Turkey Fan Umbrella?

[husker]

Has anyone had any success using the Turkey Fan or other similar decoys (Thunder Chicken, Mojo, etc.)?   The Turkey Fan costs around $120.  Just curious if they are really worth the money.

[spaightlabs]

couple dozen previous threads on this.

Consider your safety before using a setup like this.

Every year hunters are shot when they look nothing like a turkey...hide a foot behind something that looks exactly like a turkey and you greatly increase your risk. 

That said, they can be a very effective tool if used in the right circumstance.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

[GobbleNut]

Yes, it has been pretty well conclusively shown that using a visual representation of a strutting gobbler is an effective hunting tool.
Now, as long as you hunt within the laws of the area you are hunting, use reasonable safety precautions, and establish some ethical boundaries of conduct that are somewhere within the "norm" of the hunting community, I say hunt the way you want to hunt. 

[Cutt]

 

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

Now that there is damn funny

[Tennessee Lead]

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

Gave it a like

[wvmntnhick]

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

Now that there is damn funny

It's also a bit overboard and rude. As has been mentioned numerous times, not everyone is set on hunting in a particular way. Some people are into reaping, others aren't. There's no real difference between the umbrella and reaping in my opinion. But, because it doesn't fit someone else's idea of "ethical" or "sporting", we bash the guy that does it. If it's within the laws of your state, and you think you can pull it off without getting shot, have at it. It would certainly increase your odds of getting shot for sure so again, that's something to consider.

[akp]

I had an inflatable decoy shot a few years back on private land.  Set up in the dark on gobbling birds. Noticed the hunters as it was getting light. Birds started to fly down so I scooted around to put the tree between us. Good thing I did.  I'd be nervous using one of the extremely lifelike in that fashion (hunkered down behind it).

I watched a Mojo video the other day. I noticed that many shots were just feet away and many if not most were misses or they were running shots.  No thanks. Cool video though.

[captpete]

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

If you are thinking about purchasing these items, please ask yourself the following questions:

Have I reached the pitiful point of  needing one of the aforementioned devices to kill a turkey?

Has turkey hunting reached the point for me where I no longer care about the quality of the hunt and only want to fill tags?

Do I want to put myself in a situation where I could potentially have a hunter think I'm a gobbler while utilizing such contraptions?

Am I really considering buying one of these things?

Am I a moron?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, chances are you should just put all of your  gear in the Old Gobbler classifieds and take your gun to a pawnshop.

Now that there is damn funny

It's also a bit overboard and rude. As has been mentioned numerous times, not everyone is set on hunting in a particular way. Some people are into reaping, others aren't. There's no real difference between the umbrella and reaping in my opinion. But, because it doesn't fit someone else's idea of "ethical" or "sporting", we bash the guy that does it. If it's within the laws of your state, and you think you can pull it off without getting shot, have at it. It would certainly increase your odds of getting shot for sure so again, that's something to consider.

Yep, have to agree...pretty rude. Real nice way to welcome a new member. They ask a question and they are basically told they are a moron and should sell their hunting gear because they don't hunt the way someone else thinks they should.

I personally think it would be dangerous to use one of these umbrellas, so I wouldn't do it.

[Cutt]

It's also a bit overboard and rude. As has been mentioned numerous times, not everyone is set on hunting in a particular way.

Lighten up, do you really think VA was dead serious? I at least took it as more sarcasm than anything, which I thought was funny, Excuse me.

[Spitten and drummen]

hunt the way you want as long as its legal. for me , I have no interest in one. I turkey hunt for the challenge and the sport. I will only kill a bird that I have called up and I will only truly enjoy the hunt if I beat the bird in what I think is a fair match. if im walking down a ridge or road and one is standing in it , I will not kill it. again that's just me. I guess im old school. I have been at a point in my turkey hunting career for the last 10 or so years where I don't feel pressure to pull the trigger. I plot , plan , move , set up , call and strategize constantly. to me that's the game. if I want to eat turkey badly , then I can run to the store and buy one. don't get me wrong , I still kill plenty of birds , but my biggest thing is not the killing , but how I kill him. speaking on the fan umbrella , already this year I have heard a 63 year old man put 26 pellets in his 69 year old buddies face . they have been lifelong hunting buddies and are very experienced turkey hunters from what I heard. people started commenting thank god it wasn't heavyshot or it would probly have killed him. its insane that the topic quickly changed from what actually caused the accident to we need to ban heavyshot for turkey hunters because it is potentially more dangerous than lead. peoples way of thinking today is sometimes beyond common sense.  thankfully the man is going to make a full recovery.

