Two hunters shot while fanning

XIronheadX said:

The whole experience of turkey hunting to me is that last few yards closing into shotgun range. He can't see my calling location and he's inching in. It takes forever sometimes. There's nothing in it for me if a decoy was involved. I'd quit. I'm in it for the chess match. But, whatever the rules say. Participation trophies grew out of pity. They just need to change the term hunting, and rename the process "killing". How it's achieved is of no importance anymore.

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ryanh487 said:

The folks who whine about fanning being unfair have clearly never tried it. 1, it's not a sure thing. 2, do you have any idea how much strength and endurance it takes to conceal your body behind a decoy, crawl on your belly, hold the shotgun, hold the decoy, and then pop out at the last second and draw a bead at point blank range before taking a shot on a now startled bird? I've never tried fanning, but I have belly crawled a hundred yards behind tall grass trying to get in range before a bird left the field, and it is not easy work. I couldn't imagine making the same crawl with both hands full while trying to hide my 6' 270 lb frame behind a decoy the size of a 20 lb bird. Sitting still and calling is way easier!

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XIronheadX said:

Lol. You sure it's whining, or laughing? It's hunting, Ryan. Not a tough mudder competition. It's probably hard to run one down too, it just takes the "art" out of it. These things like calling, when and how much, set up, leaf scratching, hat flopping, getting between the gobbler and hen, and running the hen off, remaining motionless, figuring out a turkey's habits. These are part of the "art" of hunting. I've heard of men cross dressing, but dressing up like a turkey is going over the line. Birds of a feather flock together? Even when its a decoy. I guess what is being said is its about more than having a turkey to take a picture with. It's achieving it without VISUALLY fooling it.

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ryanh487 said:

I'm sure native americans would have used fanning.

I don't hunt for sport. I hunt to fill the freezer by whatever means is legal. Who cares about an enhanced challenge, I just enjoy wild turkey meat. It's not like they're using remote controlled camera monitored kill traps, they're using the turkey's testosterone fueled aggression against him with a fake opponent instead of using his testosterone fueled reproductive drive against him with a call. Either way, an animal is outsmarted by man. One isn't any more unfair than the other, but fanning sounds a lot more physically difficult for the hunter to achieve, and it seems silly to me to put down folks who work harder to achieve the same goal.

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XIronheadX said:

The whole experience of turkey hunting to me is that last few yards closing into shotgun range. He can't see my calling location and he's inching in. It takes forever sometimes. There's nothing in it for me if a decoy was involved. I'd quit. I'm in it for the chess match. But, whatever the rules say. Participation trophies grew out of pity. They just need to change the term hunting, and rename the process "killing". How it's achieved is of no importance anymore.

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Nicodemus said:

First off, I don`t care how folks hunt turkeys, and won`t ever say a word about any method of hunting them, as long as it`s legal.

Now a question or two.

When was the art of turkey hunting established? Can anybody here give the year it was established? And if so, what are the parameters?

Who are we to say what is right or wrong when it comes to hunting these birds?

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XIronheadX said:

All I know is with decoys and fans, you are no longer hunting turkeys. They are hunting you. The art was established by those before us. Pick a date before 1990. There was no mention of decoys back then. Not in any of the articles in the publications I read. Not from the 80 yr old man from 30 yrs ago that told me how they did it in West Virginia. Or anyone else I spoke to about turkey hunting. The parameters are to lure them in by sound. Not visually, not by stalking, or deer hunting them from blinds. It's the same reason we don't shoot deer at night(although corn made its way in). When restocking, limits and license were required, it became an art. It wasn't survival for food anymore. It became a sport. And the sporting chance doesn't include visually fooling a turkey. However you want to bend the rules this day and time to be legal is how it got to this. Little Billy couldn't hit a baseball so they gave him a tee and a participation trophy.

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MudDucker said:

I can't believe all this bashing of the fan. The man who pulls the trigger is charged with the responsibility to insure what and where he is shooting. The older brother who shot them is at fault, regardless of any techniques they use short of dressing up in a turkey suit and dancing around.

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DRBugman85 said:

VANISHED. ...The ART of calling a gobbler to me,I,with a call that is man made,wood,glass,slate,wingbone are turtle shell and a stick.That is the art and it was past to me from a true master my GRANFATHER who was taught by his father.The love of fooling Mother Nature's theme of things.And the accomplishment of doing it WITH OUT A decoy are blind (should be outlawed) that is the art of turkey hunting for ME.Being a woodsman that is aware of his surroundings from experiencing GOD'S great outdoors.And my Forest moment(That's all I got to say about that).

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XIronheadX said:

All I know is with decoys and fans, you are no longer hunting turkeys. They are hunting you. The art was established by those before us. Pick a date before 1990. There was no mention of decoys back then. Not in any of the articles in the publications I read. Not from the 80 yr old man from 30 yrs ago that told me how they did it in West Virginia. Or anyone else I spoke to about turkey hunting. The parameters are to lure them in by sound. Not visually, not by stalking, or deer hunting them from blinds. It's the same reason we don't shoot deer at night(although corn made its way in). When restocking, limits and license were required, it became an art. It wasn't survival for food anymore. It became a sport. And the sporting chance doesn't include visually fooling a turkey. However you want to bend the rules this day and time to be legal is how it got to this. Little Billy couldn't hit a baseball so they gave him a tee and a participation trophy.

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Nicodemus said:

I consider myself a little bit of a woodsman myself.





Actually, when you start yelping at a turkey, he starts hunting you then too.

I`ve never used a decoy, never fanned one, never used a "tent" to hide in, and won`t ever. I hunt the old way myself.

Excuse me, I did have to change my style, because when I was taught to turkey hunt, it was when Georgia had a fall season. We didn`t have a spring season in those days.



I`ll also not judge or bash others how they hunt, as long as it`s legal.

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XIronheadX said:

I'm not bashing, Nic. When a turkey see's a turkey, fan or decoy, nothing has to occur. Hunt is removed from the equation. Yeah, it's legal. That's why someone got shot.

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Miguel Cervantes said:

That is incorrectomundo.

Someone got shot because an idiot didn't properly identify his target prior to pulling the trigger. That is the only reason they got shot. Hunting methods have absolutely nothing to do with this incident.

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