[Hooked Spurs]

I grew up hunting public land, 95% of my hunting today is on public land, and Lord willing, I will probably hunt public land for many years to come. I have long ago become accustomed to the barage of hunting pressure that many areas receive, and have altered my approach to hunting some of these areas. I must say that I have become a little more disgusted the last few years by the actions of some disrespectful hunters. I attest alot of that to the growing number of new turkey hunters, many of which were not fortunate enough to have been tutored by a mentor equipped with the knowledge of turkey hunting "etiquette". It is simply a fact of ignorance through the lack of education in some ways. On the other hand, there are other hunters who blatantly disregard the effects there actions have on fellow hunters or simply do not care. I am quite confident that with more crowded woods arise more problems. Therefore, I feel it is my duty as a turkey hunter to share a few suggestions to those who simply might want to waste a few minutes to listen.

1. Don't park next to another parked vehicle
2. Don't park 20, 30, or 40 yards from another vehicle
3. Don't park 40 yards from another vehicle and try to cut the hunter off
4. Keep in mind as you make your way to a gobbling turkey that there may
be someone working that turkey & do the right thing and back away
5. Common sense is good
6. Know the area you are hunting if possible, & understand how many people
can hunt that area at one time
7. If you arrive at your favorite spot only to be dejected at the sight of
another hunter, leave & vow to be earlier the next morning
8. Be patient. It is much safer to hunt that way
9. Don't place so much emphasis on killing a turkey. Enjoy the hunt and all
that nature has to offer
10. Leave nature as you found it. Don't litter
11. Don't park next to another parked vehicle
12. Common sense is good
13. Don't shoot 4 times in an attempt to spook a turkey off another hunter
14. Don't assume anything. That is dangerous
15. Don't park next to another parked vehicle

Feel free to add any suggestions that might be helpful or educational to the uneducated, because Lord knows some folks need it

Have a good day.

 

[Buba Garrett]

Stories Stories so many dang stories I could tell- I feel your pain buddy! Its tougher this year I think with all the woods being flooded which I understand as I would probably head to the hills as well but as with anything use some RESPECT!

 

[batcutman]

I think with a lot of people just getting into "Turkey Hunting" the past few years, young and old , I do not think most have ever, even thought about the word "Etiquette". All they see is people on TV hunting on big ranches and big farms killing turkeys, it is fun to watch but does not teach anything about hunting public lands . (maybe we should make one) :biggrin: A Sportsman is a "Respecful Hunter" ,, to other hunters,, and the land,, and the game we hunt .. The Sad thing is that becouse of the people that "Park right next to you and try to cut you off, and shoot up in the air to scare the bird that you are on", are going to keep me from taking my kids on this public land .."



just my 2 cents ....

 

[Allen]

whether its public land or a lease, dont park in the middle of a road and tie off police tape, blocking off 500 acres of land all to yourself. 100 acres to yourself and parking in the road is one thing but 500 acres plus all to yourself is another, especially if that equates to 10% of the land of a 50 man lease.

 

[ProfessorM]

I will add one. DO NOT RIDE 4 WHEELERS in the turkey woods.

 

[Triple Threat]

Thanks for the heads up. I haven't had to hunt public very much but it looks like if I'm going to hunt next year that's what I'll have to do. Hunting private land is a blessing. Being able to hunt at all is a blessing, too.

 

[Arkie_3_fan]

I will add one. DO NOT RIDE 4 WHEELERS in the turkey woods.

To be honest, I'm really not sure that 4-wheelers make as much of a difference as some people seem to think.
I used to think that a turkey would leave the country and never gobble again if a 4-wheeler even passed by the lease, let alone through it. Since then, I've seen and heard too many examples that dispute this.
Just this season I can think of a couple of situations. The morning before season I was out listening and heard a turkey gobbling on the roost less than 150 yards from where a logging crew had been working at 5:00 the day before. While hunting I was walking down a road with several sets of 4-wheeler tracks that weren't more than 2-3 days old and the trail was full of turkey tracks that had been made since the 4-wheelers passed through.
I also heard a story about a man and his son using 4-wheelers to help kill a bird on opening morning this year.
They have a big creek on their lease that's hard to cross except for a bridge way down at one end. They turkey they'd been listening to was bad about swapping sides of the creek on them. Late last Friday afternoon they got on 4-wheelers and went riding all up and down one side of the creek to push the bird to the other side of the creek so they'd know where to go for opening morning. By 7:30 opening morning they had him flopping on the ground.

 

[Juice]

Arkie, I've got the task of taking care of the business for our small Deltic lease and had to spend an hour of my life last night trying to calm down a hunter who had a gobbler spooked off by a 4-wheeler rider. He was with his nephew and had the turkey working only to have the rider come in and unload the wheeler. The hunter was close enough (in a small clearcut) to get the boys attention to let him know they were there, but still the gobbler was spooked. 4-wheelers and runnin' dogs are the worst sounds in the spring woods in my opinion.

