Stepping on the head?

catman529

catman529

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Is it just me, or is the ground usually too soft and the bird's head just sinks down into the ground when you stomp on it? If the bird is clearly toast, he doesn't need it anyway, but if he's down but his head is still lifting up, I prefer to wring the neck.
 
I'm not a head stepper and don't really get it either. I hunt incredibly steep terrain and just man up and grab a leg. Yes I've got scars from this but I always felt the boot on the head was disrespectful for some reason
 
Don't step on the head step on the neck don't stomp just stand on him what your doing is suffocating him if hes not already dead put all your weight on him and stand there till hes gone a lot safers than choking him or grabbing him by his legs!
 
Thicketmaster said:
Don't step on the head step on the neck don't stomp just stand on him what your doing is suffocating him if hes not already dead put all your weight on him and stand there till hes gone a lot safers than choking him or grabbing him by his legs!
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You're not suffocating a turkey with your foot. That's basically impossible
 
I usually step on their head and give their legs a yank, enough to Knowin I've done some damage. Or just step on their legs and grab them that way they can't spur me.
 
I'm not a head-stepper either and when I think back on it many of the birds I've killed hardly flop UNTIL I grab a leg. Anyone else notice this?

BOOM! A good shot with a ton of pellets to brain + vertebrae incapacitates said bird so he's done (just doesn't know it yet). The first few moments when he's crumpled there, oxygen is still in his lungs and blood still courses through his veins but the wallop to his neuromuscular faculties has rendered him immobile. By the time I gather up my stuff and WALK to him, I can usually see that leg start to draw up and those feathers begin to slowly relax and "lay down."

Sometimes they go plum crazy at the shot but more often than not if I don't grab him for couple of minutes, there's a kick, a quiver or 3, and he just sorta slips off to that big'ol roost tree in the sky with nary a flop.
 
Boll Weevil said:
I'm not a head-stepper either and when I think back on it many of the birds I've killed hardly flop UNTIL I grab a leg. Anyone else notice this?

BOOM! A good shot with a ton of pellets to brain + vertebrae incapacitates said bird so he's done (just doesn't know it yet). The first few moments when he's crumpled there, oxygen is still in his lungs and blood still courses through his veins but the wallop to his neuromuscular faculties has rendered him immobile. By the time I gather up my stuff and WALK to him, I can usually see that leg start to draw up and those feathers begin to slowly relax and "lay down."

Sometimes they go plum crazy at the shot but more often than not if I don't grab him for couple of minutes, there's a kick, a quiver or 3, and he just sorta slips off to that big'ol roost tree in the sky with nary a flop.
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I agree, I a lot of times don't even touch them until I see those feathers lay down. I can tell if ones faking usually by looking at their eyes and if they're closed he's dead. I used to run to every bird, now I gather my calls and ease that way. Like you a well placed shot at close range and a boot on the head is a waste of time.
 
I put the boot on his neck and then grab the feet and lift him up and stretch the neck. Gives me a little more control while he expires.

While checking other forums, I came a cross these :D :

I've had a few I had to kill twice...

The spring of 06, I made a long shot on a nice bird after he busted me sneaking into position. The 870 knocked him down, he did his flop thing, and I loaded him into the back of the vest. It was about 1/3 of a mile back to the truck. About halfway back, he kicked me in the back!! I thought it was kind of wierd, but figured it was just nerves.

When I got to the truck, I put the unloaded shootgun in the front seat, then let the tailgate down to lay the vest in the bed of the truck. I pulled the turk out by both feet, and, instead of his head dangling dead and limp, it was up and LOOKIN AT ME!!!

So, I did what any good caveman would do, I engaged in some hand to turkey head combat, after diving on him on the ground!!! He spurred me good on the palm of my left hand, but my hammer fist punches eventually won the day.



True story. It was on the opening morning several years ago. My brother was supposed to take the first shot, but the bird came up on the "wrong" side and was about to fly the coop so I dropped the hammer on him. Kinda like Fireman Brads deal, the turkey flopped and then quit like a dead turkey was supposed to, allowed me to put the tag on it, go back to get my stuff, UNLOAD MY GUN, and drink a half a coke before I walked back to get the bird. There was another bird still gobbling in the woods that we were gonna chase for my brother and he was gathering up all the stuff to go after him. I ahd made my way about halfway back to my turkey and he just stood up and started running off WITH MY TAG. All I could do at first was just stutter and stammer till I was finally able to say to my brother....CHOOT HIM!!! He turns around to see what the deal was and I gotta say I am impressed with how quick he went from havin a goofy look on his face to sliding his gun off his shoulder and finishing the bird off. He then told me to take my tag off his turkey.
We were actually able to get on the other bird and call him in about an hour later, so it turned out to be a great hunt.
 
