Gatekeeper

[AT Hiker]

Is Turkey hunting the one sport hunting that might actually need a gatekeeper, of some sorts? Of course I'm biased, it's how I was exposed and grew up doing it. I just often have concerns, maybe even some judgements, of people who never get to experience it that way.
That experience is simply a chess game with a call, a hunter and a Turkey.


Maybe it's my age. I prefer my bourbon neat and my Turkey hunting very minimalistic and intimate.
Then again, some people grew in Western states shooting them with rifles and over feeders. Maybe we dont need a gatekeeper, lol .

 

[scn]

It is a lot like other hunting. If all you are interested in is quick success and a "grip n grin" for faceplant, then there are a lot of short cuts that can make it pretty easy.

If you want to kill some the way you are talking about, there is normally a case of paying your dues before success is common.

For me, easy has never meant much. The bigger the challenge, the more it meant in the end if I was able to get it done.

I guess different strokes for different folks.

 

[themanpcl]

I also am a bit old school when it comes to chasing thunder chickens. I only call them now. I stopped using decoys entirely. I'm not opposed to anyone else using decoys and I don't advocate for rules against it. Now baiting and use of rifles, that IMHO might be a bit too far. I'd personally rather not hunt than use bait and would prefer not to have to worry that someone may be shooting a rifle at birds when I'm in camo and in cover.

 

[Gobble4me757]

I grew up hunting the south Bama swamps without decoys. I tried a decoy a few times when they were legalized in Alabama, and I even did the Indian crawl/ "reaping" and killed one one time. Those who call themselves turkey hunters that can only kill them behind a fan don't know what real turkey hunting is about. It was an adrenaline rush to do the crawl, but it was honestly easy. There is nothing like having to hone your calling and woodsman skills like trying to get a gobbler within 40 yards when it's just you vs him and no other aids. Anyone can sit in a blind with decoys and kill a bird but few can do it with neither. This is coming from someone who has seen both sides and get the viewpoints of both sides. I've hunted woods/fields/bottoms/mountains/wide open out west, and people just have the belief "I have to use decoys and/or blinds to kill them cause they can see forever" which I'll say from firsthand experience..if you work to hone your craft and are persistent, it's more than possible to do so just requires a lot more work. My two cents and I know this ruffles feathers…just telling how it is…(not including disabled/elderly/young kids in the post though)

 

[AT Hiker]

It is a lot like other hunting. If all you are interested in is quick success and a "grip n grin" for faceplant, then there are a lot of short cuts that can make it pretty easy.

If you want to kill some the way you are talking about, there is normally a case of paying your dues before success is common.

For me, easy has never meant much. The bigger the challenge, the more it meant in the end if I was able to get it done.

I guess different strokes for different folks.

I share those sentiments, it's why I've gotten deep into western backpack hunting/fishing.
I also have a goal to backpack into a certain wilderness area for a few days to hunt turkeys. A million "easier" places to hunt a Turkey, but the challenges of such a hunt is one of the reasons that make it so romantic to me. I feel like once back there I need to make it as fair chase as possible, anything else would ruin the mood for me.

Different strokes for different folks indeed.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'm all for it. And, I say we make Setterman the Gatekeeper.

 

[Apostolic Outdoors]

The older I have gotten the more I enjoy hunting alone. Just me and him. Like a game of chess. I even bought a 410 this year to try and show him the respect I have for him. One of my good friends who I love hunting with laughed when I told him. That's fine. I'm not trying to impress anyone, just trying to enjoy however many more chances God gives me to play the game! It's the conversation. I only shot one bird last spring, but I had many conversations with him before doing so. Yes, I'm weird, but it sure keeps life interesting!!

 

[th88]

Definitely need a gatekeeper. Also, if turkey hunter recruitment is needed (and I'm not saying it is, believe me!) quality of hunter needs to be focused on, not quantity of hunters. Too many new turkey hunters are only in it for the kill pics and likes.

 

[PalsPal]

You don't remember the easy ones.

And I have no idea what you mean by a gatekeeper.

I don't care how anyone hunts a long as it's legal.

I only hunt to please me.

 

[AT Hiker]

You don't remember the easy ones.

And I have no idea what you mean by a gatekeeper.

I don't care how anyone hunts a long as it's legal.

I only hunt to please me.

Th88 describes it pretty well .

