First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

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Weekend Woodsmen
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First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Weekend Woodsmen »

Last year on opening day, we were hit with the lows and highs of hunting all in one day. After being the first one to the spot, I am a waterfowl hunter, so that means something to me, but apparently doesn't mean anything to others, we had hunters swing in and cut in behind us a shoot birds on their way to our field. THEN the guy parked out in front of us TWICE and sat there forever, getting out of his truck, walking around, talking on the phone, you name it. We had decoys out and orange up, so I KNOW he saw us. It just blew my mind how someone could have such little respect. Anyway, we got fed up and moved to a different property and immediately spotted some birds. After calling to them for an hour, we decided to put a reap on them from 400 yards away. We had to have crawled 250 yards, and when we came over the hill, the birds closed the rest of the distance in a hurry! What a hunt! I am curious have you ever had other hunters treat you like that? Hope you enjoy the video!
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Hoobilly »

only on public land in TN have I had jokers act like idiots.. now where Tommy Duiba aka Shooter on here, I hunted with him on public ground near where he lives and their them guys didnt crowd each other. made for excellent hunting
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by MKW »

Weekend Woodsmen wrote: March 20th, 2019, 8:21 pm Last year on opening day, we were hit with the lows and highs of hunting all in one day. After being the first one to the spot, I am a waterfowl hunter, so that means something to me, but apparently doesn't mean anything to others, we had hunters swing in and cut in behind us a shoot birds on their way to our field. THEN the guy parked out in front of us TWICE and sat there forever, getting out of his truck, walking around, talking on the phone, you name it. We had decoys out and orange up, so I KNOW he saw us. It just blew my mind how someone could have such little respect. Anyway, we got fed up and moved to a different property and immediately spotted some birds. After calling to them for an hour, we decided to put a reap on them from 400 yards away. We had to have crawled 250 yards, and when we came over the hill, the birds closed the rest of the distance in a hurry! What a hunt! I am curious have you ever had other hunters treat you like that? Hope you enjoy the video!
So...other hunters disrespected you and then you disrespected real turkey hunting by "reaping". Got it.

And, yes, I am fully aware that this response might not go over well with some, but my opinion is as valuable as anyone's. And, IMO, "reaping" is all kinda wrong. Just my opinion.
Rant over.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Southern Sportsman »

I’m with MKW on this one. If I were hunting and sat up on a roosted bird and had someone walk past me and shoot him off a limb, then later I was watching birds in a field and had some one crawl out there and “reap” one of them, I’m not sure which would bother me more. Both are legal (in TN at least). And both place a high priority on killing a turkey but completely forego the actual hunting of turkeys. My $.02.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Jamey »

When I was reading the first part of the initial post I was saying to myself, "this is why I would never reap on public land, too many idiots out there" and then was amazed to continue reading and see what followed...smh
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by swampchicken »

I'm sorry to see that you "had" to "reap" a bird to get your buddy his first gobbler. In my opinion a first Turkey should be called up to the gun without decoys or a popup blind. Reaping on public ground no matter if you think no one is there is definitely not what I would teach someone who is starting out Turkey hunting. A very unsafe practice at best!
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by soiltester »

NBK wrote: March 21st, 2019, 5:06 am
Southern Sportsman wrote: March 20th, 2019, 11:37 pm I’m with MKW on this one. If I were hunting and sat up on a roosted bird and had someone walk past me and shoot him off a limb, then later I was watching birds in a field and had some one crawl out there and “reap” one of them, I’m not sure which would bother me more. Both are legal (in TN at least). And both place a high priority on killing a turkey but completely forego the actual hunting of turkeys. My $.02.
Couldn't of said it better. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by gblrsrst »

Jamey wrote: March 21st, 2019, 5:30 am When I was reading the first part of the initial post I was saying to myself, "this is why I would never reap on public land, too many idiots out there" and then was amazed to continue reading and see what followed...smh
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Southern Sportsman »

Weekend Woodsmen wrote: March 20th, 2019, 8:21 pm . . . we had hunters swing in and cut in behind us a shoot birds on their way to our field.
Also, does this mean you set up with decoys in a field on public land in hopes that turkeys would come to “your” field at some point, and someone went into the woods where the turkeys were, worked them, and killed them? Granted, I dont know anything about distance, lay of the land, or size of the property, but in itself that doesn’t sound objectionable.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by timbrhuntr »

Oh boy here come the self righteous turkey hunters again. My way is the only right way blah blah blah !!!!!

Hey I read a guy shot one at 47 steps better get on that one !!!!
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by GobbleNut »

I won't drag anybody through the mud here about how they turkey hunt. As long as we are all confessing our "opinions" and saying our "Hail Mary's", I will say that those of us that have been turkey hunting for a long time tend to disapprove of the whole "reaping" thing. Hence, some of the comments made. "Reaping" (crappy terminology to start with) is a personal choice as a method of turkey hunting. To me, it is on the same level as sitting in a pop-up blind with a spread of decoys fifteen yards away and then either blowing the gobbler that shows up away with a shotgun, or shooting him up the bunghole with a bow. It ain't my thang,...but if it floats your boat, go for it.
...Gee whiz,...I guess I might have dragged some folks through the mud after all..... my bad :mrgreen: :toothy7:
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by timbrhuntr »

Hey its way easier wandering through the woods with a gun and call you know how hard it is carrying in all those decoys , blind, bow, chair etc etc etc
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by GLS »

Reaping isn't my idea of turkey hunting. Tom Kelly, who I admire greatly for his inspirational Tenth Legion written in 1973, led the fight against legalization of decoys in Alabama. A couple of years ago I saw a video of him walking down a road towards gobblers when one of the others whipped out a fan and three birds ran towards them and, if memory serves, a bird was shot as it ran to them in full view with all men standing in the middle of the road. Say it ain't so, Colonel. Gil
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Hognutz »

Here we go again. If you don’t hunt MY way, you’re a poor turkey hunter and unethical, to boot..
Blind vs no blind. Decoys or no decoys. TSS vs lead. 10 ga. vs .410. Trumpet or mouth call.
If it’s legal and the guy doing the killing is happy I don’t care if he is dressed out in Mossy Oak or if he’s naked with a headband full of tail feathers. It’s his tag.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by howl »

I don't see where anyone in that could claim to have behaved any better than anyone else.

My advice: Stop playing with dolls when you're supposed to be turkey hunting. If you detect another hunter, loudly and clearly make them aware of your presence. Then go find another bird regardless of who was there first.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Southern Sportsman »

timbrhuntr wrote: March 21st, 2019, 9:15 am Oh boy here come the self righteous turkey hunters again. My way is the only right way blah blah blah !!!!!

Hey I read a guy shot one at 47 steps better get on that one !!!!
Followed predictably by the “who are you to bash . . .”; “as long as it’s legal . . .”; “shouldn’t run down fellow hunters . . .”; “let’s just sing kumbaya” reaper defenders.

Due respect should be afforded to the man behind the fan, but “reaping” is an understandably and justifiably devisive topic. Some, myself included, genuinely believe that the practice is busch league and ought not be done. If you post about it on a public hunting forum you can’t then be offended when debate ensues. It is nonsensical to suggest that opponents of the practice should sit quietly while proponents/practitioners post whatever they want.

And the “as long as it’s legal” argument is silly. Hunters are largely self-regulated in that game laws are enacted by officials who are typically hunters based on input from hunters regarding opinions of fair chase, acceptable practices, and managment goals designed to provide maximum benefit and opportunity to hunters while protecting the resource. The only way that system works is if participants (hunters) voice opposition to current rules/regulations/practices. If hunters never complained about hunting practices that were legal at the time we would still have punt guns and market hunting but no game to hunt.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Hognutz »

“As long as it’s legal is silly”..
So you are the judge and jury. You hunt the way you like and the reaper hunts his way.
You may or may not like blinds, decoys or lead. Hunt your way and let him hunt his.
BTW. I’m not a reaper.
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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MKW
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by MKW »

Southern Sportsman wrote: March 21st, 2019, 10:52 am
timbrhuntr wrote: March 21st, 2019, 9:15 am Oh boy here come the self righteous turkey hunters again. My way is the only right way blah blah blah !!!!!

Hey I read a guy shot one at 47 steps better get on that one !!!!
Followed predictably by the “who are you to bash . . .”; “as long as it’s legal . . .”; “shouldn’t run down fellow hunters . . .”; “let’s just sing kumbaya” reaper defenders.

