# Do you do whatever it takes to kill a turkey?



## Jody Hawk (Mar 17, 2013)

Harold said he never called to this turkey, he just crawled up in shotgun range and shot him when he flew out. I love the calling aspect of turkey hunting, tricking gobblers into thinking I'm a hen, watching and hearing him respond to my calls. Crawling around trying to bushwhack one ain't for me but I read an article in T&TH magazine one time that said that's what separates turkey hunters from turkey killers.


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## fullstrut (Mar 17, 2013)

I've killed my share of turkeys,but can't recall having to ambush one. If I get on a tuff bird I try and come back ever day if I have to. Sometimes I will kill him and I might not ever get him within range the whole season. I would rather call to him than ambush Jody to anwser your ?


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## nhancedsvt (Mar 17, 2013)

I'll bushwhack one every time if that's what it takes. When I go turkey hunting I'm there to kill turkeys, period. It makes no difference to me if I called him in or not.


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## rex upshaw (Mar 17, 2013)

I like the calling aspect.  If I can't call him in that day, he gets a pass...similar to why I wouldn't want to shoot one at 50+.


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## Will-dawg (Mar 17, 2013)

I don't mind bush whacking a turkey. I consider it a good hunt. I just will not use a ML.


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## wild1 (Mar 17, 2013)

Whatever it takes legally.


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## ADDICTED2HUNTIN (Mar 17, 2013)

Yep, I have bushwacked a few.


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## Trutalk3 (Mar 17, 2013)

No matter how you kill them it seems they all taste the same.


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## Carp (Mar 17, 2013)

I'll kill one like that in a heartbeat and then go hunt for a bird that will work. Some turkeys just need to die......


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## Curtis-UGA (Mar 17, 2013)

I get a 8-10 mornings a season to hunt in Georgia. Some of those mornings I'm calling for others. I will do what it takes to kill one. I won't not call to one in hopes of him just showing up. But I will belly crawl up on one in a field or use a fan.


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## Son (Mar 17, 2013)

Most of ya probably are not old enough to know this. Back in the day when i was a young feller. It was a common practice to roost turkeys in South Fl cypress heads. When it got dark, you waded in under em and shot one out. The last time i had the opportunity to do this was back about 1959 or so. I roosted two gobblers in a Cypress head, watched as i sat in palmettos. Dark came and in i went, waist deep in water. It wasn't a good night, as it was dark with clouds. Not enough light to tell a turkey from an air plant. I went back to camp without firing a shot. And i'm here to tell you, it was one heck of a journey. No flashlight, no roads, and there was some bad swamps between me and where camp was. But, that's how we used to hunt in Collier and Lee counties Fl.


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

Trutalk3 said:


> No matter how you kill them it seems they all taste the same.



Exactly.  Legal is legal.  Seems there are always  some guys who like to voice their opinions  to what makes a turkey hunter and what don't.


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## NCMTNHunter (Mar 17, 2013)

Ten years ago I stood solid on the "If it doesn't come in gobbling I don't want it" idea.  Turkey hunting has evolved for me since then and although I would rather call in a fired up bird I still take it as a challenge to get birds that are with hens or stubborn or harassed on public land.  I don't try to sneek within shotgun range because of safety issues and because it doesn't seem to be very successful.  I will pattern birds and try to get where they are going whether I am calling or not.  Under the right situations killing birds with woodsmanship rather than calling can be more challenging and rewarding than just calling in a gobbling 2 year old.


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## TurkeyKiller12 (Mar 17, 2013)

Short of using a muzzleloader, I'll do what I got to do to kill a turkey.


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## XIronheadX (Mar 17, 2013)

I've never bushwhacked but I figured one out last year that wouldn't come to a call for nothing. I heard them roost and we were waiting when they hit the ground. BOOM. I outsmarted him.


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## weathermantrey (Mar 17, 2013)

I feel like  trying to ambush a call shy, henned up, boss gobbler is more of a challenge than calling in a love-sick 2 year old gobbler.

Not to mention one strategy is not separate from other.

I can’t count how many times I’ve had a gobbler not interested in my calling on the initial setup.  Then when I figure out the way he’s going I’ll get repositioned as close as possible to him without letting him see me.  Then give one soft series of yelps and have him run down my gun barrel.    

If you setup on a turkey and he’s not responsive to your calls do you just shrug your shoulders and walk back to the truck? If you reposition to the direction you think he’s headed and start calling again I would consider that as a partial ambush.


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## MKW (Mar 17, 2013)

I will crawl to better my position to kill a turkey. I will not just crawl to a turkey and kill him without calling to him. Just like if I'm walking and happen around a corner and a gobbler is standing there, I won't shoot him. I love to "play the game".

Mike


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## GLS (Mar 17, 2013)

Brad C. said:


> Exactly.  Legal is legal.  Seems there are always  some guys who like to voice their opinions  to what makes a turkey hunter and what don't.



And you just did the same.


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## southGAlefty (Mar 17, 2013)

I'll bushwhack one in a heartbeat if that's what it takes but it definitely isn't the same as calling him down my gun barrel.


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## WOODSWIZE (Mar 17, 2013)

Number 23 in Georgia for beard length (tied) in my avatar took 4 straight days. One day we had him hung up within sight. Another day with me having him at one time drumming 5 feet behind my tree I was leaned against -I could not move! Next day my step dad Paul Hollifield ambushed him coming into the same field.


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

GLS said:


> And you just did the same.



No, I didn't start the thread.  There's a difference.  And if you can't see that, then that's on you.


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## rhbama3 (Mar 17, 2013)

NCMTNHunter said:


> Ten years ago I stood solid on the "If it doesn't come in gobbling I don't want it" idea.  Turkey hunting has evolved for me since then and although I would rather call in a fired up bird I still take it as a challenge to get birds that are with hens or stubborn or harassed on public land.  I don't try to sneek within shotgun range because of safety issues and because it doesn't seem to be very successful.  I will pattern birds and try to get where they are going whether I am calling or not.  Under the right situations killing birds with woodsmanship rather than calling can be more challenging and rewarding than just calling in a gobbling 2 year old.



^^^
This.


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## sea trout (Mar 17, 2013)

i do what ever it takes legaly!
it's all so much fun!
i bush whacked my first turkey!!!! a friend who introduced me to turkey huntin over 10 years ago called one in for me.
we were down hill from the cow pasture in the dark woods. the gobbler would not come out of the pasture, he just paced back and forth in the pasture gobbeling at us!
i finally rambo'd in up the hill on my belly! came up behind some pallmetto grass stuff and stuck the shotgun out there....aimed and shot him!!!!
he was floppin and bouncin on the ground so i thought i had to shoot him again....i suddenly was confused thinking i was holding a foreign shotgun....it wouln't pump...i looked at it and saw the slide was all the way back and shell ejected!!(first 3 inch mag i ever shot)...ran up to my first bird and my buddy caught up and said to stand on his neck and he'll quit floppin in a few minutes...we gave high 5's, enjoyed a marlboro, and checked out my beutiful awsome first bird!!!
every chance i get to turkey hunt for the rest of my life i'll do WHATEVER IT TAKES to experience that again!!!!!!!!!!
turkey huntin is awsome!!!! great luck to everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## hambone76 (Mar 17, 2013)

Took out a boss tom or two that way and shortly afterwards the woods were alive with gobbling subordinates. 
I love the challenge of calling them in close myself, but sometimes I do what I have to do. To each his own I say


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## JimLandt (Mar 17, 2013)

Do I do whatever it takes? No. The ultimate "do whatever it takes person" intentionally slips in between another calling hunter and a gobbling bird. I personally think that's pretty low under most circumstances. I don't intentionally try to ambush a gobbler, but I'm not going to pass on shooting, if one happens to walk into range when I haven't called to him or if I happen to walk up on one within 40 yards. I've called in most, but I've also killed one I accidentally sneaked up on a logging road, while walking back to my truck. And I also don't feel shame in a little belly crawling toward a hung-up bird that I've been working for a while either. Still, I can't see it would be much fun to be an ambusher. Ambushing seems to be common in western states for Rios and Merriams, especially where rifle hunting is allowed.


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## JimLandt (Mar 17, 2013)

NCMTNHunter said:


> Ten years ago I stood solid on the "If it doesn't come in gobbling I don't want it" idea.  Turkey hunting has evolved for me since then and although I would rather call in a fired up bird I still take it as a challenge to get birds that are with hens or stubborn or harassed on public land.  I don't try to sneek within shotgun range because of safety issues and because it doesn't seem to be very successful.  I will pattern birds and try to get where they are going whether I am calling or not.  Under the right situations killing birds with woodsmanship rather than calling can be more challenging and rewarding than just calling in a gobbling 2 year old.



I do totally agree with this too. Woodsmanship is one thing, I'm only saying there's not much challenge just waiting in a field where you know birds come in every single day. To each his own though...


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## hambone76 (Mar 17, 2013)

JimLandt said:


> Do I do whatever it takes? No. The ultimate "do whatever it takes person" intentionally slips in between another calling hunter and a gobbling bird.
> 
> I agree with you. Had that happen more times than I care to remember on public land. Had hunters walk through my setups and saw me there. Just walked on toward the bird with no regard. Not a good idea on public land to be sneaking around. Too many other guns in the woods.


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## sea trout (Mar 17, 2013)

jimlandt i agree!
i should have said i do whatever it takes legaly AND moraly!!!
i would not want to ambush a bird another hunter is working, just like i would not like anyone sneakin an ambush on a bird i was talkin to!


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## fuzzy swamp donkey (Mar 17, 2013)

how many  of you ambushers   and  roost shooters  kill um  when there  in the air ?????

you know  its funny    its  ok  to  ambush  turkeys    and  kill them how  ever  in the air   on the roost , 
 and   i guess its ok to sneek up to a pond  and  shoot amongst    ducks  and  kill at will  or let them all land  then cut down while there  all on the water

might as well let the doves  land  on the  ground  and  shoot them that way to

   but  if  your  not in  a   tree   gruntin up  a  buck  with  attractants and  pee, and corn      but  in stead   you turn out  hounds  to   kill him  crossin a  rd  runnin full bore  if  you can,

  thats  bad  , and     unsportsman like  and      the majority says  so,  thats  why its  goin extinct .


i mean really ????? think  a bout  !!!    i mean  i  agree   with   killin um  is killum     and  dead is  dead  but  there is  a  sportsman  code  i grew  up by i  figured  every true sportsman went by


and  im not  talkin  about  belly crawlin to  a bird and usein woodsmanship  , 
yall know what im talkin about


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## hc slickhead (Mar 17, 2013)

im killin....PERIOD....if he come to a call fine. but i will crawl


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## rhbama3 (Mar 17, 2013)

fuzzy swamp donkey said:


> how many  of you ambushers   and  roost shooters  kill um  when there  in the air ?????
> 
> you know  its funny    its  ok  to  ambush  turkeys    and  kill them how  ever  in the air   on the roost ,
> and   i guess its ok to sneek up to a pond  and  shoot amongst    ducks  and  kill at will  or let them all land  then cut down while there  all on the water
> ...








How in the world did you get all that out of what has been posted?
Shoot them on the roost or in the air?
The ONLY situation where i can think of shooting one in the air is "IF" i shot and rolled him and he got up and started running or trying to fly off.  I've never shot one out of a tree and don't plan to.


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## Killdee (Mar 17, 2013)

Deer hunting turkeys is not for me but its legal so shoot Tom and come on here and thrill us with your skills and story. Oh I forgot, no one wants to hear about" I crawled up and shot him when he strutted by" storys.

I have ambushed a couple when I was much younger but got no satisfaction from it at all.


