Newish Turkey Hunter

1duckslayer said:
You guys talking about shooting a turkey in the head are unreal!!!! In areas that ARE allowed to use rimfire's they don't aim for the head!!!!! Hoytcanon, if you have shot sooooooo many birds than it should be obvious to you that shooting a gobbler in the head at 50 yds with a single projectile is next to impossible. Why do you think they recommend shooting at the base of the gobblers neck with a shotgun!!!! Good luck with a 15 yard let alone a 50 yd shot with a single projectile on a bird that is CONSTANTLY moving his head. Rimfire area's recommend shooting for the spine. Just another great reason I'm glad we are limited to shottys in Ont. All I need are clowns trying to head shot my decoys with a rimfire...................
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I am sure Hoytcanon has shot his fair share of birds...... A turkey's head is about 2" x 3"...... That's not that small of a target at 50 yards....

His air rifle idea is a neat one.... But I also would share your fear of field hunting over decoys and having some ass clown shooting a rifle at my spread from the road with me behind the spread in full camo....
 
1duckslayer said:
You guys talking about shooting a turkey in the head are unreal!!!! In areas that ARE allowed to use rimfire's they don't aim for the head!!!!! Hoytcanon, if you have shot sooooooo many birds than it should be obvious to you that shooting a gobbler in the head at 50 yds with a single projectile is next to impossible. Why do you think they recommend shooting at the base of the gobblers neck with a shotgun!!!! Good luck with a 15 yard let alone a 50 yd shot with a single projectile on a bird that is CONSTANTLY moving his head. Rimfire area's recommend shooting for the spine. Just another great reason I'm glad we are limited to shottys in Ont. All I need are clowns trying to head shot my decoys with a rimfire...................
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What the heck are you talking about??? When a gobbler goes into full strutting and then does the shuffle, they freeze rock solid posing for the hens before starting the sequence again... it would be no problem head shooting a gobbler... and in many jurisdictions they do exactly that...

Shooting for the body with a rimfire is an almost guaranteed way to wound and LOSE a high percentage of birds... head shooting results in a miss or a dead bird... you appear to be stuck in shotgun mode.
 
Superbrad said:
I am sure Hoytcanon has shot his fair share of birds...... A turkey's head is about 2" x 3"...... That's not that small of a target at 50 yards....

His air rifle idea is a neat one.... But I also would share your fear of field hunting over decoys and having some ass clown shooting a rifle at my spread from the road with me behind the spread in full camo....
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Why can hunters use deer and coyote decoys in areas with centerfire hunting going on, but not use rimfire and turkey decoys... if some ass is going to break the law and shoot from the road on private property, he can do the same where is is shotguns only... at 50-100 yards it should be apparent that they are decoys and not real birds.

Rimfire point aside... I talked to all my land owners last week and they all report lots of birds and an easy winter... so it should be a good season. I booked five days for opener.
 
hoytcanon said:
Why can hunters use deer and coyote decoys in areas with centerfire hunting going on, but not use rimfire and turkey decoys... if some ass is going to break the law and shoot from the road on private property, he can do the same where is is shotguns only... at 50-100 yards it should be apparent that they are decoys and not real birds.

Rimfire point aside... I talked to all my land owners last week and they all report lots of birds and an easy winter... so it should be a good season. I booked five days for opener.
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Well, for one, we have the whole hunter orAnge thing going on during deer season.... Plus the vast majority that use decoys are up off the ground in stands...... Point taken on ######s being ######s, but those avian-x decoys look awful realistic.... After all, we are using them to try to lure in a critter with eyesight much better than our own......

I am supposed to be in Pittsburgh on the 27th.... But will be taking whatever is left when I get back as well as the equivalent amount of days that I spent in PA, so 5 days as well..... Unless I fill my tags quick, in which case I will head back to work to save my days for other pursuits....
 
Should be an epic opening day in Prescott Russell, toms are bigs and numerous... Not talking about jakes here... JP.
 
Superbrad said:
Well, for one, we have the whole hunter orAnge thing going on during deer season.... Plus the vast majority that use decoys are up off the ground in stands...... Point taken on ######s being ######s, but those avian-x decoys look awful realistic.... After all, we are using them to try to lure in a critter with eyesight much better than our own......

I am supposed to be in Pittsburgh on the 27th.... But will be taking whatever is left when I get back as well as the equivalent amount of days that I spent in PA, so 5 days as well..... Unless I fill my tags quick, in which case I will head back to work to save my days for other pursuits....
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Good luck hunting...

I equate the inconsistency of governing regulations to the expectation of the federal government requiring us to differentiate the difference between a hen mallard and a hen black duck flying at 40 miles an hour half an hour before sunrise, but the provincial government legislating a "two tag" system for wolves because hunters can't tell the difference between a wolf and a coyote... there are many times where there is conflicting logic employed to substantiate a position... I find this turkey scenario to be one of those.

