shooting fall turkeys from a permanent blind

guywhofishes

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So I have a permanent blind on a 10ft platform and I want to have my mom and galwhofishes shoot their fall turkeys from that blind. There's a big feeder about 20yds from the blind so it should be easy peasy.

I was wondering what will happen to the two or three flocks of turkeys that visit... if one or two get whacked will they learn to avoid it permanently? Or will it take many days for them to trust that spot again?

Should I set up portable blind on known paths to/from the permanent and the feeder instead? The reason I ask is that I don't want one of them to have to sit for two days staring at nothing after the first gobbler gets blasted.

I guess I'll probably do the experiment and find out but am curious to know whether turkey's have long term memories - if any at all since they seem dumber than a fence post.

Anybody have experience with shooting gobblers out of the same spot over time?
 


Jigaman

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I've only been hunting them for a few years but they are so damn stupid I bet they would come back pretty quick.
 

wby257

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I've only been hunting them for a few years but they are so damn stupid I bet they would come back pretty quick.


I agree, we would hunt them North of Killdeer on some of the ranchs there. We would shoot them off the manure piles or feed bunks in the mornings and they were back that afternoon.
 

Obi-Wan

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I would have the timer set to go off when I am in the blind because when the feeder goes off the turkeys come running out of the woods headed straight for it, at least that is what they do at my place. It might make for a short sit in the blind for the gals
 

CutEm

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So if I read correctly, your worried about ruining your shooting fish in a barrel scenario. Hunting has become something I am not always proud of anymore. Its great they want to get out and hunt and you taking them is good. Where did hunting go though? Everything is about the kill nowadays.
 


guywhofishes

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So if I read correctly, your worried about ruining your shooting fish in a barrel scenario. Hunting has become something I am not always proud of anymore. Its great they want to get out and hunt and you taking them is good. Where did hunting go though? Everything is about the kill nowadays.

I knew it.

Why don't I ever learn?
 

Obi-Wan

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So if I read correctly, your worried about ruining your shooting fish in a barrel scenario. Hunting has become something I am not always proud of anymore. Its great they want to get out and hunt and you taking them is good. Where did hunting go though? Everything is about the kill nowadays.

hunting was about the kill until someone made it into a dick measuring contest. Who are yo to look down on how others hunt if it’s legal let them do what they want no one says you have to
 

espringers

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my 2 cents. its a darn turkey. shoot em like a fish in a barrel for all i care. fricken nuisance in most places/scenarios. btw... they will come back. you are feeding them. when it comes to eating and f8cking, they tend to act stupid as hell.
 

CutEm

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I knew it.

Why don't I ever learn?

I don't care at all that you are hunting off a feeder. I think you get the gist of my point tho. Worried about having to spend a couple extra days in the field prompted my comment. I shouldn't have directly attacked you its more of a generality I see across the hunting world. I often here people say they havn't been out hunting because they don't have anything on camera at their corn pile or whatever. I love hunting because its exactly that, hunting. I get wound up when people make it all about the kill, as in least amount of time spent out thier to be successful, and not the experience leading up to it.
 

espringers

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my 2 cents again cause i can see what cut em is getting at and to a point he has a valid point. but, frankly....to most, its about both... the experience and the kill. if it was just about the experience, we would all just get a camera, forego the weapon, the license and meat.

and when you are talking about a wife and a mother (to be guy's mother she must be like what? 105 years old?), i assume they would have a limited amount of time and a short attention span when it comes to enjoying the "experience" of sitting out in the woods without actually seeing any turkeys to shoot. sometimes the experience is enhanced by things like feeders, warm blinds, etc... and this seems like one of those times. tell mom and wife that they have to spend 20 hours in a blind over the course of 5-10 days to shoot a darn turkey and they would probably tell you they got better things to do... like watch paint dry. tell them they are almost guaranteed to get a bird in the first sit or two and they are game. better to have them out in a shortened guaranteed kill experience then not have them out at all.
 


guywhofishes

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my mom is nearly 80

the blind is 350 miles from my front door

why am I defending myself - ha ha
 

LBrandt

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If you can get everybody in the blind pick your bird and its 1-2-3 shoot and done.
 

shorthairman

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My experience with fall turkeys is that if they are used to coming to a food source they should come back to it even if you shoot. If it is in their routine to come morning and evening, they might come back in the evening after shooting in the morning, but I would bet for sure they would be back in the morning. The only thing I would say may change that is if you are hunting close to the roost. I would not want to spook them too badly close to where they roost as that might drive them away.

Don't worry about CutEm...I don't think he/she understands the situation you are in.
 

CutEm

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my mom is nearly 80

the blind is 350 miles from my front door

why am I defending myself - ha ha

Again, I shouldn't have attacked you directly, that was wrong of me and I apologize. I would have been better suited bringing up a separate discussion/topic about my feelings on how hunting is changing.

I obviously realize the kill is very important part of the process. After all it is the end result we all are hoping for when taking to the field. I sometimes speak before I think (ask every boss and teacher going back to kindergarten) on things I feel passionate about and my thoughts don't come out as I intend. I was trying to convey my feelings that to much emphasis is put on the end result and not the journey to get there. As in, the only way the trip is successful is if it ends with a harvest.

Anyways, turkeys are dumb as rocks. They will be back in there the next day. I once read an article about how to trap turkeys. make an elevated table and put grain in the middle. Than put a halo around the table so that the turkeys can't reach the grain in the middle without having to stick their head in between the halo and table. when they try to back out they will hit that halo and be stuck because they don't realize to just pull their heads down. Somebody should try this and report back.
 


Maddog

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Good luck, I hope they do well on their hunts!

I have only done fall hunts one year and had shooting 2 mornings in a row at the same flock coming to the same food plot.

The first morning you could hear them coming -- clucking all the way. The next morning they came again, but there was nary a peep out of them. It is comical watching all the youngins with their antics.

><><

Thinking with the legal feeding, it is a lot easier than not. Regardless, if you are concealed and quiet they are a creature of habit.

><<

Looking forward to the pictures of their hunt.
 

shorthairman

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I also get what CutEm was trying to say, and I agree with him to an extent. However, often times there are circumstances that come into play on outdoor excursions that effect how or why we do things. Like 350 miles of travel, 80 or 105 year olds...etc.

Good luck to mrsguywhofishes and mommatoguywhofishes!
 

wby257

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hunting was about the kill until someone made it into a dick measuring contest. Who are yo to look down on how others hunt if it’s legal let them do what they want no one says you have to

I agree and its no differant with waterfowl hunting. If a person hunts water and there from out of state there shooting the roost. If your a resident its ok.

I agree, hunt the way you want. 25 yrs ago you never seen a blind in a field or along a fence line or in some trees because thats how guys in Mn and WI hunting. Now you see blinds all over.

Hunting has changed a lot over the yrs
 

CutEm

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I agree and its no differant with waterfowl hunting. If a person hunts water and there from out of state there shooting the roost. If your a resident its ok.

I agree, hunt the way you want. 25 yrs ago you never seen a blind in a field or along a fence line or in some trees because thats how guys in Mn and WI hunting. Now you see blinds all over.

Hunting has changed a lot over the yrs


Other than originally calling it "shooting fish in a barrel" I never said anything about the method used. Which sense that point I apologized for how i conveyed my thoughts.
 


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