Dont Educate Em

[hunter399]

I say educate the birds, make em weary! Get em scared! Not as many shot on opening day. Then the late comers will have a better chance.  Why not make it a little bit of a challenge? Sounds like a good way of weeding out the good callers/hunters out from the bad? 

I have to agree ,Turkey's have the brain the size of a piece of corn ,i really don't think your gonna educate them that much,what's next don't drive the roads in the woods we might educate the grouse.

[Machias]

I say educate the birds, make em weary! Get em scared! Not as many shot on opening day. Then the late comers will have a better chance.  Why not make it a little bit of a challenge? Sounds like a good way of weeding out the good callers/hunters out from the bad? 

I have to agree ,Turkey's have the brain the size of a piece of corn ,i really don't think your gonna educate them that much,what's next don't drive the roads in the woods we might educate the grouse.

You absolutely will make the birds go silent.  Growing up in Missouri, we had a 2 week season.  First week everyone is out running around, cuttin and gunning.  Second week they won't even answer a box call.  Second week you call agressive, birds will spin around and run the other way.  They learn and they learn quick.  I use to kill some really big toms the second week of the season by going to a wingbone call or I have a really nice Skoal can slate call my Great Granpa made me with a corncob striker.  Softest sweetest purrs and clucks you ever heard.  Soft soft purrs and clucks and patience and you could pull in some big boys.  They absolutely get smarter as the season wears on.

[baldopepper]

I'd love to see a pic of that skoal can slate and corn cob striker.  Pretty cool item to be able to pack out there hunting with. (Assuming you don't just drive the roads in the woods looking for em  )

[Machias]

I'd love to see a pic of that skoal can slate and corn cob striker.  Pretty cool item to be able to pack out there hunting with. (Assuming you don't just drive the roads in the woods looking for em  )

Sacrilegious!!!!        I'll try and post a photo later.

[MooseZ25]

Good points brought up by everyone.  Personally I would rather hunt birds that have seen some pressure than birds that come running to any old turkey call.  I will target the birds on public lands and high traffic areas.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it don't.  Good luck to everyone its going to be another great turkey season.

[Machias]

I agree, I MUCH perfer to do battle against an old tom.  It's even better if I have to figure out different approaches and calling techniques.  But there are plenty of old birds out there, no need to educate the dumb ones for the average guy. 

[jasnt]

I agree, I MUCH perfer to do battle against an old tom.  It's even better if I have to figure out different approaches and calling techniques.  But there are plenty of old birds out there, no need to educate the dumb ones for the average guy. 

   But I prefer a very fired up tom. If he sneaks in quiet I don't want him. I want the tom that is gobbling and strutting. That's the fun for me.

[ctwiggs1]

I say educate the birds, make em weary! Get em scared! Not as many shot on opening day. Then the late comers will have a better chance.  Why not make it a little bit of a challenge? Sounds like a good way of weeding out the good callers/hunters out from the bad? 

I have to agree ,Turkey's have the brain the size of a piece of corn ,i really don't think your gonna educate them that much,what's next don't drive the roads in the woods we might educate the grouse.

You absolutely will make the birds go silent.  Growing up in Missouri, we had a 2 week season.  First week everyone is out running around, cuttin and gunning.  Second week they won't even answer a box call.  Second week you call agressive, birds will spin around and run the other way.  They learn and they learn quick.  I use to kill some really big toms the second week of the season by going to a wingbone call or I have a really nice Skoal can slate call my Great Granpa made me with a corncob striker.  Softest sweetest purrs and clucks you ever heard.  Soft soft purrs and clucks and patience and you could pull in some big boys.  They absolutely get smarter as the season wears on.

I’m assuming those were Eastern turkeys correct?

[Machias]

Correct, but I have seen the same thing to a much lesser degree here in WA.  I have battled a few cagy birds here in WA.

[Machias]

I agree, I MUCH perfer to do battle against an old tom.  It's even better if I have to figure out different approaches and calling techniques.  But there are plenty of old birds out there, no need to educate the dumb ones for the average guy. 

