Fanning

Stupid tactic

The right mix of calling, set up, and turkey knowledge will kill almost every bird without putting the hunter in danger. Turkey hunting can be challenging, especially on birds with hens, too many hunters refuse to learn and would rather just score the kill in this new generation of hunters. It's a sad statement on the future of turkey hunting.
 
I will say this I don't watch many hunting shows at all. But the other night nothing was on so I turned it to a show called turkey man or something along those lines. Low and belold its the busbices that own wild game innovations and he is the star of the show. All it shows is him doing this he didn't call of up one bird I don't recall even hearing him call just getting behind a fan and killing the bird. I've never done it at all. But to me it seems to take the cat and mouse game out of it I would personally like to call that bird in rather then him seeing something that makes him come in as would most people I would guess. To each there own I would say it would work but that's up to you if you do it or not.
 
Like Setterman, I think almost any bird can be killed by setting up and calling. Possibly unlike Setterman, I think there are a few birds around that are virtually unkillable. I wouldn't rule out "fanning" to go after them.
 
deerhunter10":iejiyfc9 said:
I will say this I don't watch many hunting shows at all. But the other night nothing was on so I turned it to a show called turkey man or something along those lines. Low and belold its the busbices that own wild game innovations and he is the star of the show. All it shows is him doing this he didn't call of up one bird I don't recall even hearing him call just getting behind a fan and killing the bird. I've never done it at all. But to me it seems to take the cat and mouse game out of it I would personally like to call that bird in rather then him seeing something that makes him come in as would most people I would guess. To each there own I would say it would work but that's up to you if you do it or not.
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^^^^^^exactly, and those guys at wild game bring all of us down with them and the way they promote hunting.
 
Mike Belt":1zwyz5by said:
Like Setterman, I think almost any bird can be killed by setting up and calling. Possibly unlike Setterman, I think there are a few birds around that are virtually unkillable. I wouldn't rule out "fanning" to go after them.
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I understand where you're coming from, and see why people do it. For me though, I'm fine to go to war with one that's brutally hard and if I kill him awesome, but if he evades me all season and survives then so be it. I'm perfectly fine with letting one live if I can't call him up and shoot him in the face inside of 30 yards.
 
I have not personally tried it, but there is indisputable evidence that it does work. But like all other tactics, it won't work every time.

Whether or not you feel this tactic is ethical or whatever is entirely up to you.
 
No such thing as an unkillable bird IMO. I know that's a pretty bold statement but I 100% believe it. If he don't die I just didn't do what needed to be done.
 
Mike Belt":2dnxanwn said:
Like Setterman, I think almost any bird can be killed by setting up and calling. Possibly unlike Setterman, I think there are a few birds around that are virtually unkillable. I wouldn't rule out "fanning" to go after them.
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x2 there are field birds that fly down into the middle of the field and then fly back up in the evening, rarely if ever giving you the chance to get in shotgun range (unless you shoot him off the limb...)

I hunted some field birds 2 seasons ago for 4 hours one afternoon, through rain and sun... they never came close enough. I repositioned many times, going half way around the large field and back again...I tried calling, waiting, never had a good shot to make. The closest they got I think was 50 yards and only at one time. Then when the sky darkened, the boss tom flew up to the tree 30 yards to my left. I walked out with nothing but good memories of the hunt. I wouldn't have fanned there because it was public land. I would fan somewhere I felt safe doing so if the mood struck me. I would love to sneak up to a boss bird while hiding behind a fan, because it seems like it would be the most nerve wracking thrill going face to face with an angry turkey. I would not make a habit of it because most birds I kill aren't dominant and I prefer to call them in. Do I shun the idea of fanning or reaping, no, I have no reason to, as long as it is done in a safe location with long range visibility.
 
