# Road Hunting Experts



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Been pursuing a gobbler since this morning. I get set up in between him and his roost I discovered this morning at sunrise. I've heard him the past 8 hours get a little closer. A truck has been driving up and down the road, stopping, honking, and listening for a shock gobble. Well, my turkey answered back and now I got a guy below me walking through the woods calling like crazy. So duck hunting has become driving giant boats all over. It's this the norm for turkey hunting? If so, anyone have some property I can hunt until Thursday when my work time off runs out haha?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

No. this ain't the norm but actually not to far from it. This guy has a method, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but it is his method. The basic norm for turkey hunting is: 1)locate the bird 2)hunt the bird 3)get close enough to shoot the bird. Do the method you like best and don't worry about that other guy. He has as much right to his method as you do to yours.
PS, no, that ain't me down there trompin around


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## Watcher (Dec 31, 2008)

*I was right with you until you said "my bird".*

i
l feel your pain - bastards.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Why is he/she a bastards? Do the woods belong to the "purest" only? The birds will get over it, and so must you if you are to enjoy hunting in our modern world.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Keep in mind that a good share of the hunters out there in Utah have never hunted turkeys before. (it's only my 6th season hunting them)

For those of us that have learned (the hard way) that you can't road hunt them like deer, it does suck to be all set up and patient just to get the hunt ruined by someone else "stomping in on our spot".

Still, they have as much a right to be there as you do, and while it sometimes helps to vent and get it out of your system, don't forget that you were probably "that guy" at one point, and frankly, you're probably still "that guy" to a hunter with more experience than you.

All that said, I do feel your pain... we've had many frustrations this season so far, and many of them have been due to other hunters... the difference between that making it a bad day or a good one is our reaction to that situation.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Didn't mean to start anything. I'd been watching and stalking a gobbler for 12 hours and a road hunter honking his horn shock gobbled it and chased him down. This is pretty much my first year of turkey hunting and I couldn't believe what I saw. I felt like I was duck hunting at a WMA again. It's hard to out so much time, effort, and money into a new sport when you end up experiencing this 90% of the time. And I don't use that number loosely. My experience with deer, duck, and now turkey are all pretty much the same. Hate to be a whiner, but I've seen a significant change in ethics in the last 5 years.


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## OKEE (Jan 3, 2008)

Only way to not let this happen again is to get away from the roads.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Ok, in your case it sounds to me like this. If that road hunter was able to shock (locate) that bird. Chase (stalk) him down and get close enough to him for the kill, my question is, why didn't you do this? Any bird that responds to a car honking would also have responded to other "shocking" methods, he clearly was a hot bird. You should have been able to close on that bird and "call" him in.
Traditionally, that which has been deemed unethical in turkey hunting was to interfere with a hunter that has an active bird in the process of being worked or called in. The fact that the other hunter was in the woods hunting and locates a bird that you had made a run at earlier does not qualify as unethical. You can't just claim a bird as yours because you made a run at him yesterday and fault another hunter for making a run at him today. 
Many times you will hear a hunter working a responsive bird, calling and getting a response from the bird, and it is your responsibility as an ethical hunter to do all in your power to not interfere with that hunt, but as Manystep said, many young or new to turkey hunting hunters inadvertently break this "golden rule of turkey hunting ethics". As long as you follow this rule and teach it to you fellow hunters, turkey hunting can be a really good, satisfying thing. 
Just enjoy your time out doors, there will be other birds to hunt.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Why didn't I do this? I was assuming something like this would be illegal or frowned upon. Almost like rallying ducks in a boat which is illegal. Of all the turkey books I've read through and the videos I've watched, I never saw this. 

This hunter wasn't in the woods. He drove through all of the roads, shutting off his truck, and then honked. If he heard nothing, he'd drive down to the next group of trees. Like I said, I'm not trying to start anything. But is this normal and ethical? Maybe it's the fact I'm a beginner turkey hunter and don't know how you guys work and what's acceptable.


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

What you had there was a lazy hunter... not willing to really work the ground or hike to find birds... Happens all the time if you're close to a road.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I'm thinking if you are distracted and your hunt negatively affected by a road hunter, you should get off the road and find a bird that isn't going to be impacted by a road hunter.


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## Markthehunter88 (Nov 5, 2010)

My recent post is even more interesting after seeing this and hunterchicks comment. I can see how this might be viewed negatively but I dont see how him locating a turkey and hunting it is wrong. Maybe its the road hunter in me! ;-)


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

It's common in even traditional turkey hunting states for road hunters to drive around and try to get one to gobble from the truck. It's irritating to those who aren't so lazy and don't want road hunters to mess with the birds they're already working on, but not a whole lot one can do about it.


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

It's probably annoying to be driving along, locate a bird then run into some guy with $3000 worth of set up to shoot the 2nd dumbest bird in the world. And quit possibly number 1 considering it answers to car horns.


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## Skally (Apr 20, 2012)

Iron Bear said:


> It's probably annoying to be driving along, locate a bird then run into some guy with $3000 worth of set up to shoot the 2nd dumbest bird in the world. And quit possibly number 1 considering it answers to car horns.


You obviously don't hunt turkeys


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## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Iron Bear said:


> It's probably annoying to be driving along, locate a bird then run into some guy with $3000 worth of set up to shoot the 2nd dumbest bird in the world. And quit possibly number 1 considering it answers to car horns.


You really should try turkey hunting Iron Bear... road hunting works about like winning the lottery does... lots of close calls, but no payoff.


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## Huntin8 (Jul 15, 2013)

I am very new to hunting turkeys and don't want to stir the pot but, would it make a difference if the person was out walking around using a crow call?


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

Maybe I'm just dealing with birds that never get hunted. But I'm willing to bet I can kill one with a stick. If it were legal.


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## Markthehunter88 (Nov 5, 2010)

Iron Bear said:


> Maybe I'm just dealing with birds that never get hunted. But I'm willing to bet I can kill one with a stick. If it were legal.


I couldnt agree more... The birds are growing like wild fire! They seem to be running all over the place. I was shocked to see birds in the same places over and over. The first area i hunt i pushed them out but i know the back up area. They NEVER leave that place. Birds sitting there at 5 yeards just looking at me. I for one didnt get mine road hunting but the other 2 we shot were just off the road. I dont see anything wrong with locating a bird from the road and hunting him.


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

I think everybody should have to walk from their house to go hunting or fishing.


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