[wvmntnhick]

Simply pointing out that others are chastised for hunting in different fashions. I've caught all kinds of flack for not using a shotgun as some see it as unsporting. Different strokes I suppose. Kinda like everyone jumping on guys that "reap" turkeys. Am I against it? Nope. Would I do it? Nope. Would I call someone out on it? Again, nope. Was he serious? Depends on how someone wants to interpret it. New members may have thin skin and when one hasn't been around others on the site for any period of time, it may send the wrong message. Just saying. Carry on.

[bmhern]

For me personally I wouldn't use one, but if it is legal and that's what you want to do, go for it. Hunt the way you want, be safe, and don't worry about what everyone else thinks!!!!  Good luck.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Simply pointing out that others are chastised for hunting in different fashions. I've caught all kinds of flack for not using a shotgun as some see it as unsporting. Different strokes I suppose. Kinda like everyone jumping on guys that "reap" turkeys. Am I against it? Nope. Would I do it? Nope. Would I call someone out on it? Again, nope. Was he serious? Depends on how someone wants to interpret it. New members may have thin skin and when one hasn't been around others on the site for any period of time, it may send the wrong message. Just saying. Carry on.

You and I are clearly very different.  To me, right is right and wrong is wrong.  The whole "if it's legal, it's ok" argument is an ethical cop out as far as I'm concerned.  The whole problem with turkey hunting these days is the new hunters you actually mention and organizations such as the NWTF promoting tactics like this that increase success, which promote recruitment, while betraying the grand bird they initially set out to protect all in exchange for the mighty dollar. 

Let me illustrate my point:
In the state of Florida, the use of bait such as corn and other seeds is LEGAL.  Hunters are just required to stay outside of 100 yards from those bait sites.  Any turkey hunter worth his salt knows that bait will concentrate turkeys.  It will also increase their pattern ability.  All of these factors work against the bird's chance of survival and increase a hunters ability to kill them.  Sure, the use of bait is legal in Florida but the larger question is why should bait be legal in Florida?  Why do many Florida hunters believe bait is an integral aspect of success when it comes to turkey hunting?

This extrapolation doesn't require a PhD in Mathematics.  It doesn't require a JD from Harvard.  It's wrong and fundamentally violates the principal of fair chase yet it's legal and many people drink the Koolaide because theyre OK with it being easier.

ROOST SHOOTING is legal in many states (VA included).  I dare anyone to explain to this forum when and why roost shooting is an acceptable tactic for the harvest of wild turkeys. 

Now, let's get back to remote MoJo gobblers and fanning/reaping/ stalking turkeys with decoys.  There are very few gobblers, with the exception of satellite toms who have become submissive, that will not attack a fan decoy presented in a reaping style.  For anyone who has seen it done or tried it, it's almost a sure thing if you don't miss the bird with a dime-sized pattern at 3 yards.  It is a lethal tactic that facilitates a level of success one could only achieve through a tactic such as...... Baiting. 

Not only is it a lethal tactic but it's also dangerous.  The use of increasingly more lifelike strutters images and decoys only increases the propensity for hunter induced shooting accidents.  Anyone willing to put a mature gobblers face and profile mere inches from their own is self-nominating themselves for the Darwin Awards, imho.  People in the Darwin Awards are commonly referred to as morons..... Just saying.

To conclude, turkey numbers are down to 6 million from 7 million in 5 years. Many areas in the country have populations that are down 30-50%. As hunters who have seen the sport rise in popularity, we have a responsibility to police ourselves and acknowledge when enough is enough.

So there we have it boys, fanning aligns itself with some of the most despicable "Legal" practices in our sport and while some of you tea-toters will take the platform of inclusion and tolerance, I refuse.

[Greg Massey]

People i have already had a rude run in with VatuRKstOmPer .. myself , it's either his way or the highway..If he doesn't like the way people hunt he should stay off the forum. He is rude all the time to people.