Moving in on a turkey to change calling positions is fine.Stalking a turkey and simply shooting it is illegal,unethical and dangerous.It boggles my mind that anyone would defend that kind of behavior.
Whoaaaa, Nelly! You must have misunderstood my pots. i was in NO way defending that kind of behavior. I was only stating that I think in most cases, intention would be hard to prove. Obviously if some fool blasts your decoys, or shoots another hunter that's pretty concrete, but other times, it gets a little tricky. If I was observed by a WCO trying to ease closer to setup on a gobbling bird, he may very wellmistake that for stalking. I'd be moving very slowly, using cover and staying low to the ground. Not that I am INTENDING to stalk up and shoot the turkey, but its a good tactic on a hung up tom to creep up a few more yards when he wanders to the far edge of his strut zone and then call him back and possibly he'd be in range when he comes back around. Or if the tom wanders to the far side again, and your buddy takes the opportunity to sneak up another 50 yards while you try to call him back for the shot. By my definition not stalking, but I can totally see that those manuevers could be risky when other hunters are in the area...I'm just not sure they fit the definition of stalking, and truth of the matter is that if
EVERYONE POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THEIR TARGET EACH AND EVERY TIME, NO ONE WOULD EVER GET SHOT BY MISTAKE. I have been warned many times by veteran turkey hunters to NEVER ever make a gobble call in the spring unless I wanted to get shot. Well, it just so happens I make a a darn good gobble on a four reed cutting call and I have used that very tactic to take more than one tom. I won't live in fear that every other guy in the woods is trying to shoot me, or I'd hunt with a bulletproof vest. But I do try to remain alert and attentive for sounds of any other hunter moving in on me. Other than that I will move when I feel I have to (but not stalk a turkey), I won't wear orange unless its required, and I'll gobble if that's what tom wants to hear that day. Even with some idiots running around out there, hunting is still safer than most other sports and more people die each year from a bee sting than being mistaken for a turkey.