wise that some groups promote these tactics on public land giving new hunters more encouragement to do something obviously stupid.

All being said I have my way of hunting I like best because for me it's about respecting the bird and fooling him with what he thinks he "HEARS" is a turkey as that gobbler comes in looking for you. This of course as you know is hard to do and usually a low success game with the turkey winning most cases. Thats ok because in my opinion it's about having fun and not always killing a turkey. You are after all trying to reverse nature by making a turkey do what he was designed not to do. If you can pull this off you have really done something. Even if you don't "kill" a turkey you got everything one would won't in my opinion. Hunting In this way also protects the resource as stated before it's very difficult to do and odds not stacked in your favor.

Now take today's new hunters and methods and it's all about the I just got to kill a turkey or a lot of turkeys at all cost. Blinds that a person can pop up in the middle of an open field that completely conceal movement. Life like decoys that you can attach real feathers and even wear on your head to replicate turkey appearance and behavior. Shot shells that can kill turkey farther then what was thought possible at ranges that a gobbler usually hangs up at. All this driven by mast droves of new hunters fallowing there favorite social media/you tube hero's doing anything for a dead turkey to get them likes.

Dose not sound very respectful to the bird to me as these tactics and tools take to much of an advantage over there basic natural instincts. Primarily there sharp eye site that they rely very heavily on to survive.

I don't of course agree any of this is good for the betterment of the wild Turkey. As i think it will deplete the resource beyond what the current game laws are to keep populations in check. Especially in places turkeys are struggling. All this brings me to the point of just because you can hunt anyway or however you won't when dose it come to a  point of hurting the resource beyond what we or Mother Nature can fix?

For this reason this is why there are laws in place to protect wildlife that people cant take advantage of. Is it easer to catch fish with a casting net then catching them with a rod, yup.  Would it be easier to spot light and kill deer at night when there more active Instead of during the day, heck yea. Lastly is it easer to take full advantage of a turkeys eye site by fanning, useing decoys, or shooting them at ranges so far with TSS it's almost like using a rifle? Absolutely!

I have said this before and will say it again. Just because it's legal dose not mean it's ethical and particularly good for the resource. Turkey hunting is not a sport in which success should be measured by a kill or how many you kill. Nor dose it require a world full of score keepers intent on killing them anyway they can.


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I like this. Well put sir.

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[Hoot 000]

Look at harvest reports, some states have descent number while some are pitiful. Some have talked about old timers saying what they think about new methods, should you be able to bait also? Years ago turkeys almost eradicated by overharvest. Talkin about being divided some are and some are not some things we agree on some things we don't that's just a nature of people. It all falls back on the laws and what we want to have for the future of turkey hunting. I live in Mississippi and the turkey hunting especially south of the state is terrible compare to 30 years ago. We would have never had good hunting back then if it had not been for conservationist who truly cared was not all about the Benjamins as much as it is nowadays. We definitely need to come together or we won't have turkeys to hunt even in those places they are now just a matter of time some states that's saw 20000 or more birds kill will eventually see half or less and when it gets down that low it's going to be harder and harder to recover I've watched it here in my own state try to talk to the game and fish and all I got was a bunch of Lies. Turkey populations have more than a few problems, we who love the sport must try to get along an stay after state DNR AND GAME OFFICIALS.

[Which Gun]

  Let's not put it on just new hunters. They learned it from somebody. I'd say they learned it from watching well known turkey hunters on YouTube and from there TV shows. Success sales products.  That's where I found out about reaping by watching a well known TV celebrity do it. I have not done it and will not do it.  I just love hearing the first gobbles of the morning with the raising sun. I love playing the game with TOM TURKEY. But if your a beginner and you see something that works easier of course they're going to do it. It's that generation they're lazier and have things handed to them. I know older gentleman to that's it about the kill to. They can't be happy for someone else that makes a great kill. They're selfish they have to kill the most birds the bigger bucks and shoot more ducks. Use any method possible to do it. Lost a friendship of 7 years just last month do to it. My so called friend was one of those selfish hunters. Never happy for someone else. How many of those people do you know?

[Happy]

I think part of the rub is on this whole "traditional vs new age" is from where this criticism comes from as well. Is it coming from an "I am better than you" standpoint or is it from a " Hey, let's protect the resource and not act like a bunch of lazy,spoiled children" perspective? Our appearance matters and the fact that killing a turkey by any legal means necessary has now taken center stage is not a good look in my opinion. It certainly plays a huge role in who I decide to spend time in the woods with.

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[guesswho]

Is it coming from an "I am better than you" standpoint or is it from a " Hey, let's protect the resource and not act like a bunch of lazy,spoiled children" perspective? Our appearance matters and the fact that killing a turkey by any legal means necessary has now taken center stage is not a good look in my opinion.

Good point.