Regardless, I love hunting turkeys... It is like a mini spring moose hunt.

P.S - I will have a parcel in the mail for you, first thing in the morning.
 
hoytcanon said:
Good luck hunting...

I equate the inconsistency of governing regulations to the expectation of the federal government requiring us to differentiate the difference between a hen mallard and a hen black duck flying at 40 miles an hour half an hour before sunrise, but the provincial government legislating a "two tag" system for wolves because hunters can't tell the difference between a wolf and a coyote... there are many times where there is conflicting logic employed to substantiate a position... I find this turkey scenario to be one of those.

Regardless, I love hunting turkeys... It is like a mini spring moose hunt.

P.S - I will have a parcel in the mail for you, first thing in the morning.
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Cheers :) and yes, I don't think the people that make our regulations have any real world experience..... Thankfully, most CO's seem to be reasonable (from the ones I have dealt with)....

I am also not in favor of nanny state type regulation. I work on the island of Montreal and you can't turn right on a red there..... Chaps my ass..... "If it only saves one ignorant driver" as they say....

To be honest, although some people make a science out of it, turkey hunting really isn't all that hard....... I'm not against anyone hunting legally.... But I wager that the fact that the MNR turkey program is the most visible successful thing they have executed in the last few decades makes them protective of the species....... They likely envision flocks getting decimated by road hunters with .17 hmr ...... Not knocking the idea of a Rimfire turkey hunt..... I am admittedly "stuck in shotgun mode".... If I had the time to stay proficient with a bow, it may be different..... But the up close and personal of turkey hunting is a huge appeal to me.....

Its certainly a hunt I look forward to and have many fond memories of...... My property has tons of wild garlic growing on it and every time I set up on a run and gun, I inevitably set off the smell of the garlic when I take cover...... Makes me crave spaghetti.... Lol...... The sights, smells and sounds are outstanding on a turkey hunt.... And the prize is delicious to boot!
 
Haahaa I still don't know wether to use a shotgun or a 22 I suppose I can bring them both
I will be hunting on foot walking the power lines camping in a pup tent going low budget on this one
I was hopping one of the guys hunting Turkey in BC would jump in
Trail BC is a long ways from Haida Gwaii just for a turkey hunt but it shood be fun
 
carverk said:
Haahaa I still don't know wether to use a shotgun or a 22 I suppose I can bring them both
I will be hunting on foot walking the power lines camping in a pup tent going low budget on this one
I was hopping one of the guys hunting Turkey in BC would jump in
Trail BC is a long ways from Haida Gwaii just for a turkey hunt but it shood be fun
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Why don't you consider offering a "swap hunt"... I am sure a seasoned and successful turkey hunter would set you up on a tom in trade for a Haida deer.
 
hoytcanon said:
Why don't you consider offering a "swap hunt"... I am sure a seasoned and successful turkey hunter would set you up on a tom in trade for a Haida deer.
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The last 4 years I have missed deer season do to work so I'm a bit leery on make a trade
But if I'm off work I'm more then willing to take any one on a Haida Gwaii hunt make hunting more fun
 
carverk said:
The last 4 years I have missed deer season do to work so I'm a bit leery on make a trade
But if I'm off work I'm more then willing to take any one on a Haida Gwaii hunt make hunting more fun
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Jmop..... As we talk options and challenging ourselves for turkey, it's all good....

But since you haven't shot one yet, just go with the shotgun..... You will have no regrets...... And a very memorable hunt......
 
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Superbrad said:
Jmop..... As we talk options and challenging ourselves for turkey, it's all good....

But since you haven't shot one yet, just go with the shotgun..... You will have no regrets...... And a very memorable hunt......
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I agree... get a few under your belt before you get "fancy."
 
hoytcanon said:
... at 50-100 yards it should be apparent that they are decoys and not real birds...
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I have to agree with Superbrad, those AvianX decoys are unbelievably realistic and with a little wind, their movement will fool just about anybody. I had a coyote sneak up on one of mine last year and he got within 10 yds before he either winded me or realized his easy meal was a trap. If it can fool a yote at that distance, I'm betting it can fool an experienced hunter like you at 100.

In SW Ontario, I have to say I'm glad that we are limited to shotguns and bows for turkey. I only hunt private land but pretty much everywhere I hunt is visible from some roadway. As much as I'd love to hunt wild turkey with a rimfire (it would solve that pesky habit some toms have of staying 75yds out ;) ) I like the fact that it is highly unlikely that some slob hunter is going to spot my decoy from the road, pull over, and take a hail-Mary shot in my general direction.
 
