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Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:22 am
by magicman54494
One of the reasons I love hunting more than "organized" sports is because hunting is regulated by "loose" rules to manage the game and keep it sporting. Each hunter can (within those rules) fine tune their hunt to suit their own personal taste. As long as you are playing by the rules you can hunt the way you enjoy. All hunters should honor each others method of hunting regardless of their own personal choice.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 5:43 am
by hunter10
Personally, you bought a license so as long as you play by the law then kill em calling or ambushing . No different then shooting deer in high fence.. Is it legal? Yes. Will you get my respect.. Not really. Will you get my respect standing at a roost tree and killing one off the roost at day break.. No? Am I happy for who ever kills a legal animal. Yep so like Dan said. Eye of the beholder

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 8:42 am
by mainebowhunter
As long as you don't kill it out of a blind :D

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 8:45 am
by mainebowhunter
There are a bunch of unwritten rules about turkey hunting. These are the top 3.
1. You must call the bird
2. You must not use a blind
3. You must not stalk/still hunt a turkey

:lol: :lol:

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:55 am
by greenhorndave
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.

This.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:11 am
by Bonecrusher101
I will wait for a duck to land on water before blasting it, I’ve also shot doves off power lines and outta trees too! Im not very good at bird hunting. I figure I waste so many shells sky busting why not enjoy an easy gimme when the opportunity arises.

We should all just Hunt however we like within the parameters set by game laws. Is it ethical to judge other sportsman? Sounds like we should keep some things to ourselves unless asked.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:38 am
by szwampdonkey
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.


Who in the heck ever told you waiting over a deer bed or near deer bedding in the morning is unethical or a "no no"???? What in gods name is that bs, that's how you kill deer for crying out loud???? Geez, ive heard it all now.

Man, don't worry about what others think or worry about facebook lynch mobs that stuff is ridiculous. You want to pattern a turkey and shoot him on his way from roost to his favorite strutting spot by all means do it and don't worry about what those embroiled in constant facebook bickering have to say about it or anyone for that matter.

Shooting a turkey you didn't call but instead stalked or patterned is 100% ethical/fair game, period. BTW, beating deer into deer bedding is ALSO 100% legal, ethical, and fair game. Id bet those who whine about something like that couldn't find a deer bed if it was in their front yard.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:28 am
by mspaci
sometimes Ill work a bird several mornings in a row, & then slip in & kill him just that way. Fine w me, Mike

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:05 pm
by cspot
In PA, ambushing a bird is technically illegal. It would be very difficult to prove though unless the game warden is sitting in your lap when you are hunting. Hunting is by calling only.

Some other things that are illegal in PA when Spring turkey hunting is putting on drives, stalking the bird, driving around in a vehicle trying to locate a bird, and also hunting out of a blind made with natural materials (must be manmade like cloth, fabric, etc).

Ethics are a personal thing and I have no issue with how anyone hunts as long as it is within the law for where they are hunting. My personal ethics I see no issue with ambushing one. My preference is I like to see them work there way in gobbling, but they don't always read the script. :D

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:34 pm
by DeadHeadSpread
cspot wrote:In PA, ambushing a bird is technically illegal. It would be very difficult to prove though unless the game warden is sitting in your lap when you are hunting. Hunting is by calling only.
Some other things that are illegal in PA when Spring turkey hunting is putting on drives, stalking the bird, driving around in a vehicle trying to locate a bird, and also hunting out of a blind made with natural materials (must be manmade like cloth, fabric, etc).

Ethics are a personal thing and I have no issue with how anyone hunts as long as it is within the law for where they are hunting. My personal ethics I see no issue with ambushing one. My preference is I like to see them work there way in gobbling, but they don't always read the script. :D


You don’t have to call. Perfectly legal in PA (and ethical IMO) to pattern a bird and ambush him on his travel route without any calling. Agreed that in PA you are not permitted to stalk them. It’s for the safety of other hunters calling, they taught us in hunter safety all those years ago.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:40 pm
by cspot
DeadHeadSpread wrote:
cspot wrote:In PA, ambushing a bird is technically illegal. It would be very difficult to prove though unless the game warden is sitting in your lap when you are hunting. Hunting is by calling only.
Some other things that are illegal in PA when Spring turkey hunting is putting on drives, stalking the bird, driving around in a vehicle trying to locate a bird, and also hunting out of a blind made with natural materials (must be manmade like cloth, fabric, etc).

