Are we more effective hunters?

[Boll Weevil]

One day I will call one in

Even as I type this I'm grinning like a chess cat...my guess is that this is something you will totally relish when it happens for you. There's nothing like the dialogue and sometimes to be right honest the DUEL, the battle, that ensues when successfully calling a bird to the gun.

 

[chebuck]

I think part of the problem is turkey hunting has become a buddy sport. One person will kill his limit and then begin to call for others. Which I have no problem with but if you are only hunting one or two areas you can do a lot of damage to a flock.
I enjoy hunting with friends as much as anybody but spread it out people. Make sure to leave a longbeard to breed the hens.

 

[deerhunter10]

no we are more effective killers. granted I shoot htl loads and chokes and stuff and I have a crazy pattern. but I limit myself. I will never even think about shooting one past 45-50 yards. but some guys do obviously there is a limit and eithics vary so im not going to get into that. I don't use decoys or blinds because I just have never had much luck with them and just way to mobile for all of that. baiting and poaching have killed crazy amount and will continue to. but what I have notices as a whole for hunters especially for deer and turkey hunters. we are the killing age instead of the hunting age. granted that is the overall goal but it is not the main part and that is lost today. and the dadgum fall season just needs to be completely demolished at least the hen killing part. absolutely no part in killing hens with our population the way it is.

 

[woodsman87]

We most certainly are more effective "killers" because modern technology has helped us. I myself will admit I am a more effective killer/hunter than I used to be. With everthing, practice makes you better, and of course I have gotten to be a better turkey hunter over the years.

I also do use HTL loads (magblends) and a Primos Tight Wad choke. But I do not use it to be effective at 70-80 yards. I use it because it has a good even patter from 15 yards to 50 yards, plus it hits harder than lead and pattern is more dense than lead, therefore giving me a better % to kill a gobbler. If I had to go back to lead, I would not have a problem with it, I just choose to use magblends.

I have no issue with blinds or decoys. I have issues with normal human beings that rely soley on using a blind and a gobbler decoy to lure in a walnut sized brain bird and then act like it is a huge accomplishment.

I have used a decoy a few times, but with never any luck. Maybe because they were the cheap-o ones that do not look realistic, or because I only use them if I get bored or tired and need to sit down and rest, to see if one starts gobbing. I have never put a decoy when I sit down to a gobbling bird. I have never used a blind, although I have sit in food plots or hardwood flats in mid day and afternoon to see if one will start gobbling somewhere. It is boring, but I do not deer hunt them, I am just waiting, listening, to see if one gobbles somewhere.

 

[woodsman87]

And during my early years, when it was kill at all cost, if nothing was gobbling, I would sit anywhere that I found droppings or scratchings and dang wait all day. Killed several gobblers doing this. (This was back home in South AL, blinds were not really around, and decoys were illegal.) But it got to where it wasn't fun.

I killed one in a food plot one afternoon that just walked out there and started eating. I was happy with the kill, but also kind of regretted shooting it. I thought to myself I could have let him go, tried to listen where he flew up, and hunted him in the morning while he was gobbling and had much more of a satisfactory hunt. Right then is when I developed into a turkey hunter, and sportsman, and not a turkey killer. Same season I passed on some strutting, gobbling jakes. (Which are rare in AL, jakes hardly ever gobble.) But it felt so good to let them jakes go. Let me say, I am not judging anybody that shoot jakes, I could care less, it just made me feel good to finally let some jakes go.

 

[woodsman87]

I could care less if Gobbler decoys were outlawed or not. To show you where I am as far as turkey hunting is concerned, I told my brother this year not to set up a blind, because they'd see it and would avoid it. From what i am reading on here, they don't care about them, which is shocking to be honest. I see guys set them up on Priest right on the fields and I always think they are dumb .

I also have not bought a gobbler decoy, because I was thinking it could be more harm than good.

I learn a lot from this site. One day I will call one in, but right now I seem to find myself on top of them (like within 80 yds) and if I call they will just look in my direction and know something ain't right when they don't see the hen. Then I am in a situation where I have a 60-80 yd shot. So I generally choose not to call and find away to cut the distance without getting caught, then shoot him.

To help with them hanging up at 60-80 yards, try if possible, to set up where he is in range when you can see him. Now with pretty much full foliage it should make it easier. If you can see him, do not call.

Part of what I refer to when they hang up just out of range is part of the sport of turkey hunting. It means he won that round. People that shoot them at 60-70 yards are "cutting corners" in my book.

 

[TheLBLman]

. . . try if possible, to set up where he is in range when you can see him.

This is very sage advice, for more reasons than obvious.

When you can't see him, he can't see you, and will often proceed coming closer to put himself in position to "see" that hen he heard. Anytime we set up in a position where we can "see" much farther than our gun's range, we greatly increase the odds of the bird not coming within range.

And generally not talking about setting up in heavy cover where visibility is limited by that cover, but more about setting up using terrain features.