Sitting Gobbler

[yamar]

I just wrapped up a lunchtime hunt and found a gobbler at around 80 yards.  I called to him a bit and he strutted for a few seconds and then sat down in the tall grass.  I moved along the field edge to get closer and eventually got in at about 30 yards.  I watched and did some soft calling for about 30 mins but he would not stand up.  I had a perfect shot at him for almost the full 30 mins but it seemed to me that he was nestling in the grass to protect himself from the wind.  I decided not to take the shot because it didn’t feel right to me.  Just curious to know what the general consensus is around taking a shot at a gobbler sitting in a field.  It didn’t feel like fair chase to me but curious to see what you experienced hunters think.

(this is my first year turkey hunting)

[Rjtfd]

36 minutes ago, yamar said:

I just wrapped up a lunchtime hunt and found a gobbler at around 80 yards.  I called to him a bit and he strutted for a few seconds and then sat down in the tall grass.  I moved along the field edge to get closer and eventually got in at about 30 yards.  I watched and did some soft calling for about 30 mins but he would not stand up.  I had a perfect shot at him for almost the full 30 mins but it seemed to me that he was nestling in the grass to protect himself from the wind.  I decided not to take the shot because it didn’t feel right to me.  Just curious to know what the general consensus is around taking a shot at a gobbler sitting in a field.  It didn’t feel like fair chase to me but curious to see what you experienced hunters think.

(this is my first year turkey hunting)

I think you did the right thing. The hunt isn’t about the kill it’s about the hunt leading up to the shot. We wouldn’t shoot a pheasant or a duck that hasn’t taken flight so this would be a similar situation. Just be careful about stalking a gobbler by sneaking up and getting close for a shot. Not sure exactly where the line is drawn between sneaking within distance and sneaking to location they are heading to? 
Maybe others will define that better. 
Great job either way by using morals and ethics and not shooting your first bird by any means possible. 
Good luck

[mazzgolf]

Impressed a first-year turkey hunter held back the shot. IMO, if the hunter says it didn't seem right to shoot, then it wasn't right to shoot and you did the right thing.

Must have been fun just watching. My past two hunts I sat and watched a hen within 5 to 10 yards of me, literally for hours. Obviously, I couldn't shoot, but - the point is, the hunt is still fun when you can watch the birds just do their thing. You'll harvest one - just wasn't to be today. But you got to watch birds and that's more than most days when you sit and watch grass grow.

[Fred Flintstone]

WOW. I am impressed  at how you reflected  on not taking that shot! I have done the same with a good 5 Gobblers that,I have found myself under when they Gobbled. Easy enough to Roll them and that is Legal in New York.I let them go and watched them fly down. I also don't  shoot Gobblers walking directly  away from me. I just cant shoot them in the back of the Head. Probably  another 5,I let go.  

  Enjoy yourself out there. The shots you want will appear.

 

 

[fab]

Wind was rough today.  Didn’t expect it.  Weather said 7.  Bet I had gusts to 17 

[Rusty]

Welcome to the site yamar.    It’s experiences like that that make hunting so much fun.  You got to experience nature up close and personal.  Best of luck with the rest of your season.   

[Nomad]

He was sitting in the field 30 yards away and you didn't shoot.  Then what happened?

[buckman37]

I don’t shoot a gobbler until we make eye contact so that I know that I am the last thing he saw before he meets Jesus

[yamar]

Thanks…Glad to hear I wasn’t being completely foolish passing on such an easy shot.  I’ll keep at it for these next 3 days

[yamar]

1 hour ago, Nomad said:

He was sitting in the field 30 yards away and you didn't shoot.  Then what happened?

My lunch break was over and I had to get back to work…I slipped back into the woods and headed back to the truck.  Surprisingly he didn’t run off even when I got up… but it was pretty windy out

Edited May 24, 2022 by yamar

[hunterbob1]

1 hour ago, yamar said:

Thanks…Glad to hear I wasn’t being completely foolish passing on such an easy shot.  I’ll keep at it for these next 3 days

You done good grasshopper

Just in case you do not know,

turkeys do not have a sense of smell.

Git back out there and git em

Edited May 25, 2022 by hunterbob1

[Buck154]

1 hour ago, yamar said:

My lunch break was over and I had to get back to work…I slipped back into the woods and headed back to the truck.  Surprisingly he didn’t run off even when I got up… but it was pretty windy out

Something don't sound right with that bird.  Are you sure it was a gobbler and not a hen on a nest? A bird at 30 yards they can hear everything.  They will usually run if not fly. If it was hiding from you then it may have been hurt.

[hunterbob1]

1 hour ago, Buck154 said:

Something don't sound right with that bird.  Are you sure it was a gobbler and not a hen on a nest?

Good question

[yamar]

1 hour ago, Buck154 said:

Something don't sound right with that bird.  Are you sure it was a gobbler and not a hen on a nest? A bird at 30 yards they can hear everything.  They will usually run if not fly. If it was hiding from you then it may have been hurt.

That’s a good point… I didn’t think of that.  It was definitely a gobbler.  I saw him strut for a short time and also had a very clear view of his head popping out of the grass..I also looked through my binoculars to confirm.  But yeah maybe he was injured or had something wrong.  The behavior was not like anything I had read about which is why I was unsure if it was the right situation to take a shot

[Nomad]

We can’t shoot sitting turkeys now?