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## Timber1 (Mar 17, 2013)

Not what ever it takes...you gotta draw the line somewhere. I will jump shoot one. If you hunt the mountains or any hilly area, if one comes up on the uphill side of you most times he will turn back and sail right over you. I'll take that shot on a longbeard all day long. Ain't nothing better than folding up a big gobbler.


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## Chuck Morgan (Mar 17, 2013)

Good Lord! Jody asked a simple question and gave his opinion and has got it with both barrels and from all angles. LOL  Seems like some folks need to get in the woods and get their humility handed back to them by Ol Tom. Thank goodness it is ONLY 6 days away.
Good luck this season to all of you. (callers & bushwackers)


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## humpback (Mar 17, 2013)

I realy don't like to ambush a gobbler. His meat is always tuff when u kill them like that


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## Mr. Longbeard (Mar 17, 2013)

No prob puttin a sneak on a old boss gobbler that just won't come to a call


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## albridges (Mar 17, 2013)

Man, now I got to make sure I kill my first turkey by calling him in myself and waiting till he is at the right distance, not to close to be a chip shot yet not so far to be at my advantage. This is going to be tough I can't work a mouth call to save my life, I am good on a slate so I got that going for me. Glad I know now that outsmarting the Tom isn't good enough i got to make sure I do it the "right way". 



I am relatively new to turkey hunting. This will be my 3rd year, last year was my first year with help from someone who knew what they were doing. I feel the same way about turkey hunting as I do about deer hunting. Have fun, be safe, and go by the book. And make sure at the end of the hunt to smile big for the camera.


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## TK1 (Mar 17, 2013)

In PA its hunting by CALLING only,no stalking..Clearly printed in our regs..Great law imo...


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

Chuck Morgan said:


> Good Lord! Jody asked a simple question and gave his opinion and has got it with both barrels and from all angles. LOL  Seems like some folks need to get in the woods and get their humility handed back to them by Ol Tom. Thank goodness it is ONLY 6 days away.
> Good luck this season to all of you. (callers & bushwackers)



Why not just leave it at good luck to all turkey hunters and be done with it w/o the added callers and bushwackers comment?  That attitude is just annoying.


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## humpback (Mar 17, 2013)

Now that I now harold is  a ambusher I Will never buy a knight anhale call again!!!!!!


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## GTHunter007 (Mar 17, 2013)

Some birds can force you to change your habits and desires in a hurry.  With a turkey...It's war IMO.  I don't "Deer Hunt" for a turkey, but belly crawling up on one, is as much a rush as calling one in.  And twice as hard as finding a bird to come blazing in to the calls.  Anybody can wait around and find a suicidal 2 year old that comes running in to the gun barrel if they have the time.  Heck I would take a season's limit of these suicidal 2 year olds and be as happy as can be.  

A bird hitting his strut zone, or getting with a bunch of hens and not breaking to come in to my calls but still gobbles...is just asking to have his beak smacked...AND I will do what I can to fulfill his wishes.  

I have crawled 200 yards through a clear cut knowing there was a rise a bird was working just over.  After making the 45 minute crawl, without spooking any birds mind you, I popped a knee just behind the rise and gave 2 soft yelps.  I could already see the top of his fan but when those yelps came out, he hammered again like he had done for 2 hours before, only this time the sweet lady friend was within 30 yards but still out of sight.  He peered that neck high into the air to see over the rise and was met with a face full of number 5s.  Now you tell me I am less of a hunter because I "ambushed" this bird and didn't work him in with calls and I'll laugh and tell you to keep your comments to yourself.  

Show me where in the regs it is called "Turkey Calling" instead of "Turkey Hunting" and we'll talk again about only shooting birds being called in.  


I will paraphrase an old post I read from CARP..."I would call in an airstrike of A-10 Thunderbolts on an old turkey if that's what it took."  I agree 100%!!!

Some turkeys can ruin your season, and just need to bleed.  Completely satisfied with running into 3 suicidal 2 year olds, many a turkey hunter has been thrust into the grasps of an unforgiving old turkey.  One of those that will make you ignore other gobblers in the distance, even though you know your chances to kill them are greater than going after the ONE.  Yet you do it anyway.  All because you want him dead.  And the challenge of making that happen is more than you can bear.  Work a bird long enough and enough days, many people will start figuring out where he sleeps, where he eats, where his strip club is, where he hangs out after work and the road he takes home...and try to get in his path.  Nothing wrong with catching him trying to go to roost.  Heck, every deer hunter on this forum does the same thing to deer.  You can call deer in...but I have never EVER heard anyone say its unsporting to kill them any other way.  

Anyone with something bad to say or demeaning about someone else's LEGAL way of taking a turkey needs to get over themselves.  This country already has enough self serving and dividing individuals to go around.  I hope none of you self important "I ONLY kill a turkey I called in" have ever shot one in a food plot.  Shocking a turkey would want to walk out into that green field without your calling coercing him there.


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## trkyhntr70 (Mar 17, 2013)

MKW said:


> I will crawl to better my position to kill a turkey. I will not just crawl to a turkey and kill him without calling to him. Just like if I'm walking and happen around a corner and a gobbler is standing there, I won't shoot him. I love to "play the game".
> 
> Mike



My opinion also. There is a difference between a killer that calls his birds to the gun and one that shoots one that happens along. To each is own; but playing the game is what drives the passion for me.




Chuck Morgan said:


> Good Lord! Jody asked a simple question and gave his opinion and has got it with both barrels and from all angles. LOL  Seems like some folks need to get in the woods and get their humility handed back to them by Ol Tom. Thank goodness it is ONLY 6 days away.
> Good luck this season to all of you. (callers & bushwackers)


X2.



Brad C. said:


> Why not just leave it at good luck to all turkey hunters and be done with it w/o the added callers and bushwackers comment?  That attitude is just annoying.


Not nearly as annoying as someone pushing hevi 7's and posting the same pattern pics for the past 3 yrs.


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

trkyhntr70 said:


> My opinion also. There is a difference between a killer that calls his birds to the gun and one that shoots one that happens along. To each is own; but playing the game is what drives the passion for me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well where's yours at?  I'd love to see them.


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## sea trout (Mar 17, 2013)

GTHunter007 said:


> Some birds can force you to change your habits and desires in a hurry.  With a turkey...its war IMO.  I don't "deer Hunt" for a turkey, but belly crawling up on one, is as much a rush as calling one in.  Anybody can wait around and find a suicidal 2 year old that comes running into the gun barrel if they have the time.



yes!!!!!!


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## dustin01018 (Mar 17, 2013)

Sneaking up on a group of hens and a gobbler is probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done and that gets my adrenaline pumping!  Spot and stalk hunting is extremely difficult and there is only a few people that can pull it off with wild turkeys.  IMO it is way more difficult to sneak up on a 3 or 4 year old turkey than call in a love struck 2 year old.


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## MKW (Mar 17, 2013)

In this thread, I've seen several references to 2yr olds being called in...Do y'all really believe that 2yr olds are the only turkeys that are called to the gun?? 

Mike


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## harryrichdawg (Mar 17, 2013)

I would rather call him in gobbling his head off, but I'm not gonna be real picky this season.  Unless we get some unexpected time off in the next 7 weeks, I've got exactly 14 mornings to hunt this season.  I'm shooting at the first 3 mature gobblers that I get my scope on.


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## GTHunter007 (Mar 17, 2013)

MKW said:


> In this thread, I've seen several references to 2yr olds being called in...Do y'all really believe that 2yr olds are the only turkeys that are called to the gun??
> 
> Mike



NO...but I guarantee you those who "ONLY" will kill a turkey they have called in have a very lopsided 2 yr old vs 3+ bear/spur collection.


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

Why don't we all just agree to disagree on this topic and move on?  It will save a lot of time and pages.


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## Woods Savvy (Mar 17, 2013)

Im good with killing one on the stalk! It's a lot better than feeding them for months in a food plot or the woods and hunting over that area.


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## six (Mar 17, 2013)

GTHunter007 said:


> NO...but I guarantee you those who "ONLY" will kill a turkey they have called in have a very lopsided 2 yr old vs 3+ bear/spur collection.


I think that holds true for just about anyone, no matter how they choose to kill turkeys.  Simple math has more to do with that than how one hunts.

I don't care how anyone does it, calling, crawling or ambushing, don't matter to me one way or the other.  I have crawled my share in my earlier years.  But now it's about the interacting and conversing with a gobbler that does it for me personally.


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## dbean43 (Mar 17, 2013)

U girls are so funny!! Bunch of whinny little sissys. 


_Posted  from Gon.com  App for Android_


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## GTHunter007 (Mar 17, 2013)

six said:


> I think that holds true for just about anyone, no matter how they choose to kill turkeys.  Simple math has more to do with that than how one hunts.
> 
> I don't care how anyone does it, calling, crawling or ambushing, don't matter to me one way or the other.  I have crawled my share in my earlier years.  But now it's about the interacting and conversing with a gobbler that does it for me personally.



This is probably true, and I don't mean to put down killing a 2 yr old.  As I stated, I would gladly fill all 3 tags with suicidal 2 yr olds.  But some birds get under my skin.  I will work him a couple of days and try to call him in, and I would love nothing better than to watch him and the show come all the way in to gun range with me orchestrating.  But that is not always the case, and some birds just won't come in.  Every turkey hunter needs more than one trick in their arsenal.  I don't mean a slate call, a box and a mouth call...I mean something besides calling alone.  Woodsmanship takes just as much if not more skill to sneak on a bird and break his comfort zone than letting out a series of yelps, cuts clucks and purrs.  Being able to identify a hung up/stubborn bird, reposition or stalk him is very much a viable and sporting solution to making the kill.  There are a lot of people out there that have killed birds by being where they are wanting to go...while calling, that would have made the same kill had they been silent simply because that is where the bird was going anyway.  Yet because they called 3 times 30 minutes ago, they didn't ambush him...they called him in.


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## MKW (Mar 17, 2013)

GTHunter007 said:


> This is probably true, and I don't mean to put down killing a 2 yr old.  As I stated, I would gladly fill all 3 tags with suicidal 2 yr olds.  But some birds get under my skin.  I will work him a couple of days and try to call him in, and I would love nothing better than to watch him and the show come all the way in to gun range with me orchestrating.  But that is not always the case, and some birds just won't come in.  Every turkey hunter needs more than one trick in their arsenal.  I don't mean a slate call, a box and a mouth call...I mean something besides calling alone.  Woodsmanship takes just as much if not more skill to sneak on a bird and break his comfort zone than letting out a series of yelps, cuts clucks and purrs.  Being able to identify a hung up/stubborn bird, reposition or stalk him is very much a viable and sporting solution to making the kill.  There are a lot of people out there that have killed birds by being where they are wanting to go...while calling, that would have made the same kill had they been silent simply because that is where the bird was going anyway.  Yet because they called 3 times 30 minutes ago, they didn't ambush him...they called him in.



I would not disagree with any of this.

Mike


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## six (Mar 17, 2013)

GTHunter007 said:


> I don't mean to put down killing a 2 yr old.  As I stated, I would gladly fill all 3 tags with suicidal 2 yr olds.  But some birds get under my skin.


I agree.  I can get a deep hate for one quick.


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## Mr. Longbeard (Mar 17, 2013)

I read these types of post about this one sneakin on gobblers and this one only kills gobbler that honor his world class calling ability s ... Makes me laugh!!!

Everybody has different levels of turkey hunting... Some guys have money, time and prime place to hunt... So that guy can practice his holier than thow attitude... Then there's the poor public land hunter who is married and only makes $30,000 a year and only has 1 or 2 weeks vacation a year to hunt... Now this poor guy spends his money fights with his ol lady and goes off to his pressured public land gobbler... After 3 or 4 of his hunts being totally ruined, he finally gets a bird to him self and the bird is just hanging up and won't come in... So he makes a couple strategic moves and gets a bird... So now he's not worthy... I really think a lot of guys have it way to good... 

In my book the blue collar public land turkey hunter is the REAL turkey hunter... Not the doc, lawyer, corp vp or famous celebrity with the silver spoon crammed down his throat...


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## wild1 (Mar 17, 2013)

Mr. Longbeard said:


> I read these types of post about this one sneakin on gobblers and this one only kills gobbler that honor his world class calling ability s ... Makes me laugh!!!
> 
> Everybody has different levels of turkey hunting... Some guys have money, time and prime place to hunt... So that guy can practice his holier than thow attitude... Then there's the poor public land hunter who is married and only makes $30,000 a year and only has 1 or 2 weeks vacation a year to hunt... Now this poor guy spends his money fights with his ol lady and goes off to his pressured public land gobbler... After 3 or 4 of his hunts being totally ruined, he finally gets a bird to him self and the bird is just hanging up and won't come in... So he makes a couple strategic moves and gets a bird... So now he's not worthy... I really think a lot of guys have it way to good...
> 
> In my book the blue collar public land turkey hunter is the REAL turkey hunter... Not the doc, lawyer, corp vp or famous celebrity with the silver spoon crammed down his throat...



Well said!!


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## MKW (Mar 17, 2013)

The thread is about if you will do whatever it takes to kill a turkey, or not. Every hunter sets his or her own limits. Most stay within the law, some don't. Either way, every hunter sets their own limits based on his personal ethics and what he desires to get out of a hunt. IMO, it has nothing to do with how much time or money one has. Now, granted, time and money can certainly determine how many turkeys a guy kills, but I don't think it will change how he kills them. 

Mike


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## ACP (Mar 17, 2013)

I think the calling and good woodsman ship are part of it . And the part when you have old Tom strike at your call you have to make about a hundred decisions in a short time. Thats what I like not just the Kill. But with said I well give TOM a FACE FULL OF FIVES!!!!!!


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## Son (Mar 17, 2013)

No matter where you go. Turkey hunting, hog, deer hunting, fishing etc.. There's always a few experts that know more then anyone else. I'm still learning, so ya'll keep it to the point and factual. 
I'll continue calling a couple times, taking a nap, waking up and shooting the gobbler. Turkey hunting isn't magic.  It's all about patience and knowing what you're doing. Might as well relax and enjoy the outing. Gotta keep this thread going.


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## Unicoidawg (Mar 17, 2013)

Boys..... calling is a small part of turkey hunting. Knowing where, when, what and how to go about doing it is another. Being able to read the birds response and know the lay of the land and position yourself in a favorable position is most of the battle. Now that being said I prefer to match wits with an ole tom, but I do what it takes. If he don't wanna play I'll resort to guerilla warfare and not bat an eye in doing so. If it is legal then there is not a problem. To me I'm out there to kill birds not sing a duet with him. Good luck to you all, no matter how you choose to chase your birds, but most of all be safe this spring.


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## Brad C. (Mar 17, 2013)

Unicoidawg said:


> Boys..... calling is a small part of turkey hunting. Knowing where, when, what and how to go about doing it is another. Being able to read the birds response and know the lay of the land and position yourself in a favorable position is most of the battle. Now that being said I prefer to match wits with an ole tom, but I do what it takes. If he don't wanna play I'll resort to guerilla warfare and not bat an eye in doing so. If it is legal then there is not a problem. To me I'm out there to kill birds not sing a duet with him. Good luck to you all, no matter how you choose to chase your birds, but most of all be safe this spring.



Very well stated.


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## DSGB (Mar 18, 2013)

Having only killed one turkey, I'll do whatever it takes. Once I get a few birds under my belt, I may look at it differently.


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## TK1 (Mar 18, 2013)

If people would take the time to scout,learn habits and actually learn to call at least avg...we wouldnt have so many goofy gadgets in the turkey world..I'm glad I grew up in PA with a law FORCING me to hunt by CALLING only in the spring..with that being said,its actually legal in the fall to stalk,bushwhack,etc...I've snuck up on countless flocks of 20+ birds to scatter them..its not that hard and can be learned..but today's "hunter" won't take the time


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## GreatWhiteTurkeyHunter (Mar 18, 2013)

I don't necessarily enjoy "deer hunting" a turkey. Not fun at all when compared to calling one in, listening to him respond to your call, hearing him spitting and drumming as you get ready to drop him. But, some birds don't gobble, and some won't respond to a call. I know one particular bird that I witnessed a hunter shoot at him and miss. So the next day I went and we just waited on him to skirt the field edge and shot him when he came around. Not as fun but sometimes it may be the best option. Just depends on the situation.


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## pnome (Mar 18, 2013)

Seems to me that stalking up on one, or laying in ambush is just as difficult a way to kill a turkey as calling them in.

Of course I love to call them in, but if opportunity knocks, I'm answering.


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## Mark K (Mar 18, 2013)

Whatever it takes.


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## Gator8em (Mar 18, 2013)

Bushwhacking is one of the most disrespectful ways a turkey hunter can kill a turkey, second only to road huntin on rainy days. Any hunter worth his salt knows that after you have strategically worked yourself into your ambush position, you should always cluck right before you pull the trigger. This saves you from any moral wrong doing and the turkey dies an honorable death.


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## Mr. Longbeard (Mar 18, 2013)

Gator8em said:


> Bushwhacking is one of the most disrespectful ways a turkey hunter can kill a turkey, second only to road huntin on rainy days. Any hunter worth his salt knows that after you have strategically worked yourself into your ambush position, you should always cluck right before you pull the trigger. This saves you from any moral wrong doing and the turkey dies an honorable death.



 your joking about the clucking right?


