ORIGINAL: turkey guide
There seems to be a lot of anti rifle folks, for turkeys anyway.Thats my feeling too, if you want a really good hunt, use a shotgun and call. But I'm not the least bit opposed to anyone using a rifle, if it's legal and they want to do it.
Well, it's also legal to shoot a spring gob off the morning roost in many states, and that rubs me wrong too...
A fewdecades ago, I encountered a spring turkey hunter in the VA woods with his .243, and I got a creepy feeling, wondering if he might have "scoped me" before coming into my position. Well, that guywould not have hadto worryif a gob "hungup" 70 yds out...
As posted earlier, rifles are now verbotten for theVA spring season, butlegal in the fall, and they certainly have their proponents & rationalizations. (e.g.a turk never knows what killed it, head shots demand accuracy, "if you are that demanding of technique - why don't you stick to your bow", etc, etc, ad nauseum). A good friend of mine (not a hunting partner) stillbags VA fall turks with rifle. I'veneedled him, that if he wants a turkey that bad, he should just go to the Safeway. It'sa matter of respect for the game animal, jmo.
I and fellow turkey hunters that participate in the VA Spring Turkey Hunter survey have voiced our support foreliminating rifles for turkey hunting and moving the fall season out of the deer season - voice your opinions to your wildlife mgt agency, they listen, you can make a difference.
-fsh