Overheard a Couple Turkey Hunters

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jlmustain

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They were talking about the birds they took while sneaking over a fence onto someone else's land. Is this one of those "everybody's done it once or twice" things, or is it uncommon? One of them even talked about taking one from his truck. Have y'all ever done anything like that?
 
Very common for turkey hunters to trespass. Its sort of a thing here that if you find a bird or group of birds that can be heard from the road, you better get to them quick, no waiting days, or they will be dead. I have prosecuted turkey hunters for this when I can catch them. I respect my own private property rights to much to do it myself.
 
smstone22 said:
Very common for turkey hunters to trespass. Its sort of a thing here that if you find a bird or group of birds that can be heard from the road, you better get to them quick, no waiting days, or they will be dead. I have prosecuted turkey hunters for this when I can catch them. I respect my own private property rights to much to do it myself.
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I agree. But they are not turkey hunters. They are poachers! A real hunter would never act like that.
 
A feller can try it around here if he wishes.....but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. Used to be not as big a deal in the past, but not so much these days. You'll find yourself pleading your case to the game warden or sheriff right quick; no joke.
 
timberjack86 said:
smstone22 said:
Very common for turkey hunters to trespass. Its sort of a thing here that if you find a bird or group of birds that can be heard from the road, you better get to them quick, no waiting days, or they will be dead. I have prosecuted turkey hunters for this when I can catch them. I respect my own private property rights to much to do it myself.
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I agree. But they are not turkey hunters. They are poachers! A real hunter would never act like that.
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Exactly! You can't make a blanket statement like that. The turkey hunters I know wouldn't do it. I'll admit I've wanted to more than once when they're not gobbling where I'm at but I can hear them on the property next to me.
 
Man, that's good to hear. I couldn't believe they were talking about it so openly. Just doesn't seem like that turkey would feel as good.
 
I have not hunted on property I did not have permission to hunt. But what I have done is spent an hour talking a big old gobler on over to my side of the line.
 
I was hunting with a buddy earlier this year and somebody shot a bird well across the line on his property. We headed back there and found his fresh boot tracks in the mud headed towards the road. My buddy called a friend of his that he knew was near by and he was waiting at the guys truck when he showed up. His ticket from the game warden was forthcoming.

To answer your question, it happens a lot more than it should.
 
A guy I work with isn't much of a turkey hunter but goes once in a while. He says he and nobody in his neck of the woods gives a .... about season, bag limits, trespassing etc. he has shot in the air at trespassers, and has been shot at / chased by dogs while trespassing. Nobody out there cares about season or limits. He and a buddy went turkey hunting before season this year, and two of his buddies killed 8 toms in a flock one morning early in the actual season. He and his buddies have also killed a lot of squirrels on his own land and he says there are none left at his place. They went out one day and killed 35 between the two of them. Just how they do things out there and I don't care for it. It's not far from Franklin either. I drive through the area sometimes. I don't talk him down or anything, it's not my land or my business really, but sometimes I do ask, are there gonna be any turkeys left to hunt with people killing em whenever they want?
 
Its very sad but it happens way to much... more for turkey then deer but it happens. That's crazy they were just talking openly. I respect other peoples land to much for that mess and hopefully people respect our farms the same. But we have caught a hand full but not recently. Just plan sad...
 
This is my first turkey season and I've been fortunate to take a nice bird, but #2 has been hard to come by. The farm I have permission to hunt shares a private drive with 3 other home and is the next to last one on it. Last time out there were 2 toms, a jake, & multiple hens just right off the road as I was driving in that morning. They didn't even get spooked when I stopped the truck and rolled the window down.
Now I'd be lying if I didn't admidt I thought hard about it and had to really convince myself to keep driving. They were about 150 yards directly in front of the neighbors home and I knew it'd go over like a turd in the punchbowl.
I quickly set up on the correct land and tried to call them in but no success.
Hopefully #2 won't be too far down the line...
 

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