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## Gator8em (Mar 18, 2013)

No joke. It takes alot practice to learn to cluck and fire simultaneously. If you fire to quick, you have not called him in and will have to live with the shame of your actions for the rest of your life. Your wife will divorce you, your boss will fire you and your poor mother will have to change churches.


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## Brad C. (Mar 18, 2013)

Mr. Longbeard said:


> your joking about the clucking right?



If he aint, that sure was a good one.  Sort of like giving a turkey his last request before you blow his head off I guess.


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## chambers270 (Mar 18, 2013)

I feel like it is a combination of knowing how to slip through the woods, how to call and luck. I prefer call a gobble happy bird up close and nail him, but then again when I get stuck on a particular bird for a long period of time, I will try and ambush him. If he gobbles and I get him, it is a great hunt.


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## chadf (Mar 18, 2013)

Gator8em said:


> Bushwhacking is one of the most disrespectful ways a turkey hunter can kill a turkey, second only to road huntin on rainy days. Any hunter worth his salt knows that after you have strategically worked yourself into your ambush position, you should always cluck right before you pull the trigger. This saves you from any moral wrong doing and the turkey dies an honorable death.



Been a while since I bushwhacked a bird...... But !! 
I always cluck when bushwhacking birds so they break strutt and lift that head out, tall and straight....


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## hawglips (Mar 18, 2013)

MKW said:


> In this thread, I've seen several references to 2yr olds being called in...Do y'all really believe that 2yr olds are the only turkeys that are called to the gun??
> 
> Mike



I think most don't know a 2 year old from a 4 year old when they are holding it in their hands.


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## Offroadtek (Mar 18, 2013)

Gator8em said:


> No joke. It takes alot practice to learn to cluck and fire simultaneously. If you fire to quick, you have not called him in and will have to live with the shame of your actions for the rest of your life. Your wife will divorce you, your boss will fire you and your poor mother will have to change churches.



I need a "Like" button for this comment.


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## goblr77 (Mar 18, 2013)

Let me put it this way. When I go hunting my objective is to kill turkeys.


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## ALPHAMAX (Mar 18, 2013)

Offroadtek said:


> I need a "Like" button for this comment.



^I'm pressin it now^ (killed'em both ways) and loved every minute of it


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## GreatWhiteTurkeyHunter (Mar 18, 2013)

Gator8em said:


> No joke. It takes alot practice to learn to cluck and fire simultaneously. If you fire to quick, you have not called him in and will have to live with the shame of your actions for the rest of your life. Your wife will divorce you, your boss will fire you and your poor mother will have to change churches.


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## GTHunter007 (Mar 18, 2013)

Gator8em said:


> No joke. It takes alot practice to learn to cluck and fire simultaneously. If you fire to quick, you have not called him in and will have to live with the shame of your actions for the rest of your life. Your wife will divorce you, your boss will fire you and your poor mother will have to change churches.



Not to mention get smashed on a message forum if you tell the story as it happened.   Probably have to delete your profile.


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## mauser64 (Mar 18, 2013)

One year I hunted a bird all season and never could call him in so on the last weekend I cut him off on the way to the tree he had been roosting in. Didn't feel too bad about it tho. After all those trips up and down I-20 I Figger he owed me a meal at the least!


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## Buck killers Wife (Mar 18, 2013)

dbean43 said:


> U girls are so funny!! Bunch of whinny little sissys.
> 
> 
> _Posted  from Gon.com  App for Android_



Why compare them to girls! So girls are whinny little sissys Now I now where we stand.
When the feathers fly, look who is shooting


Have a good day.


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## Buck killers Wife (Mar 18, 2013)

How old is this one & can you tell if he was bush wacked!







After all girls can't call


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## six (Mar 18, 2013)

Buck killers Wife said:


> How old is this one & can you tell if he was bush wacked!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He's as old as he's going to get.  Not sure about the bushwacked part.  And it don't look like he remembers anyway.


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## Brad C. (Mar 18, 2013)

I never have killed a turkey with a cell phone before.  Congrats!


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## Booner Killa (Mar 18, 2013)

I've bush whacked a few myself. Enjoyed every min of it too. Y'all can say I'm a dishonorable turkey hunter all you want. I've seen birds come racing each other to the gun after a series of yelps. There is nothing hard about that. However, scouting a piece of ground, putting in time and money and continuously getting your rear end handed to you by the same bird and then using woodsman ship and patience, you finally end up with your foot on his neck/head, and a grin from ear to ear. Yep, I reckon I am dishonorable. I'm obviously not saying all birds come running to the shot gun but I am saying that I don't feel bad about beating him at his own game, whether I bush whack him or call him to fifteen yards and crush him.


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## Jim Thompson (Mar 18, 2013)

I cant imagine worrying myself that someone belly crawled across a field and shot a turkey as long as it was legal in the state or area they were hunting.  

yall act like your way (whatever way that might be) is the only way its ever been done.  

here is a lil passage about how turkeys were hunted back in the day...wayyyyyyy before we were here 

http://www.gamebird.com/turkeys.html





> The usual method used to hunt turkeys was to yell loudly and run after them on foot until they flew up into the trees. The Indians would then shoot them down, one by one. Young Indian boys would often decoy turkeys by using a hollow turkey wing bone with which they imitated the gobbling sound of a male bird. The wings of a turkey are powerfully built but not designed for long distance flight. It can run quite swiftly on the ground but not usually for long distances. Thus, it was possible for the Indians to run them down on foot. This was accomplished where turkeys were found in open country and thus could not seek safety in brush or dense forest. Several Indians would chase after a turkey, often with the aid of horses and dogs, flushing it repeatedly until it had become completely exhausted, at which time it was picked up and killed.
> 
> Aside from its food value, the Indians made use of the bird in other ways. The feathers were incorporated into clothing and head-wear, used on arrows, and displayed in various ways during tribal ceremonies. The spurs from old males were used as arrow points.


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## kmckinnie (Mar 18, 2013)

I'll belly crawl thru a briar bed, a open field would be easy.