Runningfool said:
I have to agree with Superbrad, those AvianX decoys are unbelievably realistic and with a little wind, their movement will fool just about anybody. I had a coyote sneak up on one of mine last year and he got within 10 yds before he either winded me or realized his easy meal was a trap. If it can fool a yote at that distance, I'm betting it can fool an experienced hunter like you at 100.

In SW Ontario, I have to say I'm glad that we are limited to shotguns and bows for turkey. I only hunt private land but pretty much everywhere I hunt is visible from some roadway. As much as I'd love to hunt wild turkey with a rimfire (it would solve that pesky habit some toms have of staying 75yds out ;) ) I like the fact that it is highly unlikely that some slob hunter is going to spot my decoy from the road, pull over, and take a hail-Mary shot in my general direction.
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I still use the crappy Redhead decoys that I bought 12 years ago... they fool the toms every year... they also have fooled a truck load of coyotes, a few of which didn't survive the experience... I also fooled a coyote on my way to a turkey location... I spotted him mousing in a field, I knelt down next to a three foot shrub and lip squeaked the coyote in to five feet, when he departed, I called him back to arms length and did this several times until he final looped around downwind and turned inside-out getting out of there...other than the shrub, I was fully exposed (in full camo), kneeling in a field, all told, I had him next to me for over 10 minutes... any decoy can fool a coyote... also, "Hail, Mary" shots over the private land you hunt is illegal, the person taking the shot is poaching, a poacher is a criminal, and criminals don't follow the rules... that joker is likely to be shooting a rifle if you are 100 yards out... no matter what the rules are.
 
Doesn't take much of a decoy to fool most two-legged people especially those that may be on a property without permission. My B-Mobile strutter has been shot twice over the years by guys that got the old "there's a tom" tunnel vision. Decoy has a few holes but the assclowns that did it will never be back to the property they had no business to be on after the owner of said decoys made his presence known. Thought one guy was literally going to have a heart attack where he stood when my 280lb gillie suit glad self stood up and started to inform him of the error of his ways.

Moral to the story is in questionable light or in the pursuit of these birds decoys can look very real. This is my 20th season this year and I can come around a corner knowing full well a buddy has decoys set up and have to do a double take. Of the two above mentioned shooters both had hunted for 4-5 years without getting a bird and I believe that had a great deal to contribute to their mistake.
 
My second 2016 tag will be filled using my Exocet crossbowwith scope, i have practiced the better part of the winter in the barn... I am good to hit 10/10 a tennis ball at 25 yards... JP.
 
hunter148 said:
Doesn't take much of a decoy to fool most two-legged people especially those that may be on a property without permission. My B-Mobile strutter has been shot twice over the years by guys that got the old "there's a tom" tunnel vision. Decoy has a few holes but the assclowns that did it will never be back to the property they had no business to be on after the owner of said decoys made his presence known. Thought one guy was literally going to have a heart attack where he stood when my 280lb gillie suit glad self stood up and started to inform him of the error of his ways.

Moral to the story is in questionable light or in the pursuit of these birds decoys can look very real. This is my 20th season this year and I can come around a corner knowing full well a buddy has decoys set up and have to do a double take. Of the two above mentioned shooters both had hunted for 4-5 years without getting a bird and I believe that had a great deal to contribute to their mistake.
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Lol.... This reminds me of a story.....

As I said earlier in the thread, my property is teeming with wild garlic. This stuff when picked, cleaned and pickled goes for $10 a jar locally, so even though my land is posted you can imagine how many trespassers I have had to run off over the years. (Garlic is a bright green plant that pops up long before ferns and other plants and is easily visible from the road.)

About 4 years ago, I was run and gun turkey hunting and calling and slowly made my way over over ridge. Decked out in full camo with facemask and sporting a 12 gauge I walked up within 30 feet of a trespasser with a weed puller diligently picking garlic, cutting the leaves off and placing them in a 10 gallon pail. I continued to watch this guy for about ten minutes as he was faced in the opposite direction totally focused on his task. (I will be honest, I was going to confiscate his garlic any way because I like it and usually pick a pail for myself every year).

Finally, I blurted out "excuse me sir" in my best authoritative tone..... The fella must have jumped 5 feet off the ground and when he spun around there was my 6 foot 210 pound frame sporting a gun and fully decked out in camo. Well, lets just say that confiscating the garlic wasn't necessary. H e screamed out "Holy ####", dropped the weed picker and ran to a nearby tree that his bike was leaning against and booted it hell for leather down a nearby trail. I thought briefly about firing a shot in the air to further intensify his garlic picking experience, but common sense prevailed and I just let him go on his way, while collecting 3/4 of pail of garlic and his weed puller..... I didn't get my bird that day, but that was the easiest garlic I never had to pick......
 
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