 

[catman529]

Seems like it's been implied that killing a turkey in a non-traditional way is only ever done for social media. While there is truth to that, some people are just in it for the enjoyment of killing a gobbler, frying up some turkey with their buddies, or whatever it may be. Say for example, spot and stalking is not the "traditional" way of killing a spring gobbler, but it's one of the most basic and probably oldest methods of hunting game, and it works well in the fall turkey season too. Now with that said, I would rather see certain methods like reaping restricted before seeing a bag limit decrease, if the population needs protected. Doesn't mean I think reaping is the worst thing in the world, I'd just rather see more opportunity to kill gobblers but make it a little tougher so more birds survive. That's just my opinion.

Regardless of what methods are considered right or wrong, the attitude I've seen on forums over the years does absolutely nothing to help the situation. If you u want people to hunt the way you hunt, then be a good person and maybe take someone hunting, show them how exciting it is to hunt your way.

Looking down your nose at fellow hunters with a "my way or the highway" attitude will do nothing to help. If some of the kids "killing birds for likes" saw some of the discussions posted on forums over the years, I guarantee it wouldn't change anybody's mind, in fact it would probably turn people away from traditional turkey hunting the way some of us enjoy so much.

Set a good example, be someone that new hunters can look up to. Don't try to force your ways on someone else while belittling them for hunting a different way. It's silly.

 

[PalsPal]

Seems like it's been implied that killing a turkey in a non-traditional way is only ever done for social media. While there is truth to that, some people are just in it for the enjoyment of killing a gobbler, frying up some turkey with their buddies, or whatever it may be. Say for example, spot and stalking is not the "traditional" way of killing a spring gobbler, but it's one of the most basic and probably oldest methods of hunting game, and it works well in the fall turkey season too. Now with that said, I would rather see certain methods like reaping restricted before seeing a bag limit decrease, if the population needs protected. Doesn't mean I think reaping is the worst thing in the world, I'd just rather see more opportunity to kill gobblers but make it a little tougher so more birds survive. That's just my opinion.

Regardless of what methods are considered right or wrong, the attitude I've seen on forums over the years does absolutely nothing to help the situation. If you u want people to hunt the way you hunt, then be a good person and maybe take someone hunting, show them how exciting it is to hunt your way.

Looking down your nose at fellow hunters with a "my way or the highway" attitude will do nothing to help. If some of the kids "killing birds for likes" saw some of the discussions posted on forums over the years, I guarantee it wouldn't change anybody's mind, in fact it would probably turn people away from traditional turkey hunting the way some of us enjoy so much.

Set a good example, be someone that new hunters can look up to. Don't try to force your ways on someone else while belittling them for hunting a different way. It's silly.

Wow Jonathan, I have literally watched you grow up on this forum.

That is a great post.

You have taken a lot of heat over the years on here, but I commend you for not being intimidated and always sticking up for yourself.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'm fine with less new hunters. What I'd like to see is a higher percentage of existing hunters giving our resources the respect they deserve. If that means less social media stars hiding behind decoys or stalking a bird that I have working a call, so be it.

 

[Boll Weevil]

To some degree don't game laws serve this purpose? No more punt guns for waterfowl, spotlighting/killing deer at night is illegal, there's bag limits for any given critter, well-defined methods of taking game, established season length and on and on. To me, hunting regs are the State's way of serving as the gatekeeper you mention.

Fly fish for trout? Great. Zebco 33 Classic with a red/white bobber and mealworms? That works too. I don't see any unfair advantage with either of these options...not so with those mentioned above.

 

[uncle_loue]

i hunt for food. that the process of hunting happens to be enjoyable to me, is an incidental bonus. with a sportsmans license and relying on public land; if i bag a couple of deer, at least one turkey and as many tree rats and fish as it takes to round out the freezer, hunting/fishing saves my family money when compared to the cost of organic meat at the grocery. with that goal in mind my focus in hunting/fishing is efficiency. i am always looking for the method/means that costs the least dollars and time within the limits of the law. if reaping or decoying increases my freezer filling efficiency - then that's the method for me. i want game laws to protect/preserve the resource and i trust the agency to make decisions toward that end.

 

[cowhunter71]

I've always been my own "gatekeeper" when it comes to the way in which I hunt Wild Turkeys. As I've said before, if you did not sit down against a tree and call that turkey to within 40yrds and then kill it with a shotgun, I don't want to hear about it and will, literally, get up and walk away from you if you try to tell me about it. I don't care if your 8 or 80 either. ;)

 

[th88]

i hunt for food. hunting/fishing saves my family money when compared to the cost of organic meat at the grocery. with that goal in mind my focus in hunting/fishing is efficiency. i am always looking for the method/means that costs the least dollars and time within the limits of the law. if reaping or decoying increases my freezer filling efficiency - then that's the method for me.

