The issue here is not one of rifle vs shotgun, its ...and this is my opinion....its really about the loss of respect for turkey hunting in general.

There are far to many people who hunt turkey these days with the express purpose of seeing how many they can kill. The measure of a successful hunt is in the kill for many. Look at the number of dollars spent on loads that send a pattern out 60 yards, chokes that focus more on long range, and scopes and special sightsfor shotguns. Gone are the days when calling the bird in close so that a 2 3/4 load from a 12 bore full choke would successfully terminate the hunt.TV Hunting shows have reduced the game to a kill. In days past there was a genuine respect for the hunt itself. Getting out in the woods quietly before daylight, the stalk to a place to listen for the first gobble, and the ensuing battle of wits between man and the bird was seen as the ultimate in a hunting experience. To Take a turkey was great, but the simple enjoyment of hunting the turkey was supreme.

To allow a rifle takes the sport and turns it into no more than an act of marksmanship. A turkey strutting at 200 yards is no match for a 40 grain bullet traveling at 3000 fps. And there is no joy to be had from a hunt riding the roads looking to bushwack or road roll a turkey with a rifle.

As turkey hunting has grown more accessible and birds more plentiful, we have wattered down the members of this society with newcomers who can not, recall the day when taking a turkey was a sign of woodcraft and hunting skill.

I hold no man in high regard who would take a turkey with a rifle. For those with no respect for the hunt and skills required, you have been cheated out of one of the greatest pleasures a hunter can have.