Not to downgrade all riders, but there is a time and place to ride, not during hunting season. I think they are overused in that aspect as well. There's not a place on our lease that a ATV is necesarry, plus this boy is 19 years old and played sports, so he has the ability to walk.

Responding to HookedSpurs original post, too many hunters did not have that mentor to teach them how to respect others. Most find one spot, not 5-6 different spots. I've been out before and had to go to my 5th or 6th choice because the others were occupied. It's not worth getting shot over by going into an area that someone beat you to.

We should market a handbook for beginning turkey hunters or hunters in general about respect and honor. That should be the first thing read before buying any turkey calls. I'm not trying to speak out of arrogance, but experience, alot of it firsthand.

 

[batcutman]

We should market a handbook for beginning turkey hunters or hunters in general about respect and honor. That should be the first thing read before buying any turkey calls. I'm not trying to speak out of arrogance, but experience, alot of it firsthand.

I like it !!!! Maybe a free book that you must have in your vehicle during turkey season on public land ...???...

 

[born2hunt]

The lack of consideration for others is, unfortunately, a problem in almost all facets of life. I run into the same types of problems with fly fishers. I've had other "fishermen" wade right through a run of water that I'm fishing when it would have been almost as easy to go around. Basically we suffer from living in a selfish and self-centered society.

 

[Arkie_3_fan]

Arkie, I've got the task of taking care of the business for our small Deltic lease and had to spend an hour of my life last night trying to calm down a hunter who had a gobbler spooked off by a 4-wheeler rider. He was with his nephew and had the turkey working only to have the rider come in and unload the wheeler. The hunter was close enough (in a small clearcut) to get the boys attention to let him know they were there, but still the gobbler was spooked. 4-wheelers and runnin' dogs are the worst sounds in the spring woods in my opinion.

Not to downgrade all riders, but there is a time and place to ride, not during hunting season. I think they are overused in that aspect as well. There's not a place on our lease that a ATV is necesarry, plus this boy is 19 years old and played sports, so he has the ability to walk.

Responding to HookedSpurs original post, too many hunters did not have that mentor to teach them how to respect others. Most find one spot, not 5-6 different spots. I've been out before and had to go to my 5th or 6th choice because the others were occupied. It's not worth getting shot over by going into an area that someone beat you to.

We should market a handbook for beginning turkey hunters or hunters in general about respect and honor. That should be the first thing read before buying any turkey calls. I'm not trying to speak out of arrogance, but experience, alot of it firsthand.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone should be out riding 4-wheelers during turkey season. I know that I don't and most of the folks around here, even non-hunters do not ride from at least a couple weeks before turkey season till it's about over.
I just know that there's some people that think 4-wheelers will run turkeys out of the state forever if someone drives within a mile of one on a 4-wheeler.
Of course they'll ruin a hunt. That's a given. At least on leases you can make rules to keep ATV's parked during the season. On public land you just have to deal with it because it's PUBLIC land rather than just turkey hunter land.

 

[JR1]

I only disagree with the part about not parking near someone else. It may be different where you hunt, but up here on Madison County WMA, some parking spots will go out on roads that branch multiple times and cover literally thousands of acres. I have no problem with someone else parking by me and going in the same place I do as long as they respect me in the woods.

Just because someone is parked in a spot shouldn't mean that no one else can hunt down a seperate path that leads from that particular gate.

 

[Hooked Spurs]

I only disagree with the part about not parking near someone else. It may be different where you hunt, but up here on Madison County WMA, some parking spots will go out on roads that branch multiple times and cover literally thousands of acres. I have no problem with someone else parking by me and going in the same place I do as long as they respect me in the woods.

Just because someone is parked in a spot shouldn't mean that no one else can hunt down a seperate path that leads from that particular gate.

I see your point and should have clarified my original post. I am not talking about designated parking spots that access large tracts of land. There is no way one person can hunt those large tracts and shouldn't lay claim to it in the first place. I am referring to those smaller tracts of land that can not comfortably hold a lot of hunters and when one turkey gobbles it is a free-for- all, which becomes dangerous real quick. It is not a competition issue, it is a respect and safety issue. If I am parked and a hunter approaches and we discuss where each other will be then that is acceptable as long as there is enough room. Where I have an issue is when a hunter parks next to you and has no clue as to where you are at, and precedes to go hunting. This is how people get shot.

 

[JR1]

Agree with that post to a T!

 

[dunnhead]

I grew up hunting public land, 95% of my hunting today is on public land, and Lord willing, I will probably hunt public land for many years to come. I have long ago become accustomed to the barage of hunting pressure that many areas receive, and have altered my approach to hunting some of these areas. I must say that I have become a little more disgusted the last few years by the actions of some disrespectful hunters. I attest alot of that to the growing number of new turkey hunters, many of which were not fortunate enough to have been tutored by a mentor equipped with the knowledge of turkey hunting "etiquette". It is simply a fact of ignorance through the lack of education in some ways. On the other hand, there are other hunters who blatantly disregard the effects there actions have on fellow hunters or simply do not care. I am quite confident that with more crowded woods arise more problems. Therefore, I feel it is my duty as a turkey hunter to share a few suggestions to those who simply might want to waste a few minutes to listen.

