A Bird of Firsts

Urban_Hunter

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I'd just let them be, it's not worth the time to engage. they'll never see the world from the angle of not a kill at all costs mentality. To people like this as long as something dies that's all that matters, who cares how you punched that tag. It's a sad and pathetic approach to hunting but it's where we are now unfortunately.
It was dudes first turkey ever. Far cry from decimating the turkey population. You've got guys trespassing, baiting, poaching, killing out of season, over harvesting… and you make the case against a guys first turkey kill while on his own land? Your angst is misguided at best.
 
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Setterman

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It was dudes first turkey ever. Far cry from decimating the turkey population. You've got guys trespassing, baiting, poaching, killing out of season, over harvesting… and you make the case against a guys first turkey kill while on his own land? Your angst is misguided at best.
You really need to reread my original post. In the first section I say congrats and also at the end.

So you and gasman's handwringing and pearl Clutching is a little overly dramatic in this case.

last I'm commenting on this as I made my opinions known and stand by them.
 

gasman

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True. So which role do you think pushed him to it? Playing a comic book character, (which he did EXCELLENT at) or getting sterotyped as a homosexual cowboy?
We need to take it somewhere else, we are sidetracking a thread that has nothing to do with any of this.
Im serious when I say this, congrats to the OP on killing his first. I wouldnt do it that way now, maybe I would have 39 years ago when I first started turkey hunting?
I wouldn't have either, (and I'm not a diehard turkey hunter) but I sure ain't going to bash someone else for a legal kill.
 

DayDay

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Heath Ledger's death was ruled as accidental and not intentional (due to taking various prescription drugs that should not be mixed).
 

Terrier

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View attachment 179709

This is one of the reasons we moved to Tennessee. We have 5 acres in rural Columbia. This bird represents many firsts for me:

  • My first turkey.
  • My first TN big game kill.
  • The first big game kill on my own land.
For many reasons, I wasn't able to spend hours in the field turkey hunting. I have had a couple of hens hanging around the back yard for the past two weeks. Probably have nests nearby. I thought eventually I might see a tom so my strategy was to keep an eye out from the house while I worked, etc.

There were two hens in the yards scratching. I was doing other things, and the next time I looked there were FOUR turkeys there. Two jakes had shown up. They were about 10 yards off the back porch. First, I had to run and grab my shotgun. That made them nervous but they were still at 10 yards. Next I had to open a screen door to get outside. That made a horrible racket. The turkeys all took off. I watched one hen hovering on the perimeter. The jakes were on my neighbors property and about to go out of sight. I could tell they were uncertain of what they wanted to do. At this point the hen came back into the yard. I said to myself, "Those jakes are going to come back." So I sat down on the edge of the porch and waited.

I'm sitting there on my porch, in full view. The hen is at 10 yards again. Sure enough, the jakes start heading back in. I decided not to raise my gun until they were close to the hen. I didn't have much blocking me from their view so I had to chance it. I slowly pulled up the shotgun. That was enough to spook them again, but they slowly wandered off. The two jakes just wouldn't separate. They were now at 20 yards and just about to go onto the neighbor's property. Finally, they separated just enough. One was between two trees while the other was behind one of the trees.

I squeezed off. Remember, I'm sitting on the edge of the deck. The recoil nearly knocked me over from a sitting position, lol. The bird dropped like a stone. Didn't even flop. Later I realized I got a little lucky. My shot was probably high because there were zero pellets in his body. Either that or I executed perfectly. ;)

View attachment 179714

I shot him right where the yard ends, between those two trees behind that stump you see.

These aren't town turkeys. I was certain I wasn't going to get one because they usually aren't hanging out in the yard. But it worked out! Thanks for listening.

Congrats, all the way around!

(Don't tell anybody, but I shoot 90% of my venison while I'm in my bathrobe and fuzzy slippers…)
 

Huntaholic

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Heath Ledger's death was ruled as accidental and not intentional (due to taking various prescription drugs that should not be mixed).
Since we are still sidetracked lol, he did a great job in The Patriot too. No opinion on the happy cowboy movie, Ive never seen even 2 seconds of it.
 

Soft Talker

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As a diehard Turkey Hunter, I see that as a pathetic way to have to kill a Turkey. No respect from me or for anyone who would condone such a thing.
 

younggun308

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For the record, the name of the film Heath Ledger played in before he took his own life (unintentionally?) was not called "The Joker." That one is more recent and has Joaquin Phoenix in it.

Heath Ledger played the Joker in "Dark Knight" (2008), which is the second film in Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman films. It was method acting this character that drove him crazy.


Oh, and congrats on the bird!
 

Setterman

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Knoxville, TN
So if I'm reading all this right we are ok with baiting turkeys in the yard now? If that's the case I'm surprised at a bunch of y'all.
I don't even go there in my original post, rather skirted around it. But that feeder has feed in it, and I'd think by law that is baiting therefore an illegal harvest.
 

timberjack86

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I don't even go there in my original post, rather skirted around it. But that feeder has feed in it, and I'd think by law that is baiting therefore an illegal harvest.
That's exactly right! I don't care if a man shoots one off the porch. Whatever. But baiting is illegal and something I frown upon. I remember a time when most tndeer members would have contacted TWRA over this. Now they pat a member on the back for it. Times sure have changed
 

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