It'd be a lot cheaper then just to go buy ~4 pounds of chicken breast than to try to kill a turkey. Especially with gas and ammo prices being so high. Unless you are shooting them off your back doorstep. Just saying.

 

[Boll Weevil]

^ True.

 

[AT Hiker]

It'd be a lot cheaper then just to go buy ~4 pounds of chicken breast than to try to kill a turkey. Especially with gas and ammo prices being so high. Unless you are shooting them off your back doorstep. Just saying.

He did mention organic so keep that in mind. Whatever organic means nowadays.
But yeah, the wild Turkey is probably not a good example to use when justifying cost.

Also, our roots of hunting are most definitely a means of acquiring food. Food is important, the world survives on things dying and being eaten. However, hunting is conservation now…which means among other things, money needs to be generated.

 

[AT Hiker]

I'm fine with less new hunters. What I'd like to see is a higher percentage of existing hunters giving our resources the respect they deserve. If that means less social media stars hiding behind decoys or stalking a bird that I have working a call, so be it.

I think we would be perfectly fine with 25%, or more, less hunters. Especially if we could get the majority of non hunters (nevermind antis, they are a lost cause) on board with the premise of modern sport hunting. Sure license and tags might need to go up to offset the cost but other aspects of hunting would decrease, simple supply and demand economics.

 

[AT Hiker]

To some degree don't game laws serve this purpose? No more punt guns for waterfowl, spotlighting/killing deer at night is illegal, there's bag limits for any given critter, well-defined methods of taking game, established season length and on and on. To me, hunting regs are the State's way of serving as the gatekeeper you mention.

Fly fish for trout? Great. Zebco 33 Classic with a red/white bobber and mealworms? That works too. I don't see any unfair advantage with either of these options...not so with those mentioned above.

AZ, in addition to hunters education, has a ethics course.
My day job requires a license and part of that is a required ethics course every two years. I'm of the opinion that you either have ethics or not. Sure, some of us can be taught a thing or two but at the end of the day you either got em or not. So, I think it's ok for hunters to hold fellow hunters to higher degree. We shouldn't be extreme with it but we shouldn't turn a blind eye to it either.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

It'd be a lot cheaper then just to go buy ~4 pounds of chicken breast than to try to kill a turkey. Especially with gas and ammo prices being so high. Unless you are shooting them off your back doorstep. Just saying.

Blasphemy!!! There is no acceptable comparison between a chicken and a majestic bird like a wild turkey.

 

[uncle_loue]

It'd be a lot cheaper then just to go buy ~4 pounds of chicken breast than to try to kill a turkey. Especially with gas and ammo prices being so high. Unless you are shooting them off your back doorstep. Just saying.

that's true if im relying solely on turkey to fill the freezer. in my case turkey are part of a year round hunting/fishing strategy to procure meat. im a family of 4 which google tells me consumes on average 700 lbs of meat per year. lets say organic meat from the grocery (averaging steaks, ground beef, whole turkeys and wild caught fish) averages out to $4/lb (likely a lowball number). im spending far less than $2800 per year on hunting and fishing thanks to public lands all within 30 min drive of my home, shooting my hunting ammo only to check zeros/patterns and take game, and processing all the meat myself. in the turkey example im plucking, smoking the bird whole, using the meat for various recipes and using the carcass to make stock.

like many activities, hunting can be expensive or it can be economically advantageous when approached with the right strategy.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Agree regarding ethics and holding our own to some ethical standard AT. I'm one who believes they can indeed be taught...it's all about the willingness of an individual to learn and adopt said ethics.

You may have noticed I mentioned "unfair advantage" in my response. Even though you mentioned exactly none of these in your original post it's interesting that within just a few responses decoys, reaping, bait, rifles, and blinds entered the dialogue. Every individual holds their own system of values and as some have recognized, "likes" on social media are far more valuable to some than the method employed to connect on a successful hunt.

I'm simply not gonna berate another hunter because they hunt differently than I do but I will offer an opinion if asked. Especially on sites like this one we seem to have mostly healthy debate. What I have always found curious is the thin-skinned folks that will pose a question or seek to solicit opinions...and then turn right around and not like the answers given.

 

[uncle_loue]

Agree regarding ethics and holding our own to some ethical standard AT. I'm one who believes they can indeed be taught...it's all about the willingness of an individual to learn and adopt said ethics.

You may have noticed I mentioned "unfair advantage" in my response. Even though you mentioned exactly none of these in your original post it's interesting that within just a few responses decoys, reaping, bait, rifles, and blinds entered the dialogue. Every individual holds their own system of values and as some have recognized, "likes" on social media are far more valuable to some than the method employed to connect on a successful hunt.