1. Don't park next to another parked vehicle
2. Don't park 20, 30, or 40 yards from another vehicle
3. Don't park 40 yards from another vehicle and try to cut the hunter off
4. Keep in mind as you make your way to a gobbling turkey that there may
be someone working that turkey & do the right thing and back away
5. Common sense is good
6. Know the area you are hunting if possible, & understand how many people
can hunt that area at one time
7. If you arrive at your favorite spot only to be dejected at the sight of
another hunter, leave & vow to be earlier the next morning
8. Be patient. It is much safer to hunt that way
9. Don't place so much emphasis on killing a turkey. Enjoy the hunt and all
that nature has to offer
10. Leave nature as you found it. Don't litter
11. Don't park next to another parked vehicle
12. Common sense is good
13. Don't shoot 4 times in an attempt to spook a turkey off another hunter
14. Don't assume anything. That is dangerous
15. Don't park next to another parked vehicle

Feel free to add any suggestions that might be helpful or educational to the uneducated, because Lord knows some folks need it

Have a good day.

16. Always have a backup plan (and preferably more). Hunt public land long enough and eventually someone will be parked in "your spot." You don't want to be left scratching your head when it happens.

 

[firecat]

don't road hunt, don't drive the roads and listen for gobble and drive to it. people that do that will tresspass in a heart beat just to get action. :down:

 

[HANDGUNNER]

I agree with what all have said, with one possible exception, about the 4 wheelers.............not trying to start a fight here, but 4 wheelers do not always spook the birds..

one example.........my ex FIL's brother had trouble doing much walking, due to health reasons...he had a good bird located, but couldn't corner him.....the reason, is he rode his 4 wheeler right under the bird almost everyday, going to where he thought the bird might be.......the old tom, and he was a Big bird, cause I had a chance at him and was busted by a Jake coming in from behind me, that saw me and spooked the old bird, while I was waiting for a shot, the old bird was strutting in circles and everytime he got almost to where I could get a head shot, he'sd turn the other way ............... anyway, back to the original story, the old tom would wait until the 4 wheeler drove under him, and fly down and o the othere way...but he continued to roost in the same tree, most of the season...............so they don't always stay spooked by wheelers!!

Not an expert turkey hunter, but was taught, by an expert with a PHD in turkey huntng, and I still do a lttle of it...this year we are flooded, and with only 1 good hand right now, decided I'd pass this season, even thoughI wanted to try to aggrevate Soarkrebel on our lease:biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[Hobbshunter]

I only disagree with the part about not parking near someone else. It may be different where you hunt, but up here on Madison County WMA, some parking spots will go out on roads that branch multiple times and cover literally thousands of acres. I have no problem with someone else parking by me and going in the same place I do as long as they respect me in the woods.

Just because someone is parked in a spot shouldn't mean that no one else can hunt down a seperate path that leads from that particular gate.

That's the part about Madison Co that's so different from where I used to hunt on Hobbs.
Hobbs is more parcelled out, and if there's somebody parked on one block of land or entrance I'd always leave them alone. I've been hunting the N side of Madison Co, and it's one big block. The spot I like there has 2 1mile long ridges that go straight back from the road. I hate to park next to somebody, but I have done it there. Usually, I find that if I get there early, I can work it out with the other hunters just fine. Last opening day, there were 2 guys waiting in their truck when I got there around 4am, and I politely asked them which ridge they planned to hunt and if they would mine if I hunted the other. It worked out fine.

 

[austincrutchfield]

I agree with all them posts completely. Dont try to mess another hunter up on purpose. Its one thing i always try not to do when i hunt public land even if it means i have a longer walk back to the truck.

HG Poppa has been telln me some ol stories all week bout ya huntin together and he has a good bird picked out if he can keep trespassers off

 

[HANDGUNNER]

I agree with all them posts completely. Dont try to mess another hunter up on purpose. Its one thing i always try not to do when i hunt public land even if it means i have a longer walk back to the truck.

HG Poppa has been telln me some ol stories all week bout ya huntin together and he has a good bird picked out if he can keep trespassers off

Nathan was the one I was talking about!! Poppa and I had that bird..he coulkdn't see it as good as I could, but it was close to being too far, but was gonna try untile that dang Jake slipped up in my back pocket!!! Poppa has the wileyness to get that old bird, he's sneakier than a snake when it comes to turkey!! Ask him about the time he was belly crawling up on a hen, to get closer to the tom, when the 'Hen' went to Gobbling:biggrin: :biggrin: :up: