Would you shoot a turkey out off the roost?

[Karl Blanchard]

If it's legal then no one has a right to complain how another hunter harvests his/her kill. (as long as it's done clean and quick)

If you have a personal rule that prohibits you from sluicing a bird out the tree then good on you 
I have a ton of "rules" and challenges, but I won't force them upon you all under the hammer of public scrutiny.


Have you ever sluiced a grouse off a dirt road?  It's the same thing if you ask an upland guy with a prized bird dog.

Have you ever shot a running phez?  Same thing

Shot a duck on the water?  Same thing!


So don't get on here bashing the way someone else does something just because YOU don't think it's ethical.  The more I read HW the more I'm turning away from what's seen as ethical and relying on what's Legal. 

The problem is if enough people see something as unethical pretty soon it's prohibited  -  hounds anyone?

The question was would I do it and I answered.  I never said that its my way or the highway.  Turkeys are a different creature from deer and elk so to compare them in the same manner is incorrect.  If a guy wants to go around blasting birds out of trees then go for it, but not in my camp.

Huge difference!  Killing a deer in its bed takes actual hunting skills, woodsmanship and stealth.  Killing a turkey in its roost is as simple as getting one to gobble and then strolling up underneath him and waiting until legal light!  When a deer is bedded it is usually in a difficult place to stalk on them. Even when bedded a deer is still alert and ready to bolt at danger.  As long as its fairly dark, you can stand under a turkey or group of turkeys and sing them songs and they will not fly!

It's a "fair chase" thing then. What about coming across one long after sunrise?

They pitch down in the morning and don't pitch into their roost until evening.  In my 12 years of chasing turkeys I have yet to see or hear one in the roost during the day.

[KFhunter]

BLR I wouldn't have anyone in my camp either that did that,  it's not hunting.  It's a turkey camp, and you're there to hunt turkey.
but if it were a deer camp and someone arrowed a turkey out of a tree because they had an unfilled tag from turkey camp would you disown them then?

Or would you put that sucker on a spit over a bed of coals and have a deer camp feast?

[Huntbear]

Huge difference!  Killing a deer in its bed takes actual hunting skills, woodsmanship and stealth.  Killing a turkey in its roost is as simple as getting one to gobble and then strolling up underneath him and waiting until legal light!  When a deer is bedded it is usually in a difficult place to stalk on them. Even when bedded a deer is still alert and ready to bolt at danger.  As long as its fairly dark, you can stand under a turkey or group of turkeys and sing them songs and they will not fly!

IF, I am shooting me new .300 Super duper long range killem dead at 1 gazillion yards new fangled rifle... no stalking, no stealth, no woodmanship.. find the bedded deer with a spotting scope.. get em in the crosshairs and blam... dead deer...  never left its bed.. I never left the rock 1000 yards away... what is the difference than taking a bird in a tree...??  Not trying to start an arguement, but hell, same difference.

[deaner]

Huge difference!  Killing a deer in its bed takes actual hunting skills, woodsmanship and stealth.  Killing a turkey in its roost is as simple as getting one to gobble and then strolling up underneath him and waiting until legal light!  When a deer is bedded it is usually in a difficult place to stalk on them. Even when bedded a deer is still alert and ready to bolt at danger.  As long as its fairly dark, you can stand under a turkey or group of turkeys and sing them songs and they will not fly!

it doesnt necessarily take hunting skill to shoot a bedded deer.  im willing to bet there are guys here who have sat at a shooting bench chain smoking marlboros and talking making no attempt at stealth or stalking and shot a bedded deer at 700 yards.  good shooting, but not necessarily hunting skills.  gonna cry about maximum allowable yardage on a rifle shot now?  who decides that?

[deaner]

well, it told me someone else had posted... looks like we just said about the exact same thing

[Karl Blanchard]

BLR I wouldn't have anyone in my camp either that did that,  it's not hunting. 

that's the kind of thing you do when you just want to kill a turkey out of your back yard because they been getting in your flowerbeds.

  Then all your left with is a dead stinky turkey!   They sure aren't a butterball!

[KFhunter]

everyone wants everyone else to be subjected to the same rules they impose upon themselves, that is what I'm against.

[cbond3318]

I have never hunted tree chickens nor have a desire to do so. So yeah, I would dump em' out of a tree. Like a big pigeon.

[runamuk]

everyone wants everyone else to be subjected to the same rules they impose upon themselves, that is what I'm against.

me too...we agree again...good googly moogly we could end up pals and stuff

[Birdguy]

Get out and call a turkey in. Once you feel that feeling you will not likely shoot one any other way  . Yes there are ethics and beliefs that guide us all and we could argue different  things from all angles. I believe the title was "would YOU shoot a turkey off the roost". Yes, a discussion was expected but no need to compare anything other than turkey hunting beliefs you hold. 

[Karl Blanchard]

The difference is you are shooting a turkey at 50 yds.  Can you walk right up under a deer that has an elevated position on you and get 50yds away and just blast them?  NO!  A turkey feels completely safe in a tree in low light.  You can literally YELL at them!  Like I said they are a completely different animal from deer and elk so to compare them is not accurate.  It would be more accurate to compare it to resting your rifle on the fence at Oak Creek feeding station and shooting an elk.  That would be an accurate comparison.

[Machias]

Where I grew up it was not only considered unethical but it was also illegal. 

[Karl Blanchard]

everyone wants everyone else to be subjected to the same rules they impose upon themselves, that is what I'm against.

As long as you have swim trunks on I see nothing wrong with this

[deaner]

whatever dude, you can easily shoot a bedded deer without using hunting skills.  im glad that you have everything figured out about what all is acceptable for everybody and what isnt.  maybe you could brief us on what maximum shooting range is acceptable with a rifle for deer, what is acceptable for archery, how about coyotes?  is it hunting to use an electronic call or should we all use blades of grass?  id also like to know if using scent away products is hunting, or if its not hunting, and you just have to play wind?  please elaborate on all of these and more, since you seem to be the guy who sets all the standards for everybody

[KFhunter]

I done a good job with the kids I take out,  called turkey in within feet w/o a blind.  Kids get so excited! Even w/o a shot fired they'll talk about that for months.

I couldn't imagine letting a kid sluice one out of a tree and miss out on how much fun calling them in is, but that is just me!


Hell I get all excited when I'm staring at a big eyeball 4 feet away