I'm simply not gonna berate another hunter because they hunt differently than I do but I will offer an opinion if asked. Especially on sites like this one we seem to have mostly healthy debate. What I have always found curious is the thin-skinned folks that will pose a question or seek to solicit opinions...and then turn right around and not like the answers given.

^ this is spot on. the op spoke about a "gatekeeper" that in my view would affect every hunter in the field and i think its important to remember that folks hunt for varying reasons and their reasons inform their tactics. when im going after a turkey im not doing it as an artform or a time honored tradition (though i respect and appreciate those that do). im doing it as a means to an end in my kitchen.

 

[cowhunter71]

that's true if im relying solely on turkey to fill the freezer. in my case turkey are part of a year round hunting/fishing strategy to procure meat. im a family of 4 which google tells me consumes on average 700 lbs of meat per year. lets say organic meat from the grocery (averaging steaks, ground beef, whole turkeys and wild caught fish) averages out to $4/lb (likely a lowball number). im spending far less than $2800 per year on hunting and fishing thanks to public lands all within 30 min drive of my home, shooting my hunting ammo only to check zeros/patterns and take game, and processing all the meat myself. in the turkey example im plucking, smoking the bird whole, using the meat for various recipes and using the carcass to make stock.

like many activities, hunting can be expensive or it can be economically advantageous when approached with the

that's true if im relying solely on turkey to fill the freezer. in my case turkey are part of a year round hunting/fishing strategy to procure meat. im a family of 4 which google tells me consumes on average 700 lbs of meat per year. lets say organic meat from the grocery (averaging steaks, ground beef, whole turkeys and wild caught fish) averages out to $4/lb (likely a lowball number). im spending far less than $2800 per year on hunting and fishing thanks to public lands all within 30 min drive of my home, shooting my hunting ammo only to check zeros/patterns and take game, and processing all the meat myself. in the turkey example im plucking, smoking the bird whole, using the meat for various recipes and using the carcass to make stock.

like many activities, hunting can be expensive or it can be economically advantageous when approached with the right strategy.

Sounds like "google" has it all figured out for you Have you actually put anything in the freezer yet or are you still in the "researching" phase of the whole organic meat movement. 700lbs of meat off public ground. You better become one hell of an accomplished hunter or fisherman. Just having fun with you bud. For those I have met like you, the final outcome has become far too predictable. Good luck in your journey though.

 

[Shanman]

Think I had $900 in my first bird, way back when.

 

[megalomaniac]

that's true if im relying solely on turkey to fill the freezer. in my case turkey are part of a year round hunting/fishing strategy to procure meat. im a family of 4 which google tells me consumes on average 700 lbs of meat per year. lets say organic meat from the grocery (averaging steaks, ground beef, whole turkeys and wild caught fish) averages out to $4/lb (likely a lowball number). im spending far less than $2800 per year on hunting and fishing thanks to public lands all within 30 min drive of my home, shooting my hunting ammo only to check zeros/patterns and take game, and processing all the meat myself. in the turkey example im plucking, smoking the bird whole, using the meat for various recipes and using the carcass to make stock.

like many activities, hunting can be expensive or it can be economically advantageous when approached with the right strategy.

Unless you have figured out something I haven't, 3 spring turkeys and 1 fall turkey a year gives around 40lbs of organic meat. Unless you family are mostly vegetarians, that won't sustain a family of 4 more much more than a week. Hard to use the meat for sustenance argument when it comes to turkeys if following game limits.

 

[Setterman]

As all know I'm super specific in my views of this sport. I won't go in depth but any turkey hunter who doesn't experience true turkey hunting with a call, gun, and a tree to lean against is completely missing what this sport is all about. Killing is great, but honestly it's the game that makes this so much fun. If I could I'd gladly release them after I touched them and let them know I won.

We all can afford food, hell we spend more per bird than we would just buying one. with a seasons limit it might feed a family for a week or two max.

This isn't about food, although they are tasty. It's about the chess match, the game, and out maneuvering a bird.

so many these days have no idea what they're missing and only care about the kill. It's sad

 

[PalsPal]

If I could I'd gladly release them after I touched them and let them know I won.

Why not just take a camera or video ;) ?

Just messin' with you. But this reminded me that every year I make the claim that I just want to play the game, and pulling the trigger is actually anticlimactic.

But, once I've filled my tags, I could still go and take a video camera, but I never do. So, I guess I'm hypocritical.