Would you shoot?

Scenario 1
You've been working a group of birds all morning and finally get them in range only to have them bust you and fly off. The gobbler lands in a tree 20 yds from you...so do you shoot?
Scenario 2
You set up 100 yds away from a roosted bird. He gobbles his head off on the limb but doesn't fly down with the rest of the birds. You call to him only to be cut off by him gobbling. You keep calling to him and notice that he's getting closer, but he's still not on the ground. The bird tree hops all the way to within 20 yds of your set up...so do you shoot?

Both came to my call. Both are riding home with me.

I've actually had #2 happen before, just couldn't shoot him out of the tree, didn't feel right, but I could see the rationale for shooting one that way.

I've limbed two birds in my lifetime, both wounded and dripping blood.

I'd not shoot either of the birds in your post. Just the way I was raised turkey hunting. Old General Woody would slap my head sideways for doing so....

troy

...

I wouldn't shoot either one. A gobbler in a tree is safe around me, unless he's wounded from a previous shot.

Mike

boom

opening day?-no. end of april?-it would be tempting.

Sorry but you guys who say you wouldnt would and tell the story different.

Dead ....x2 ...
I despise tree hopppers .. and Ive shot sevreal under these type senerios over the years .

so much for the eliest . My mentor taught me to hate them all .

I wont roll one off the limb at daylight.. but playing checkers in the trees comes with a price after they move at daybreak and the day grows .

I have never shot a bird out of a tree. But, what is the difference of him strutting in to you and him flying on a limb 20 yards away and strutting in front of you? Considering that you called him to you. If he jumps up on a 4 foot tree stump, you going to shoot him off of it.

20' up a tree. It is not my fault he came in that way.

Had a buddy one time call me to come help him with a bird that was whopping his butt. We set up on a creek bottom that ran by some young planted pine. He gobbled on the roost real well. I answered him once and put the call down. Waited 30 minutes and hit the call one more time. During the whole time we were waiting his gobble kept getting closer. On the second call, he hammered 40 yards away, behind a bend in the firebreak in front of us. Waited 30 minutes hit the call again he hammered from the same spot. We snuck to the bend and peaked around the corner. No bird. Hit the call and he blows our ear drums off 20 yards away. We are both looking down the firebreak. It sounds like he is right in front of us. Just as I start thinking this is an invisible bird, my buddy looks up in the tree in front of and says I see him in the tree. He shot and missed. The bird flew off. Two week later we killed in the same spot on the ground.

I will not shoot a bird I walk up on.

I will also shoot a dove out of tree. Guess I am an unethical hunter.

I don't have a problem with either one. I will not shoot one off the roost though.

Seems like I was faced with one of these scenarios not to long ago...

My situation was: I had a bird in front of me 150yds or so. He had a nice big gobble. There was a gobbler behind me but I heard him going the other direction. I'm focusing on working this bird in front of me when I get busted by a bird behind me. I ease around expecting a hen (for some reason) and it's 3 gobblers. I don't know how many were mature, but a 2 year old flew up and landed in a tree about 20yds away. I could see his beard and it looked to be no more than 8 inches and kinda thin. I looked for spurs and couldn't see them. I thought with a bird that close and an unobstructed view of his legs I should be able to see spurs if they were 3/4". So I have the thoughts of the bird in front of me, this smaller, below average 2 year old now in a tree, how do I feel about all this, etc. Because of that, I went out of kill mode, if only for a second, but as a result I did not kill. If I had looked back and saw a thick 10" beard or hooks sticking off his legs, I would not have given it another thought!

I kind of got the inspiration for this post from you Ryan

ryanwhit said:

i don't have a problem with either one. I will not shoot one off the roost though.

Seems like i was faced with one of these scenarios not to long ago...:d

my situation was: I had a bird in front of me 150yds or so. He had a nice big gobble. There was a gobbler behind me but i heard him going the other direction. I'm focusing on working this bird in front of me when i get busted by a bird behind me. I ease around expecting a hen (for some reason) and it's 3 gobblers. I don't know how many were mature, but a 2 year old flew up and landed in a tree about 20yds away. I could see his beard and it looked to be no more than 8 inches and kinda thin. I looked for spurs and couldn't see them. I thought with a bird that close and an unobstructed view of his legs i should be able to see spurs if they were 3/4". So i have the thoughts of the bird in front of me, this smaller, below average 2 year old now in a tree, how do i feel about all this, etc. Because of that, i went out of kill mode, if only for a second, but as a result i did not kill. If i had looked back and saw a thick 10" beard or hooks sticking off his legs, i would not have given it another thought!

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boom!

Where I come from, you don't shoot ducks on the water, deer off the road or turkeys in trees. Its just not right. That being said, I've done all three in my youth. I expect St. Peter to question me thoroughly at the Pearly Gates.

sman said:

Both came to my call. Both are riding home with me.

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Amen!

Yeah I'd shoot em.

What kind of tree is he in?

I wonder how many Indians would of passed up those birds.

Timber1 said:

What kind of tree is he in?

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A dead wood tree if I am there.

What kind of tree is he in?

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Now that is funny