Ethics are a personal thing and I have no issue with how anyone hunts as long as it is within the law for where they are hunting. My personal ethics I see no issue with ambushing one. My preference is I like to see them work there way in gobbling, but they don't always read the script. :D


You don’t have to call. Perfectly legal in PA (and ethical IMO) to pattern a bird and ambush him on his travel route. Agreed that in PA you are not permitted to stalk them. It’s for the safety of other hunters calling. they taught us in hunter safety all those years ago.


The law states hunting is by calling only. Explained to me many years by a game warden that ambushing was technically illegal. Like I said they would have no way of enforcing it though as you could fart and say that was your call. :lol: They would literally have to be sitting in your lap.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:59 pm
by greenhorndave
Make one cluck.

Problem solved.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:12 pm
by DeadHeadSpread
cspot wrote:
DeadHeadSpread wrote:
cspot wrote:In PA, ambushing a bird is technically illegal. It would be very difficult to prove though unless the game warden is sitting in your lap when you are hunting. Hunting is by calling only.
Some other things that are illegal in PA when Spring turkey hunting is putting on drives, stalking the bird, driving around in a vehicle trying to locate a bird, and also hunting out of a blind made with natural materials (must be manmade like cloth, fabric, etc).

Ethics are a personal thing and I have no issue with how anyone hunts as long as it is within the law for where they are hunting. My personal ethics I see no issue with ambushing one. My preference is I like to see them work there way in gobbling, but they don't always read the script. :D


You don’t have to call. Perfectly legal in PA (and ethical IMO) to pattern a bird and ambush him on his travel route. Agreed that in PA you are not permitted to stalk them. It’s for the safety of other hunters calling. they taught us in hunter safety all those years ago.


The law states hunting is by calling only. Explained to me many years by a game warden that ambushing was technically illegal. Like I said they would have no way of enforcing it though as you could fart and say that was your call. :lol: They would literally have to be sitting in your lap.


I just checked the regs and you are correct. I guess if you shoot a spring gobbler in PA without calling then it isn’t legal. Makes no sense and I’m guessing never enforced. It doesn’t stipulate a required frequency of calling so you could technically say you called to a turkey 3 days ago so you’re legal. :twisted:

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 2:13 pm
by thwack16
We all have the right to choose how we want to play the game within the legal rules. Some set them at the legal rules, some restrict themselves greatly.

For me, turkey hunting is about reversing the course of nature and having the gobbler seek the hen out.

With that said, I’ve killed a handful from my stomach, knees, and my feet. In those instances I’d put myself in an ambush position to kill those birds.

For what it’s worth, and my opinion matters as much as it costs, but using woodsmanship to kill a bird far outweighs decoying one. Especially using a strutting gobbler decoy.

Turkey hunting is a weird game to me and I think most end up reaching this point. I’ve killed quite a few birds and been on hunts where I had a hand in killing quite a few more. I’ve never seen a one that I didn’t want to breathe air back into the bird and hunt him again the next day. Adding difficulty to the hunt just gives you another chance to play the game.

And to add, at some point harvesting birds severely hampers the population. We are feeling it hard here in the south and have been for a few years. The Midwest seems to be headed to that point as well, Atleast in pockets. I’m afraid the upper Midwest is next as WI, MI, & MN seem to be gaining traction for traveling turkey hunters.

Re: Not calling turkeys... unethical??

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:53 pm
by cspot
DeadHeadSpread wrote:
cspot wrote:
DeadHeadSpread wrote:
cspot wrote:In PA, ambushing a bird is technically illegal. It would be very difficult to prove though unless the game warden is sitting in your lap when you are hunting. Hunting is by calling only.
Some other things that are illegal in PA when Spring turkey hunting is putting on drives, stalking the bird, driving around in a vehicle trying to locate a bird, and also hunting out of a blind made with natural materials (must be manmade like cloth, fabric, etc).

Ethics are a personal thing and I have no issue with how anyone hunts as long as it is within the law for where they are hunting. My personal ethics I see no issue with ambushing one. My preference is I like to see them work there way in gobbling, but they don't always read the script. :D


You don’t have to call. Perfectly legal in PA (and ethical IMO) to pattern a bird and ambush him on his travel route. Agreed that in PA you are not permitted to stalk them. It’s for the safety of other hunters calling. they taught us in hunter safety all those years ago.


The law states hunting is by calling only. Explained to me many years by a game warden that ambushing was technically illegal. Like I said they would have no way of enforcing it though as you could fart and say that was your call. :lol: They would literally have to be sitting in your lap.


I just checked the regs and you are correct. I guess if you shoot a spring gobbler in PA without calling then it isn’t legal. Makes no sense and I’m guessing never enforced. It doesn’t stipulate a required frequency of calling so you could technically say you called to a turkey 3 days ago so you’re legal. :twisted:


Yep. Another weird pa law. Lol.