Not calling turkeys... unethical??

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

Unread postby palmbardier » Fri May 08, 2015 3:17 am

dan wrote:Ethics is in the eye of the beholder... I would say waiting to ambush is just as sporting, if not more so... No tricks, no calls, just plain old out smarting and out waiting him.


Sometimes with the big, old toms, calling will only hinder your chances. Those old birds usually have a few tricks up their sleeves and if you really want to harvest a trophy tom you're going to have to ambush him in a pinch-point and use only very, [glow=red]very[/glow] subtle calling - if at all.

Everyone always has opinions on what constitutes "traditional" hunting techniques or whatever. I think it was G. Fred Asbell that said
"I have the whole world at my feet and I will hunt how I choose."


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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby AntlerAddiction » Fri May 08, 2015 5:04 am

I will ambush them just as quick as call them in.

I almost always call them because I prefer to prolong the adrenaline rush but I would ambush one any day.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Zap » Fri May 08, 2015 6:09 am

If someone said that to me I might say some politically incorrect thing in response... :think:
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Dewey » Fri May 08, 2015 7:16 am

Zap wrote:If someone said that to me I might say some politically incorrect thing in response... :think:

What........call him a democrat? :mrgreen:

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Hawthorne » Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:30 am

When I stopped using pop blinds, decoys, and alot of calling I started killing more birds. Go figure that's not what you read

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Redman232 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:04 am

The most important aspect of any hunting should be a clean, quick kill. How you get there within the game laws of your state should not matter. The idea of kicking a rooster off the ground or yelling at waterfowl to fly off the water or letting a turkey fly off the roost(if roost shooting is legal of course) has never made any sense to me. If you yelled at a deer to make it run before you shot at it you would get verbally castrated. In deer hunting I'm more concerned with the journey personally, in all other hunting my #1 rule is a quick clean kill, my #2 rule is eat and enjoy, the space between 1 and 2 are not important to me as long as it's legal.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Outdoor814 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:04 am

Hawthorne wrote:When I stopped using pop blinds, decoys, and alot of calling I started killing more birds. Go figure that's not what you read

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I've never used blinds, but I no longer use decoys and I hardly ever call. Usually when I do call its to locate a gobbler. If he fires right back I shut up.
My tactics for fall season is usually locate and bust a flock then call them back in. But I've also stalked close by and waited for them to come to me. I see no difference in doing this with a single bird or an entire flock.

Different strokes for different folks.

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Hawthorne » Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:56 am

Outdoor814 wrote:
Hawthorne wrote:When I stopped using pop blinds, decoys, and alot of calling I started killing more birds. Go figure that's not what you read

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I've never used blinds, but I no longer use decoys and I hardly ever call. Usually when I do call its to locate a gobbler. If he fires right back I shut up.
My tactics for fall season is usually locate and bust a flock then call them back in. But I've also stalked close by and waited for them to come to me. I see no difference in doing this with a single bird or an entire flock.

Different strokes for different folks.

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Yeah I know a guy that went to Nebraska to Turkey hunt. Shot three toms in 3 days was seeing 40+ a day. Where I hunt 4 turkeys spotted in a day is a good day with a few being hens. The conventional tactics probably work good in Nebraska

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Bonecrusher101 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:54 am

Ducks are easier to shoot after they land on the water in your decoys. Dove are easier to shoot once they land in a tree or on the field edge. I've killed both like that, and haven't lost any sleep over it. I figure I've wasted so many shells on high flyers I've gotta take what I can get, when a good opportunity arises. Patterning a gobbler seems plenty sporty to me. Dan nailed it with if its not illegal it's fine!

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby DEERSLAYER » Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:52 pm

Redman232 wrote:The most important aspect of any hunting should be a clean, quick kill. How you get there within the game laws of your state should not matter. The idea of kicking a rooster off the ground or yelling at waterfowl to fly off the water or letting a turkey fly off the roost(if roost shooting is legal of course) has never made any sense to me. If you yelled at a deer to make it run before you shot at it you would get verbally castrated. In deer hunting I'm more concerned with the journey personally, in all other hunting my #1 rule is a quick clean kill, my #2 rule is eat and enjoy, the space between 1 and 2 are not important to me as long as it's legal.

Absolutely. I would think in most cases figuring out your quarry and setting up on it would be harder than calling. Calling may not be a piece of cake but it allows you to cover a larger area than just sitting and waiting in a spot.
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Jed33 » Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:02 am

A legal bird is a legal bird in my eyes. Being able to call doesn't doesn't do any good if you're sitting in a spot the turkey does not want to be. To me both are important, and a dead bird taste good regardless of the tactic used to get it to the dinner table. :L:
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby kenn1320 » Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:34 am

Duplicate post
Last edited by kenn1320 on Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Its about taking the right shot at the right time with good equipment." Dan Infalt
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby kenn1320 » Thu Feb 18, 2016 4:36 am

Patterning a bird sounds easier, doesn't make it any less ethical. I personally don't pattern birds and haven't had luck putting them to bed or getting one right after fly down. I rely on calling and somedays they don't talk or respond. If I had them patterned I wouldn't have to practice calling and every day would have me in the game. I will say the biggest reason I hunt turkey is the vocal interaction. Id love to try elk for the same reason.

As far as waterfowl are concerned, I've noted which area of a field they were in and set up the next morning. Let me tell you, nothing easier than being where they want to go. You don't even have to call, like shooting fish in a barrel.

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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby mspaci » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:09 am

sometimes you have to patterm them. Turkeys go where they wanna go sometimes, no matter how good your calling is. I might hunt a bird 3-4 mornings before I get in close enough to kill him. Many times on kill day there is little or no calling. Mike
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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Unread postby Reflex011 » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:07 am

The Tom i just shot Thursday afternoon i did not call to at all. I had 2 out of the 6 hens feed through my decoys. He stayed out with the other 4 hens at about 60yds out and he just decided to break away and check out my 4 hens and FUNKY CHICKEN!! :animals-chickencatch: He slowly walked, fed, and 3/4 strutted a couple times. 15yds he met his match. My first turkey ever. The other two Toms i had encounters with i could not pull them off the hens. I tried to pull the hens into the decoys with a call but was not successful. Anyways, to each their own, but i learned that less calling may be the right option for me sometimes. Maybe my skills are just not sharp enough to call... :mrgreen:
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