I don't step on heads either but like the stories above ya never know. I shot a bird last year and he did the usual crumple,flopped around for a minute and then got still. I turned my back and went to picking up my gear. I started toward where he was and he was gone. I looked for an hour in every brushpile and hole I could find and never found him. I don't take my eyes off of them anymore after the shot.
 
Oh don't get me wrong I've had to shoot several twice, beat one to death with a limb, slice their throats with a knife etc etc. crazy stuff happens from time to time but the vast majority are dead and don't need any neck stepping
 
I don't step on their head unless their eyes are still open when I walk up to them. Flopping or not makes no difference to me. I usually shoot, they flop, then quit flopping, then I pick them up and I leave. Usually if you hit them in the head and neck, they are going to flop.

If you hit them low or more in the body (by accident, please dont think I body shoot them on purpose nor am I advocating it), it may drop them and they not flop, you walk up to him, eyes open, breathing and panting hard, I step on their head as hard as I can with the heel of my boot. It crushes their head, and they flop.

You can also step on their neck and suffocate them if they are not already dead.

Most of the times though, they are dead when you shoot them in the head.
 
I think the running to them and stepping on their head started back in the day of people using just regular six shot with whatever shotgun they had. Too many birds where stunned therefore they had to run to them quickly and step on the head to finish it.

I have shot at a gobbler before, was way too far I might add, that just kinda fell down, and looked around and flopped a little, then started to try to fly and ran around in circles. I caught him and stepped on his head to finish him off.

If you got them in range, and hit them with several pellets and break the neck and/or put some in his brain he aint going no where. But if it is too far and say one pellet hits his head but doesn't get the brain then it is almost just like punching somebody in the head hard enough it knocks them dizzy.
 
Setterman said:
Thicketmaster said:
Don't step on the head step on the neck don't stomp just stand on him what your doing is suffocating him if hes not already dead put all your weight on him and stand there till hes gone a lot safers than choking him or grabbing him by his legs!
Click to expand...

You're not suffocating a turkey with your foot. That's basically impossible
Click to expand...

Setterman you don't think you can kill a turkey by standing on his throat? A 200 pound man standing on even a big turkey will kill him in a few minutes even if you had just knocked him out with the shot! He cannot breath with you standing on him. i usally put both my feet on him. You do what you want but when I shoot one I run over and stand on them till there gone if you don't your going to have one get away one day!
 
So are we talking about stepping on the head? Or stomping on the head?


I will put my boot on ones head until he expires. For those of you who are stomping on ones head you are eventually going to wind up with a beak through the bottom of your foot.
 
Nitro H517 and a Rhino choke and they are 9 times out of 10 dead before they hit the ground.. In all honesty, I let them get inside of 40 yards before I shoot so there is not a need to step or stomp them. Got a pretty good scar on my left hand from trying to grab one "before the chicken in him came out". I learned after that to let nature work its course..
 
Thicketmaster said:
Setterman said:
Thicketmaster said:
Don't step on the head step on the neck don't stomp just stand on him what your doing is suffocating him if hes not already dead put all your weight on him and stand there till hes gone a lot safers than choking him or grabbing him by his legs!
Click to expand...

You're not suffocating a turkey with your foot. That's basically impossible
Click to expand...

Setterman you don't think you can kill a turkey by standing on his throat? A 200 pound man standing on even a big turkey will kill him in a few minutes even if you had just knocked him out with the shot! He cannot breath with you standing on him. i usally put both my feet on him. You do what you want but when I shoot one I run over and stand on them till there gone if you don't your going to have one get away one day!
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By all means do whatever works for you.

Unfortunately I ended up trying to strangle one on my youth, using both my hands and squeezing as hard as humanly possible I could not collapse his airway, it always slipped to the side and out my grip. Ended up cutting its throat with a knife to finish it off.

My point is, if there is one :D is that you are more likely cutting off the blood flow to his brain or he's just dying as a result of the shot and not suffocating as their airway is pretty "shifty" and it's hard to get it to collapse and stay collapsed.

By the way sorry for the unethical turkey death snippets, I don't like the fact they happened but you do this long enough and shoot at enough crazy stuff happens, and I'm not proud of anything other than a clean kill which thankfully is what occurs the majority of the time.
 
If they're still eyeballing me when I get up to them, I step on the neck and use my pocket knife. One quick jab at the back of the head. Seems quicker that way.
 
I stopped grabbing them by the legs and or stomping, stepping or stretching years ago.

Shoot, approach the bird, grab him by the neck, and hold your arm out 90* till he expires and the life leaves him. I though the guy telling me this was a loon, till I tried it. You get way less kicking, trashing, wing beating and you never get spured. Every now and then you will get one that will get his toes up to your hand, but he cant pry you off unless your a candy-man. LOL
 

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