I have never seen a bird that stayed in the middle of a field all day, every day. If I can see him, I have confidence I can kill him eventually. It might take a day or 2. Woods birds that are not visible or vocal are a completely different story. They are the tough ones in my opinion. The bottom line, its not supposed to be easy. Fanning makes it easy....Its kind of like getting a participation trophy, you really didnt earn nothing. Some people like to earn their stripes whereas others like everything gave to them. To each their own I guess........ :stir:
 
I've never seen a bird stay in the middle of a field all day either. Eventually they have somewhere they want to go. Hopefully it's towards my setup. The hardest birds I've killed were along fields. Many came in silent and if I hadn't been patient or called just right for them,it wouldn't have happened. A couple triple and double beards come to mind. While I like them close to shoot, any bird within the 50 yrd mark will die if I do my part.
 
I would try it if the situation called for it !! When it came time to reach in the freezer to thaw out some wild turkey, I bet I could not tell the difference between one I "fanned" and one I called to the gun!! To many people on here wanna let others make decisions for them , get out and hunt however it makes you happy , they are not putting meat in your freezer or making your memories that will last a lifetime!
 
One place I used to hunt regularly had some big fields. I spent a couple of seasons trying to kill a couple of gobblers; not just a half day here or there. They frequented these fields and would absolutely not work to a call. In fact calls sent them farther away. These fields were so big it would take up to an hour to maneuver around to another spot along the edge of the field trying to get set up only to have them move again or be gone from the fields altogether and never opening their mouth to let you know where they exited. Do this several times on each hunt and on multiple hunts and multiple seasons and you'd think these birds were unkillable even if they may be.

I say the same thing about turkey hunting as I do deer hunting; you don't have to make a kill to have a successful, albeit aggravating hunt. This post is not meant to say it is imperative but after getting whipped over and over it really becomes a contest. Legally besting a bird like this becomes a driving force. I would have tried fanning had I known about it.
 
Hunting in general but especially turkey hunting has really been moving toward the adrenaline rush and immediate satisfaction type of hunting the past decade or so, not much different then our society in general (not playing age cards or anything as all ages are invested in it). The old days of playing the game over and over and over if need be and success is measured by not what you kill but what you learned is fading to the new in your face, must have the latest and greatest to kill turkeys and new tactics to make the success % go way up due to the actual kill is what is being measured as you being a successful turkey hunter. with todays social media and internet forums the emphases on the kill is at an all time high, and now guys use that as the measuring stick to say whether or not you are a good turkey hunter. Im not saying the old way is right and the new way is wrong, just saying they are much different today then 15 years ago.

TO ME fanning just falls in line with the new way, its done more to experience the rush of it and the immediate satisfaction of killing a turkey as well as boosting your kill count so guys will see you as a serious turkey killer (obviously i am generalizing and some guys don't really boost about the 2nd part of that statement). I am not against the tactic personally but its not one I would choose to use, however i would be lying if i said the thought never crossed my mind to try it out on a few birds I've had in the past that i never could kill no matter what i tried.

I grew up hunting a certain way and thats the way i really enjoy turkey hunting so thats what I like to stick to, thats what turkey hunting is TO ME. Younger guys didn't grow up the same way as me so i can't expect that everyone should follow the way i feel it should be done. If that is what you really love about turkey hunting then go after them and enjoy. I put it in the same boat as ambushing turkeys which IMO everyone has done at some point in your hunting career. I have gotten to know a few guys on here like ZachM that i feel are good younger guys that are trying to mix some of the old way with the new and don't go around pounding their chest about all of their kills and how awesome they are at it.

in conclusion: I am indifferent about it to be honest, I have no plan to use fanning as a tactic i use each season but if i were to go hunt on another guys land from here and they wanted to try it out id be glad to watch or video it for them lol.
 
Just curious...Having never done this...Some seem to be dead set against it almost to the point of considering it cheating. I just find it hard to believe that it's 100% deadly or even any where near. It's not the same as working one to a call but it seems another viable tactic old school or not. I know when I deer hunt and the deer are doing something to avoid my "attack" I'm not beyond trying something different.
 