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## kmckinnie (Mar 18, 2013)

Yall are tickling me with a gobbler feather. lols


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## kmckinnie (Mar 18, 2013)

Opps, I will not do what ever it takes. But I'll do alot.


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## albridges (Mar 18, 2013)

Tell Em' Jim!



Jim Thompson said:


> I cant imagine worrying myself that someone belly crawled across a field and shot a turkey as long as it was legal in the state or area they were hunting.
> 
> yall act like your way (whatever way that might be) is the only way its ever been done.
> 
> ...


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## Killdee (Mar 18, 2013)

Jim Thompson said:


> I cant imagine worrying myself that someone belly crawled across a field and shot a turkey as long as it was legal in the state or area they were hunting.
> 
> yall act like your way (whatever way that might be) is the only way its ever been done.
> 
> ...



That Indian story sounds like a crock of poop to me .


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## Jim Thompson (Mar 19, 2013)

Killdee said:


> That Indian story sounds like a crock of poop to me .



you should prolly run up to the cherokee casino and let em know


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## Offroadtek (Mar 19, 2013)

I'll have to get out my "New hunters encyclopedia" and see what it says about turkey hunting again. It was written in the 50's, I got it at a library book sale. It talked about running turkeys on horses till they were exhausted, and also roosting them at dusk and shooting them out of trees.


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## MKW (Mar 19, 2013)

I have a Outdoor Life magazine from 1929 with an article about using a live turkey (staked out) as a decoy. I actually have 60 old hunting magazines from 1928-1934 and there is lots of talk in them about shooting turkeys with rifles. 

Mike


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## Jim Thompson (Mar 19, 2013)

Offroadtek said:


> I'll have to get out my "New hunters encyclopedia" and see what it says about turkey hunting again. It was written in the 50's, I got it at a library book sale. It talked about running turkeys on horses till they were exhausted, and also roosting them at dusk and shooting them out of trees.





MKW said:


> I have a Outdoor Life magazine from 1929 with an article about using a live turkey (staked out) as a decoy. I actually have 60 old hunting magazines from 1928-1934 and there is lots of talk in them about shooting turkeys with rifles.
> 
> Mike



yep and yep.

that being said, personally I couldnt imagine wanting to hunt turks any way other than calling them to gun...but am not arrogant enough to think my way is the only way they should be hunted either.  especially since my way is not the way it started back a hundred years ago


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## Gadget (Mar 19, 2013)

MKW said:


> I have a Outdoor Life magazine from 1929 with an article about using a live turkey (staked out) as a decoy. I actually have 60 old hunting magazines from 1928-1934 and there is lots of talk in them about shooting turkeys with rifles.
> 
> Mike




I'd like to read some of those old magazines.


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## Jim Thompson (Mar 19, 2013)

just a guess...but ima say these birds were not called to the gun.  just a guess though


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## Nicodemus (Mar 19, 2013)

MKW said:


> I have a Outdoor Life magazine from 1929 with an article about using a live turkey (staked out) as a decoy. I actually have 60 old hunting magazines from 1928-1934 and there is lots of talk in them about shooting turkeys with rifles.
> 
> Mike





I was lucky enough to be able to listen to countless stories as old turkey hunters from the late 1890s through the 1960s set around and swapped huntin` tales and techniques of their hunts in south Georgia. My Grandfather was one of them. Most of those men used single barrel shotguns. 

I should write a book. Some of those stories were historic, and should be saved.


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## Gadget (Mar 19, 2013)

One the guys I know who hunts down in South Florida, started hunting turkey in the 50's when he was a young kid. He told me he only knew one person that hunted turkey back then, was a friend of his dad, who took him turkey hunting the first few times and showed him how to do it. They would roost turkey in the evening, show up before daylight then shoot them off the roost with rifles. Said it was years later before he ever found out they could be called in, that's the way everyone he knew was doing it back then. Maybe that's part of the reason Florida has held onto the rifle as a legal firearm for turkey for so long....tradition. They did just outlaw them on all public land last year though.


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## Gaswamp (Mar 12, 2017)

MKW said:


> I will crawl to better my position to kill a turkey. I will not just crawl to a turkey and kill him without calling to him. Just like if I'm walking and happen around a corner and a gobbler is standing there, I won't shoot him. I love to "play the game".
> 
> Mike



me too


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## Bob Wallace (Mar 12, 2017)

Doesn't matter to me either way. In the orange groves down here, you can coast in your truck within 30 yards, slowly open the door, step out, crawl to the front or back, kneel down and shoot one. We've also chased them down on foot trying to outsmart them. Doesn't work every thing me but it's fun.


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## kmckinnie (Mar 12, 2017)

kmckinnie said:


> I'll belly crawl thru a briar bed, a open field would be easy.



U don't have to do that nomore Kmack. 
U can reap them in now.


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## blt152 (Mar 12, 2017)

Sorry, but I'm old school. I prefer to locate a bird, plop my butt down against a tree and use my calling ability to bring him to me. I'm not against moving on a bird or any other method used today. To each his own. The hunt is more important to me than the kill. Always has been and always will be.


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## Johnny 71 (Mar 12, 2017)

Whether I call him in, or crawl to him, I'm sure he thinks it's a dirty rotten trick, unless we stand out in the open and fight , it's all ambush, jmho


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## mizzippi jb (Mar 12, 2017)

blt152 said:


> Sorry, but I'm old school. I prefer to locate a bird, plop my butt down against a tree and use my calling ability to bring him to me. I'm not against moving on a bird or any other method used today. To each his own. The hunt is more important to me than the kill. Always has been and always will be.



I'm not advocating for one way of hunting vessus another....legal is good, but How old is old school?  My grandpaw and his brothers and all the folks in their generation (they were old school when it wasn't cool I guess)  didn't limit themselves to one way of hunting, because it was about putting food on the table.  So the method you describe isn't really "old school" IMO.  It's just a method of hunting.  I have my favorite methods, but if I get mad enough at one, he will get crawled upon using terrain, cover, and stealth.


