It's what I refer to as your typical BOZO. Lots of them come around here every weekend. It's why I rarely hunt weekends.
How did you contain yourself? I would have blown a gasket. I wonder what goes through people's minds sometimes. I mean I wouldn't even consider doing such a thing. Honestly I'd be afraid of getting shot or my $&@ kicked if I did that to someone.Mark Ramela said:My friend and I were hunting about 15 years ago and we were working a gobbler that was in the woods 100 yards off a field. He was up on the hill and we set up a decoy on the logging road that skirted the bottom of the hill. He was gobbling for well over an hour and closing the distance painfully slow. My buddy was sitting about 30 yards in front of me as I called to the bird. I noticed 2 guys sneakiing up through the woods to my left at about 75 yards. They spotted the decoy on the road and one raised his gun at it. I stood up and waved an orange vest at the guy and he saw me and lowered the gun I waved at him to sit down. This bird was about a 100 yards but over the top of the knob and still coming. I kept calling and this bird came down over the hill iin full strut, stepped on to the logging road about 50 yards from the decoy and 60 yards from my buddy. He was coming right to the decoy, when that jerk shot that bird. Oh man was I mad. I walked over to Bill and told him not to say a work. I walked over, picked up my decoy and walked right past those two guys and never said a word. Believe me, I wanted to.
I would be willing to bet that there is more trespassing going on in turkey season than there is in deer season.PA boxcall said:I've had a guy with his gun at the ready stalk into our decoy on private ground to nothing more then hen yelping. Like Mark, had another guy sneak in on a gobbler coming in and shot out from under us at 60 yards also on private ground. Neither guy made a sound.
This isn't just a public ground problem it's a lack of self control problem, and its everywhere. Not about the hunt but the kill. Sad.
He stalked the bird way more than I did. I came in the woods from the backside and couldn't even see the field from where I was at. Found a good tree and sat down. He on the other hand was walking down the posted boarder along the field stopping every now and then and making his way closer and closer.Fairchild #17 said:I've read your story twice and I honestly don't see how you can be upset with the guy other than the fact that he chose to be more aggressive with the bird than you chose to be.
Getting as close to the bird as possible is not stalking.......it's turkey hunting 101. He "stalked" that bird no more than you did. You got closer to the known location of the bird from the parking lot, and so did he.
I've said many times before on here that I will be very aggressive in getting as tight to a bird as I can before I start calling to him.
If I'm back in the woods and spot a strutter out in a field, I will do whatever it takes to get within 15 yards of the edge of that field. Use terrain cover, belly crawl, hands and knees down a muddy creek bottom (yes I did and I killed that bird too) whatever it takes.
If I know a bird is on a wooded bench, I'm getting on that bench with him.....same deal, whatever it takes.
Your turkey hunting success will increase exponentially with a good starting position.
If you are scared of other hunters focused entirely on their game........this sport is not for you.
Do you know who the guy was? Was it the land owner of the field, or his brother, or kid, or invited guest? You have no idea if he had permission or not. Maybe he knocked on a door and asked? Works all the time for me.
Lastly, public access is just that. Did he park right by you or elsewhere? Maybe he was there first?
You guys can call him a Bozo, moron, idiot, or whatever......I don't see a single thing the man did wrong.
Wound up, jumpy, easily startled, and willing to shoot at anything that moves??????? That's nothing but a figment of your imagination.
Good luck with the rest of your season.