Mike Belt":2jm536cc said:
Just curious...Having never done this...Some seem to be dead set against it almost to the point of considering it cheating. I just find it hard to believe that it's 100% deadly or even any where near. It's not the same as working one to a call but it seems another viable tactic old school or not. I know when I deer hunt and the deer are doing something to avoid my "attack" I'm not beyond trying something different.
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It's not 100% deadly but for me and my hunting partner it's close. We've killed probably 10-15 birds between us over the past 5 or 6 years behind a fan and I can only think of two times that we didn't get a shot at the bird. The thing that I have against fanning is that the upcoming generation of hunters see all these guys on tv doing it and think it's the next best thing and they've never learned how to call or set up on a turkey the traditional way and try to call him in. They see all these guys on tv doing it and make it look so easy( and it is easier than calling one in) and they go out and try it and one runs down their gun barrel and they kill it. Then they get on social media and brag and post tons of pics of their turkeys and how they limit out every year and they just think they're the best turkey hunters ever but if you took their fan away and handed them a call they couldn't kill a bird to save their life.
 
Roost 1":3108rn2u said:
I have never seen a bird that stayed in the middle of a field all day, every day. If I can see him, I have confidence I can kill him eventually. It might take a day or 2. Woods birds that are not visible or vocal are a completely different story. They are the tough ones in my opinion. The bottom line, its not supposed to be easy. Fanning makes it easy....Its kind of like getting a participation trophy, you really didnt earn nothing. Some people like to earn their stripes whereas others like everything gave to them. To each their own I guess........ :stir:
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For me, and the way I see it the whole fanning thing just wreaks of desperation.

I'm perfectly fine with walking to the truck empty handed time after time, but gathering insight along the way. With time, patience, and what I learn with each lost battle I get closer to carrying a problem field bird out over my shoulder. It's what turkey hunting is, turkey hunting is supposed to be a chess match, not what it's becoming now.

The new generation doesn't want to learn, doesn't want to fail, doesn't want to gather intel, and doesn't want to strategize for weeks in order to be successful. They want to kill as fast as possible so they can rush off to post their kill on Facebook to look like the turkey yoda, when in reality if forced to hunt with a call/shotgun they'd never have a chance at success.

If rifles were legal the same folks would defend it and attempt to sell it with the same talking points and views.

I cut my teeth hunting gobblers in monstrous Alabama ag fields that were perfectly flat, decoys and other bs stuff like fanning were illegal so we learned to hunt not just kill....
 
Mike Belt":1lvr44mr said:
Just curious...Having never done this...Some seem to be dead set against it almost to the point of considering it cheating. I just find it hard to believe that it's 100% deadly or even any where near. It's not the same as working one to a call but it seems another viable tactic old school or not. I know when I deer hunt and the deer are doing something to avoid my "attack" I'm not beyond trying something different.
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Exactly.. To me its part of the chess match w the animal youre hunting, one on one, you vs him.. If I cant get a smart ol gobbler to come in one day im gonna try something different the next, and if that doesn't work something else, and so on and so on by any legal means I can until I get him or the season ends.. People use decoys w real fans all the time.. Seems like a little more of a challenge and would be more rewarding if i made that smart ol bird think i was a turkey by walking behind and getting that close to him.. And even if i don't get him i cant imagine the rush it would be trying, let alone killing one.. The more i think about it I'm definitely going to try and get a bird this way this year, and if its as easy/works as well as some of you are saying i'll have my limit before the first weeks over!!

Bottom line is do what makes you happy, and post the pics on here so we can see em!!
 
To each their own I could careless how people hunt. But for me I can go a season without ragging out or go a hunt without killing one. I learned a long time ago that its not all about the kill and for me it never will be. I would rather call a bird into range and kill him that way but that's just my preference.
 
Setterman,
Tell them what you think about hunting from a blind, watching decoys. BTW, this should really set you off. I finally got a Spartan cell trail camera this year, I'm just going to set my camera up on a field that I'm not even hunting and watch my phone while I'm somewhere else. When that big tom appears on the camera I'm just going to go to that field and do some fanning. Letting the cell camera do the hunting for you, now that's good times.
 

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