Not calling turkeys... unethical??

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mauser06
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby mauser06 » Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:08 am

I see absolutely NOTHING unethical or wrong about ambushing a turkey....so long as it is on the ground....I do it in the fall...

Spring gobbler season though is different for me...I like calling them...I love the show...that's what I love about it...

I've literally passed up longbeards that I either walked into and could have easily killed...or setup on after seeing them and they fed right to me on their own....

I've also had long beards get away because I got too wrapped up in the show...literally had hunts with long beards well withing clobbering distance that I could have killed easily...and didn't because I was enjoying the show and "an act of nature" saved their feathers...one I remember was ran off by a herd of heifers...another was putting on a heck of a show...strutting and gobbling and spitting n drumming...a Jake came in at the same time..he was going bonkers...he literally came face to face with me while the longbeard was strutting 25yds away...of course he busted me as he starred into my eyes and tears rolled down my face as I tried not to blink...the Jake alarm putted and the longbeard snuck away before I could roll him...

Its just what I love and how I prefer to kill turkey birds in the spring...

Will I change? Maybe. Maybe this year...who knows...it still takes a lot of doing to nail down a pattern and get a longbeard within shotgun or bow range...and not all birds have a pattern..or stick to it long enough to kill etc...

Heck dad and I patterned a bird down to minutes...looking back now I had my chance to clobber him...him and an entire flock of 8-12 hens came up a hillside every morning at dang near the exact time...our calls had nothing to do with it...other than he would gobble at them...problem was one day they'd go one way...the next another...every time we would move they'd go just out of killing distance..

One morning I had my back to an old logging road high wall...hoping they'd come right on the bench and that'd put them within range...

He came alright...like clockwork...UP the old logging road which is semi-maintained and open/grass...he was feet away...6ft above me..spitting and drumming...I could hear his fan feathers clicking as he strutted...I watched out of the corner of my eye...I should have jumped up and clobbered him...his hens were ahead of him aways...I was young and didn't...now I would have...

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Rome
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Rome » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:39 am

If there was only one way to do everything in life, it'd be pretty boring. Our society has been trending to a place where the majority of people think there is only one way to do everything, and if not done their way, it's wrong.

The reason you don't run into that on the Beast site is because if you don't have an open mind, you wouldn't open yourself up to this style of hunting, as well as the information to be gathered from the site, so you wouldn't stick around here. Dan never stops listening to others and wanting to learn something new. Nor should any of us.

When I go turkey hunting, my goal is to kill a turkey. I don't care if that means I step out of my truck and he walks in front me 20 yards from the parking lot as I'm walking in. I don't care if he comes to my calls. I care about putting my tag on him, regardless of how that is accomplished (as long as within the law obviously).

I'd be curious...if those guys that were telling bowhunter15 that shooting them without calling is unethical, do they only shoot bucks that they call in? Or, do they only kill them on food plots, because that's how the TV does it? I'd be real curious if you wouldn't mind asking them what is considered ethical and unethical for deer hunting?
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:56 am

Stanley wrote:A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.


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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby hunter10 » Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:36 am

I wouldnt worry about it. many different views in hunting. As long as its legal then go for it. only thing i dont really agree on is shooting birds out of their roost tree. When its dark and you are quiet it is quite easy to sneak within 20 yds of his tree and bang.. simple kill IMO
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:45 am

Tell that SOB to GFY to the tenth degree :lol:
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Bowhunting Brian » Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:59 am

bowhunter15 wrote:I was talking turkeys with someone the other day, and told them how I think I have a tom patterned and might even be able to just wait near his trail and take him without calling. His response was that he would never shoot a turkey he hadn't called in, because it was unethical and not sporting knowing he hadn't outsmarted the bird with his calling. I haven't heard of that before, but I know that turkey hunting has some different feelings vs. deer hunting... i.e. you can shoot a turkey first thing off the roost (deer leaving its bed) but waiting by the roost tree in the evening (waiting over a deer bed early AM) is a no-no. Some of it doesn't make sense to me, but I never really grew up with turkey mentors like I did for deer.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on this? I would have thought that patterning a bird by scouting travel routes was every bit as challenging as calling one in. But maybe that's just the deer hunter in me.


pretty foolish thing to say. turkeys are not really that hard to kill (most of the time) as it is, even if you call them.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:45 pm

:doh:

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby kurt » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:48 pm

I dont get his perspective/ethics. I feel he said that because he's not prepared. It takes just as much time and effort to pattern them. As to practice calling. I love calling them in, I love glassing patterns, and I love running and gunning its all fun. The birds with the biggest hooks I have seen shot were patterned.

I get a similar response or excuses for deer huntings at times.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Wlog » Tue Apr 21, 2015 2:57 pm

That just sounds crazy to me. I'm having a hard time understanding what could be unethical about it. I'm no "expert" when it comes to turkey hunting but isn't it like the most common tactic to figure out where they roosted the night before then go in the next morning and set up in the direction you think they will go? I don't care what kind of animal you are calling, you call as sparingly as possible.

This reminds me of the tuna fisherman who only troll and cuss the guys who chunk and say it's unfair.

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:01 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:Tell that SOB to GFY to the tenth degree :lol:

Tell us how you really feel Ed

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:38 am

dirt nap giver wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:Tell that SOB to GFY to the tenth degree :lol:

Tell us how you really feel Ed

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Lol. Yea I couldn't really see the logic in it. Good to know that it isn't just me.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby sunset samurai » Wed Apr 22, 2015 8:04 pm

Never understood the "ethics" or one way is better than another, personally within the law I will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to be successful.

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby BigHunt » Wed Apr 22, 2015 9:31 pm

dirt nap giver wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:Tell that SOB to GFY to the tenth degree :lol:

Tell us how you really feel Ed

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;) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby whitetailassasin » Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:38 am

dirt nap giver wrote:
Edcyclopedia wrote:Tell that SOB to GFY to the tenth degree :lol:

Tell us how you really feel Ed

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:lol: yes tell us how you really feel Ed

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby E72 » Tue Apr 28, 2015 3:18 am

Ethics is up to the hunter and as long as it's legal where you hunt , then I say hunt how you want . You pay for the license , you hunt for you . ;)

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