   But I prefer a very fired up tom. If he sneaks in quiet I don't want him. I want the tom that is gobbling and strutting. That's the fun for me.

I have had several nice birds that were gobbling and strutting shut up right before they come into view, circle around and sneak in for a peak.  I'm happy to take an ol cagy bird that does that.  One of my most merorable hunts in Missouri was a gobbler who gobbled 75 times on the roost and once he hit the ground.  There had been a really bad thunderstorm right at the end of the day the day before.  I don't think any of his hens were roosted near him.  He was coming in on a line, gobbling his head off.  Then silence.....more silence....I started to wonder did he see something?  More silence...I was about to cluck and yelp with my mouth call, when all of the sudden about 3 feet to my left this huge black figure started to come into my side view.  Full strut, walking in from behind me.  He got right beside me and then I could feel those beady little eyes boring a hole in the side of my head.  Broke out of his strutt and spun and started sprinting has hard as he could for the ridgeline.  I swung around and smoked him about 5 feet from him going over the edge.  Rolled him right out of sight.  Fricken awesome hunt!!!

[Fishnfowler]

When I first read this, I was a little taken aback by those who presume to tell others how to hunt, then I thought about it, and got all worked up.  First off, I bet that less than 5% of the hunters will actually scout and those that do, probably have enough brains in their heads to figure out how to find the birds.  Those that don't will quickly learn.  For those internet judges who think they know so much about turkeys that they can give the rest of us advice on how to hunt, go suck a lemon.  For those that go out there and scout, do it any way you want.  Best of luck to all of you. 

[Threewolves]

Seem like a lot of worry for reptiles with wings.

In Oklahoma I could put a decoy out along the edge of a field and birds would come running to it and we would kill them. This was years ago when the decoys weren't as pretty as they are now.

In Kansas my buddy said he yelped three time a bird came running shot it. The next day he went out the yelped three times a bird came running and my buddy said he just could not do it, it was too easy. He waited till the last week of the season to kill his second bird. He also put out a strutting decoy and said birds came right to it, he thinks using a decoy should be illegal (his opinion).

Here is not much different, I was looking for a place to use the facilities yelped and a bird came right to me. I have had two birds fighting basically come right to me. I took my neighbor out for his first hunt and he killed two the first time out. Last year I killed a bird I believe it was on the 4 of May in the evening and another in the morning on the 5th of May.

I am not telling anyone how to hunt I am just saying they are only turkeys. Relax and Good hunting.

[builtfordtough]

Everyone has good points. I'm just as excited to get out there and carry a gun... good luck to all but more importantly Have FUN!!!

[bearpaw]

I think all wild animals and birds are more wary than many people realize. It's really a two way road, every time animals/birds experience something involving hunters they learn from that experience, but so do hunters. If some birds are educated prior to the opening day I just figure that ensures a greater chance for more survivors and I don't blame anyone for wanting to practice their hunting tactics, most hunters don't get many opportunities to refine their hunting techniques in real hunting situations. If a hunter calls in a bird prior to season and has no luck during open season they will have at least learned from that calling experience that they had prior to season. So yes, any hunting activities do educate wildlife, but those activities also educate hunters, and fun experiences are what is really needed to keep hunters involved in our sport.

[Machias]

 

First off, no one is telling someone what they must or must not do.  It's called friendly advice, lots of people ask for it and some folks like to offer it up.  Take it or leave it.  You want to make it harder for yourself and other hunters, knock yourself out.  If you call in gobblers and spook them, before or during the season, you will make that bird harder to kill next time, you just will.  Want to call birds in before the season, have at it.  You're just making THAT bird harder to call in the next time if you spook him.  Call him in and he walks away on his own you probably haven't done much if any damage.  And yes every year a novice walks out into the woods and scratches out a yelp or two and sure enough a gobbler comes running in and gets smoked.  But I take guys most every year that has never shot a bird and they have been working hard at it for a while.  I've also met guys who thought it was easy and then go several seasons with out killing a bird.  It's all part of the fun.  Now I have to go find a lemon.