Due respect should be afforded to the man behind the fan, but “reaping” is an understandably and justifiably devisive topic. Some, myself included, genuinely believe that the practice is busch league and ought not be done. If you post about it on a public hunting forum you can’t then be offended when debate ensues. It is nonsensical to suggest that opponents of the practice should sit quietly while proponents/practitioners post whatever they want.

And the “as long as it’s legal” argument is silly. Hunters are largely self-regulated in that game laws are enacted by officials who are typically hunters based on input from hunters regarding opinions of fair chase, acceptable practices, and managment goals designed to provide maximum benefit and opportunity to hunters while protecting the resource. The only way that system works is if participants (hunters) voice opposition to current rules/regulations/practices. If hunters never complained about hunting practices that were legal at the time we would still have punt guns and market hunting but no game to hunt.
I agree with this 100%.
Expecting there to be no opposition is silly. I wish someone would have spoken up before all the buffalo were killed. Hunting is a sport nowadays. I don't know anyone that actually has to hunt so they don't go hungry. There are some modern practices that, IMO, take all the sport out of it. Some of these practices are being seen for what they are, in some states. I just hope more states get on board and do a better job regulating the "sport".
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Southern Sportsman »

Hognutz wrote: March 21st, 2019, 11:07 am “As long as it’s legal is silly”..
So you are the judge and jury. You hunt the way you like and the reaper hunts his way.
You may or may not like blinds, decoys or lead. Hunt your way and let him hunt his.
BTW. I’m not a reaper.
Neither judge nor jury. But you dont have to approve of something just because it’s legal and you dont have to keep opinions to yourself if you disapprove of something. Even if it hurts someone’s feelings. Debate should be respectful, but debate is good. To claim that one should not object to something just because that something is not illegal, particularly on a public forum, is absolutely silly. And it works both ways. Anybody is free to crituique anything I do and post about on the internet.

The roost shooting example I mentioned above really happened, though not to me. Last year a guy on a TN form I frequent was videoing his hunt. Public land. Got there early and set up 100 yards from a bird that he’d roosted the night before. Two guys parked beside his his truck right at gobble time, walked past him on their way to the gobbling bird and rolled him off the limb. In TN you can shoot one 30 minutes before daylight in the tree or not. Should we just pat them on the back for a legal kill?
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Hognutz »

Southern Sportsman.
Do you hunt with a blind, ever? Do you use decoys, ever?
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by appalachianassassin »

I believe everyone knows my opinion on instant success methods of Turkey hunting. As I've gotten older I've become less of a critic but still wish folks would take the time to learn something about how the sport was mastered before crutches came along. In the end they would kill a lot more Turkeys.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Southern Sportsman »

Hognutz wrote: March 21st, 2019, 11:40 am Southern Sportsman.
Do you hunt with a blind, ever? Do you use decoys, ever?
I dont own either but I have killed two birds out of tents over decoys when invited by other people to hunt their place. I can say confidently that I wont do it again. It’s just not that fun and the whole time I wished I was outside of the tent where all the action was.

While I’m not a fan of the tent/strutter decoy approach, I have not criticized it. IMO “reaping” is way more objectionable than simply sitting in a tent with decoys. I have never and will never “reap” a turkey. And I won’t allow my kids to do it when they get older no matter how badly they want to post a picture of a dead turkey on facebook.
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by SwampDrummin »

I am still scratching my head on this one. So one guy was sitting in a tent and then the other guy, the one who’s turkey hunting, shoots a turkey? What am I missing? :walk:
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by Hognutz »

I totally get what your saying, SS. All I’m trying to say is what is objectionable to you, may be common practice for someone else. You won’t bash someone that hunts with a blind and or decoys. But the next guy will because he feels it’s not sporting enough. Some like hen decoys but despise the use of a strutting Tom.
My point is.. I don’t care how nor what you kill YOUR birds with. It your tag. It’s the purist attitude that I don’t understand. The It’s my way or the highway Mantra.
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“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” -Clemensa
When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
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Re: First Bird Despite Disrespectful Hunters

Post by timbrhuntr »

"I agree with this 100%.
Expecting there to be no opposition is silly. I wish someone would have spoken up before all the buffalo were killed. Hunting is a sport nowadays."

Ha ha that's gotta be one of the best I've ever heard. Unless nobody told you the wild turkey was almost wiped out by market hunting same as the buffalo !

I won't even touch the not needing to hunt for food because its a sport one !

So us pointing out that your opposition to this is silly isn't valid I guess. :lol:
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