Curious for other thoughts

REN

REN

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I watch a lot of youtube turkey hunting videos, just a few folks I enjoy their stuff and how they approach it. I find times I run out of videos so just try look around at others to see if some more unknown people have just good hunts to view.

Recently Ive seen more and more of just plain bad shots and shots I would consider bad like shooting up a hill at the crest with no backdrop and can only see a birds head and thats it.

Not really curious on the bad shot part cause a bad shot is a bad shot (shooting through brush or trying to shoot between 2 trees etc), if you watch some of Catmans early videos there were a lot of these lol (I enjoy his stuff)

more curious on 2 parts.

1. Are you taking a shot at a turkey you can only see his head? 2nd part are you shooting head only at a bird that is skylined and you have no idea whats on the other side? and to be clear I mean this is the ONLY time you have seen the bird, all you know is it has a red head.

2. I also have seen a few recently where the guy shoots and misses or peppers the bird and it flys up in a tree 20yds away. Are you shooting the bird out of the tree at that point?

I get it can be a fairly tricky answer on either one like how wounded is the bird etc. so for the sake of argument you feel like you hit the bird ok but he is not acting very hit all just spooked up into a tree.
 
I never shoot anything if I don't know what's behind it or around it.

1. If I'm calling up a turkey and a gobbler pops his big white and red head over the ridge he's getting shot. Unfortunately half a dozen jakes have been shot doing this, but it happens because that's how I hunt and learned in the hardwoods ridges and East Alabama.
There are instances where I have made sure it was a long beard, but usually if a bird comes in gobbling I shoot him when I see his head.

2. If the bird is crippled, I shoot until I can't shoot no more. If I can't tell he is crippled or not, I probably wouldn't shoot because if I can't tell if it's injured then it probably isn't. Luckily I haven't been in this scenario very often.
 
If I've positively identified the bird as a tom he's a goner as soon as I get good, safe, ethical shot. I'm not shooting skylit birds or any other instance where I don't know where my pellets are going or can't see what's behind the bird I intend to kill. If I believe I peppered a bird I'm doing everything I can to get him kilt.
 
1. Are you taking a shot at a turkey you can only see his head?

Did that once on a gobbling full fan and it turned out to be a super jake. Since then I have waited to see a full beard.

2nd part are you shooting head only at a bird that is sky lined and you have no idea whats on the other side? and to be clear I mean this is the ONLY time you have seen the bird, all you know is it has a red head.

See first answer above.

2. I also have seen a few recently where the guy shoots and misses or peppers the bird and it flies up in a tree 20yds away. Are you shooting the bird out of the tree at that point?

If it's a miss he wins. If he's hit and I know he is hit I will keep after him until he is done or flies away and I can't find him. I feel if an animal is wounded by my shot I owe it to the animal to not allow it to suffer.
 
1) Nope, not shooting til I know it's a longbeard for sure.

2) If I know i peppered him then yea. If not then he won and he can live another day


Speaking of catmans videos, what about them Arkansas boys shooting that bird off the limb?
 
30-06 type of guy said:
1) Nope, not shooting til I know it's a longbeard for sure.

2) If I know i peppered him then yea. If not then he won and he can live another day


Speaking of catmans videos, what about them Arkansas boys shooting that bird off the limb?
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lol no thankfully but if I remember correctly he talked about it in a video?

I did see a video where a guy and his buddy had 2 birds come in. Shot the first one and the other one flew up into a tree and the 2nd guy shot it from the tree and they were proud of "the double"

I was juts like what in the world man
 
1. No. I have zero desire to shoot a jake, and until I can see an adult length beard (longer than 6" by Tn regs) I won't be shooting.

2. If I think I hit the bird at all, I will shoot even if it is in a tree. A "peppered" bird is likely a dead bird even if it isn't retrieved. If I am pretty sure it is a clean miss, he wins and we will play another day. It is low level ethics to limb lift one even if it is legal shooting time.
 
1. Depends entirely on what the angle is. If it's steep, sure, I'd shoot the head. Those pellets are basically going in the air. If it's more level, I'd think twice.

2. Yes, I would shoot it out of the tree. Different than shooting them off the roost.
 
1. No.
2. Yes, if I believe bird has been hit.

One of the advantages of going for a head/neck shot under 35 yds is you're usually going to immediately have a dead bird down or flapping, or a bird not hit at all. Not likely to get a pellet in the gut at close range.

When people take shots at longer ranges, there will too often be a pellet hit the stomach, the bird just flies away, and the shooter may presume a miss, but the bird dies a few days later.
 
scn said:
1. No. I have zero desire to shoot a jake, and until I can see an adult length beard (longer than 6" by Tn regs) I won't be shooting.

2. If I think I hit the bird at all, I will shoot even if it is in a tree. A "peppered" bird is likely a dead bird even if it isn't retrieved. If I am pretty sure it is a clean miss, he wins and we will play another day. It is low level ethics to limb lift one even if it is legal shooting time.
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Same for both. On #2 - I'm shooting as long as I can IF I know he's peppered
 
#1: I'm not shooting at a bird with a questionable backdrop, but otherwise yes. If I'm relatively confident it's a Tom and I have a shot at its head, I'm taking it.

#2: Im not waiting on it to land in a tree. I instinctively pump and draw bead for the second shot and I have folded them taking flight before. Ideally it's flopping but if you've shot enough you know that isn't always the case.
 
I have to ask though after reading the responses, some say they take the second shot if they "think" they hit it, or won't shoot if they "think" they missed it. How do you "think" you missed it? I'm not being facetious, honest question. I've never pulled the trigger on my shotgun and confidently assumed I clean missed anything? If you're looking down the bead on a turkey and pull the trigger then what happened for you to think you missed?
 
Urban_Hunter said:
I have to ask though after reading the responses, some say they take the second shot if they "think" they hit it, or won't shoot if they "think" they missed it. How do you "think" you missed it? I'm not being facetious, honest question. I've never pulled the trigger on my shotgun and confidently assumed I clean missed anything? If you're looking down the bead on a turkey and pull the trigger then what happened for you to think you missed?
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If the range is pretty close and I know that I was shooting a softball (at most) size pattern at his head/neck, and he doesn't go down right there, I would be pretty sure I pulled the shot and missed him clean. There wouldn't be too much chance for a pellet in the gut with the choke/load I shoot.

If he was out there in the 30-40 yard range, I probably would assume that I have hit him somewhere and would continue to shoot.

A lot of the decision making process comes from time on a pattern board and being able to mentally "replay" the shot.
 
#1 only shooting if I know it's a Longbeard and know what's beyond him. If I don't know I'll wait and hopefully get a better look. If not he wins that round.

#2 I've never shot a bird that flew in a tree but if i did shoot at one that flew and I was confident he was hit I'd probably shoot him because he's gonna die a man ugly death. If it's a miss not shooting him in the tree.
 

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