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## mizzippi jb (Mar 12, 2017)

Johnny 71 said:


> Whether I call him in, or crawl to him, I'm sure he thinks it's a dirty rotten trick, unless we stand out in the open and fight , it's all ambush, jmho



Bam!  Hit the Nail on the head!


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## Nicodemus (Mar 12, 2017)

I hunt turkeys to my standards, not the standards of anybody else. How everybody else hunts their birds is not my concern in the least.


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## Capt Quirk (Mar 12, 2017)

I'm not a Turkey hunter, I don't hunt for the thrill of it, I do it for dinner. I couldn't call a Turkey if my life depended on it. The one bird I did get, was purely by chance. I heard the birds not too far off, so I grabbed the gun and booked out towards them. As I got closer, I could actually see several of them, and one off to the side. He was the one I went after. I belly crawled quite a ways, pausing to watch, crawl some more, until I was 30-45 feet from it. Cooked him that night over a fire. No trophy, but the memory of a good dinner will be mine for life.


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## Bubba_1122 (Mar 12, 2017)

blt152 said:


> The hunt is more important to me than the kill. Always has been and always will be.



I think that thought process grows stronger as we cultivate a little  gray hair (i.e. as we mature, we tend to have a little broader thought process (i.e. it ain't just about the killing)). 

To me, the ability to convince a turkey to behave in a way that's 180 degrees from it's natural instincts is the win. It just rings my bell. 

The killings just a bonus.


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## Jeff Raines (Mar 12, 2017)

Nicodemus said:


> I hunt turkeys to my standards, not the standards of anybody else. How everybody else hunts their birds is not my concern in the least.



Amen!


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## antharper (Mar 12, 2017)

Carp said:


> I'll kill one like that in a heartbeat and then go hunt for a bird that will work. Some turkeys just need to die......



This !!!


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## Toddmann (Mar 12, 2017)

Joe u can sure resurrect some good old threads.  I say it like this.  I know guys back in college that said they would never go out with a ugly fat girl and today they are married to one. When it gets late in the game and folks get desperate they change their rules.  Years ago I would have done almost anything to kill a gobbler ( man turkey hunting was hard back for me back in 1985). Now days I would rather help someone else stand on ones head.


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## blt152 (Mar 12, 2017)

mizzippi jb said:


> I'm not advocating for one way of hunting vessus another....legal is good, but How old is old school?  My grandpaw and his brothers and all the folks in their generation (they were old school when it wasn't cool I guess)  didn't limit themselves to one way of hunting, because it was about putting food on the table.  So the method you describe isn't really "old school" IMO.  It's just a method of hunting.  I have my favorite methods, but if I get mad enough at one, he will get crawled upon using terrain, cover, and stealth.


I guess it is all in how you were taught and what you were exposed to in your hunting career. I've been blessed to have been employed most of my adult life so hunting has never been about the need to feed myself or my family. The food provided by my success from hunting has always been an enjoyable extra. I am now retired and have a comfortable income so again it is not about the food. It is about hearing that first gobble of the morning, the whip-o- wills calling, the rustle of the first squirrel waking up, that first gobbler that responded to your calling. For me it's about the hunt. I said before I will not condemn anyone for the way they hunt as long as its legal. I hunt the way I was taught by old school turkey hunters. It works for me so why change?


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## Curtis-UGA (Mar 12, 2017)

Curtis-UGA said:


> I get a 8-10 mornings a season to hunt in Georgia. Some of those mornings I'm calling for others. I will do what it takes to kill one. I won't not call to one in hopes of him just showing up. But I will belly crawl up on one in a field or use a fan.



Haven't changed.


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## 01Foreman400 (Mar 13, 2017)

Nicodemus said:


> I hunt turkeys to my standards, not the standards of anybody else. How everybody else hunts their birds is not my concern in the least.



Yes sir!


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## Jeff Raines (Mar 13, 2017)

If you don't like the way I'm huntin,then just leave this long haired country boy alone


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## nick_o_demus (Mar 13, 2017)

I do whatever it takes to enjoy the hunt. I've had them come in silent, I've had them come in on a string, gobbling their heads off, I've shot them from blinds and I've shot them from the ground... If I'm fortunate enough to have one fly off the roost in front of me, then so be it... 

What makes a turkey hunter a turkey hunter? I guess if you have a call, a shotgun or a bow, the desire to get up at 5:00am and hit the woods... Then it sounds like you're a turkey hunter. Your tactics are just that... YOURS. There is a bunch of rhetoric on here about what it takes to be a "real turkey hunter"; running and gunning, hunting the old "mountain gobblers", not hunting from a blind, killing them soon after they fly down because you knew where they were, blah blah blah.... I think that if you can trick a gobbler into believing your calls and can get him within range, kill or no kill, then you're a turkey hunter.

Just enjoy the hunt!


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## Timber1 (Mar 13, 2017)

Nicodemus said:


> I hunt turkeys to my standards, not the standards of anybody else. How everybody else hunts their birds is not my concern in the least.



If I bring my blind and decoys down could you put us in a good spot? I will bring a extra chair for you.  heehee.


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## JMB (Mar 13, 2017)

I'm with Mike. I like playing the game. We do it for sport,  not because we go hungry without the kill. For me, the kill is anti climatic, but a necessary end to conclude the game. There are plenty of old birds I have called in and killed that I wish I could bring back and hunt again.  Knowing I've tricked him and called a gobbler into my watch pocket is what it's all about for me.  

Not to mention, it's kinda cool when they win.


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## Nicodemus (Mar 13, 2017)

Timber1 said:


> If I bring my blind and decoys down could you put us in a good spot? I will bring a extra chair for you.  heehee.





Come on down and hunt with me.   But leave that stuff at home, I don`t use either one. I don`t think you do either.  

And save me one of them mountain birds in an area I can limp into fairly easy.


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