TLRanger said:
Wes Parrish said:
I'd also expect more crippled birds that die
Interesting.........I tend to think there would be fewer crippled birds with larger shot. If I remember correctly, the reason for banning #2 lead shot was because the president of the Wild Turkey Federation in TN goofed and shot his hunting buddy
while using #2 shot and then lobbied to get it changed to #4 shot or smaller. Guess he was inexperienced or ???????
I am not trying to get #2 shot legalized again but really don't see any problem with it. The modern #4 and #5 shot will probably outshoot the old #2 shot anyway, especially the new hevi shot.
Most turkey hunters don't even remember when #2 shot was legal.
K
Sorry, I can't let that statement go unchallenged. Your memory on the hunting incident is incorrect. Ed Smith, who at the time may have been the state president of the NWTF, and who gave a great deal to the sport of turkey hunting was the hunter that was shot. I believe the person that shot Ed may have been tresspassing on the property when he shot Ed. I hate to see a fine person like Mr. Smith besmirched with such a comment.
The challenge of turkey hunting for me is not just killing a turkey. The challenge lies in calling a bird into reasonable shotgun or bow range and cleanly killing the bird. IMO, turkey hunters need to concentrate on their hunting skills to get birds in and not try to use large shot as a crutch for the inability to call one in. Unfortunately, there are a large number of accidents in turkey hunting across the country. As a turkey hunter, I am not in favor of making the sport any deadlier than it is already.
