Shooting turkeys out of trees?

[KimberRich]

I did watch Michael Waddell shoot a bird out of a tree on the hunting channel a couple weeks ago..  Not a roost tree but out of a tree none the less.  I was really surprised they had it on there.

[Jekemi]

Isn't there a general rule for sportsmen? Shoot the bird where it spends most of its waking hours. Grouse run on the ground so you can shoot them on the ground. Turkeys are also ground birds, you shoot them on the ground. Ducks and Geese spend most of their time in the air so shoot them in the air. Does that make sense to you guys?

[grgflowers]

I believe strongly in ethical hunting, and shooting a sleeping animal doesn't really seem like a fair sport.

[ICEMAN]

I dont know about that....I have shot two deer in their beds over the years....

[lokidog]

Ducks and Geese spend most of their time in the air so shoot them in the air. Does that make sense to you guys?

Man, those would be some really tired ducks and geese....  As for turkeys, this time of year, I think they spend as much time roosted as on the ground.     

So by previous reasoning, setting up an ambush for henned-up or unresponsive birds is also unsportsmanlike?  I may catch crap for this, but I am tired of people trying to tell others what is moral or ethical.  I am not referring to safety or legal issues.  If you do not think it is an ethical thing to do, don't do it.  Everyone's hunt is different and has different circumstances and different goals.  A lot of people hunt for the fun of the hunt AND the meat.  If the meat is not important to you, bring a camera and save some birds/bucks/bulls for the rest of us.   

So, back to the turkeys.... yes, there is hardly anything more exciting than calling for and working a big tom into your decoy, but I have also enjoyed several stalks and an ambush as well.  Each was rewarding in its own way.  And, I'll admit it, I have shot one out of a tree (a gobbling tom by himself) that was an incredibly challenging stalk to get close enough to Mr Eyeballs for a clean shot.

[Jekemi]

My only exception to shooting an animal while it sleeps would be Osama Bin Laden. He seems a little lead deprived and popping him while he sleeps in some Pakistani cave seems appropriate.

[turkeydancer]

I usually try and stay out of these type of dicussions because it usually does nothing but piss other people off. I know that I must have my own level of personal satisfaction from my hunts ... basically they are done in the normally accepted traditional fair chase way for me to have any satisfaction.  It's a lot cheaper getting meat from "Safeway" and I can enjoy the company of my friends & family at other venues, so without the personal satisfaction from enjoying a good fair chase hunt I'ld be done hunting. I don't shoot from roads, jump posted fences, hunt over bait, shoot turkeys out of trees, or anything else normally not considered traditional fair chase hunting ... if that's acceptable to you no matter what your motivation is (peer approval, keeping your hunting streak alive, get some meat, etc) then that's your choice and I'm sure that it won't matter what anyone else thinks or what's considered traditional or fair chase.  However, I believe the original question was posed by a young new hunter wondering if it is considered okay to shoot turkeys out of the trees. From the normally accepted traditional turkey hunting perspective the answer is still "no" ... even if you're Michael Waddell.
 

[lokidog]

BTW the original posting asked if it is LEGAL to shoot out of trees.

Like you, I do not shoot from county roads, jump posted fences, or do other ILLEGAL things in pursuit of game.  And, what is "traditional" in one place may not be in another, it does not make it any less ethical because it has not traditionally been done there.  You may hunt in any way that you choose to (legally), I WILL NOT JUDGE YOU or anyone else's ethics.  If someone I am hunting with does something that does not agree with my PERSONAL ethics I can then choose to hunt with them again or not.

I am just tired of everyone else thinking that their ethics are better than everyone else's and should be emulated by everyone else.  Tell Republicans that they should support universal health care because it is the "ethical" thing to do, or tell Dems that they shouldn't be able to obtain an abortion because it is the "ethical" thing to do.  Oh yeah, many think personal ownership of firearms is "unethical."  Take care of yourself, choose to behave how you feel is appropriate, and leave everyone else alone.  Again, not referring to ILLEGAL activities.

Oh yeah, we better get rid of the turkeys here in WA and welcome back the wolves as that is the traditional way of WA's wildlife....   

[turkeydancer]

Just proves my point - these type of dicussions usually do nothing but piss other people off ... just like talking politics, sports teams, etc.
 

BTW - I said I must have my own level of personal satisfaction from my hunts, not that my ethics are better than yours or anyone elses. I also stated that it's also everyones choice (within the law)and that it won't matter what anyone else thinks.

[PA BEN]

Here's my  I was one of the first hunters to hunt turkey's in the Chewelah area back in the '90s. In those days if you put a bird to bed he was dead in the morning. I called a lot of toms off the roost to my gun. I'd call a tom in the morning for the wife and one for me in the afternoon. Watched a tom come 400 yds strutting and gobbling the whole way, shot him at 9 yds.  As time went on and the bird population grew it became harder to call in toms, (hened up) Strutting areas became very important, toms would jump out of the tree and go to there strutting area, catch them in between. In the early days calls only, now I call and spot and stock. It's not as ez to stock a turkey as some of you think. And yes, I'll fill my tag with a bird in a tree. BTW, those guys that pay $525.00 to kill a bird? I Gear-n-t-you the guide will stock turkeys and let clients shoot them out of the roost. 

[boneaddict]

I shot mine in the 80's in Chewelah.

To each is own.  It is legal and thus you can do it if that floats your boat.  It doesn't float mine. 

[PA BEN]

How close to Chewelah we talking? I've hunted my family's farm scene the mid.70's, we never saw turkeys around the area to hunt in any kind of numbers at all until about '92. I know there were some around in the mid. to late 80's around Waitts lake and up Summit Valley. Before that there was a big die off, they got something like Black head or something like that. Killed almost all of them.