Unwritten rules

[YazooValley]

What would you do?

Rule #1. No real turkey hunter would shoot one out of a tree. Scenario: A turkey starts gobbling about 150 yards back in the woods from a food plot. You set up on the edge of the plot. He responds to calling. Everything looks good. But at flydown time, he doesn't fly down. He flies into a tree on the edge of the plot. He came to your calling and he's not in his roost tree. Can you shoot him in the second tree?

Rule #2. It only counts if you call him to you. Bushwhacking is frowned upon. Scenario: A turkey gobbles at daylight. You head that way but you misjudge how close he was. He catches you off guard as you're walking toward where you think he is when he flies down 75 yards in front of you. You sit down immediately and start getting ready. Before you even have a chance to call, he walks right up to you. He was just heading that way. Can you shoot him?

FWIW, I shot #2.

[bulldog ducker]

#2 is dead all day.

Couldn't shoot one off a limb.

[arduckslayer]

Dead and dead

[Smoke68]

^^^ Agreed. I won't shoot him on the roost. When he flies to another limb because I called to him, he's not on the roost.

[Long Cut]

I'd leave him in the tree either way roost or otherwise
But
if he comes my way via ground transport wether on purpose, on accident , if a dog chased him towards me or if a big ole gust of wind blows him in range of me then said gobbler is fair game and shall be turkey nuggets on the table that night.

[hdforester]

To each his own I guess. How he dies is more important than if he dies. Not fun to me if he doesn't gobble and play right.

[stang67]

+1. Maybe that's why I don't kill a lot of turkeys.

[Blackduck]

Dead and deader.

Any longboard that is in shotgun range is dead. If I can sneak close enough to the roost and he gobbles and I get a shot, the shot will be taken. Kudos to me and my ninja skills to get close enough. I shoot ducks on the water for the same reason. If my calling and camo is good enough to get them to land then kudos to me. I'll even line up a few head and try and roll two with one shot.

turkey hunting is hard. period. I won't pass up an opportunity. Of course I haven killed a bird in years.

[hillhunter]

Honestly, first scenario I would have to really be put on the spot to know, and if I had any history with the bird. I've had too many opportunities to blast them out of the tree on roost that I know I wouldn't do it. If he flew to me in broad daylight? I don't know. My thinking is if he did that and you waited just another min or two, he might plop down right there but who knows.

Second scenario, dead, no questions asked.

[southernvaughan]

[deerhunt1988]

Many years ago I was in situation #1 and let the bird go, thinking he'd fly down in front of me. Wrong. He flew down alright, but hit the ground running away! Consulted with my mentors and realized that should have been a dead turkey since he was called in. Next time it happens, it will be.

Situation #2..Dead turkey. Only way I may pass is if I stumble into some jam up private land to hunt in the future where shot opportunities aren't hard to come by.

[JMitch]

The first situation you shoot. Ive seen turkeys fly from roost tree to another tree for different reasons backwater, cutover, etc. As sharp as a turkey is you kill them however you can. Only sorry methods are out of truck and over corn. Those two incidents you haven't accomplished $h!t You are just doing it to feed your ego

[Hayes]

Both Die

[Hambone]

Interesting questions. I would shoot #1 because he was "called to the gun," as we say. Interestingly, in my many years of turkey hunting, I have never once had a decent opportunity shoot a gobbler off the roost.

I won't say I wouldn't shoot #2 under any circumstances, but I have passed up several ambush opportunities because I didn't want to kill one that way. But....I have taken several other ambush opportunities to full advantage, though not in a long time.

[hdforester]

I will never, ever shoot a turkey out of a tree. #2 turkey probably has to die unless it's number 3 for the year and I don't want the season to end. And yes I will stop at 3 unlike some other folks. Need a tag system.