Originally Posted by
DougE
Nope,I've killed several that came in silent.All gobbled at least at one point but still snuck in just the same.However,I know several people that won't kill them unless they're gobbling.Hunting turkeys isn't really about the kill to alot of people.The rush is calling them in.If a silent gobbler doesn't give them that rush,they'll find one that does.Shooting a stationary object with a shotgun at 30 yards is kind of anti-claimatic.It's the trill of calling them in that drives most serious turkey hunters.
You nailed it. The "shot" that ends a spring turkey hunt is VERY anticlimatic. In fact, I've sat there a few times after working one in, and reflected and wished that somehow it wasn't over yet, that he was still gobbling, playing hard to get, and I was still working him in. Last Saturday was a good example of that. It was fast and furious, the bird came in quickly and it was all over so fast. I was elated that my buddy had just bagged his first tom, but I wished somewhow, it hadn't ended quite so quickly. It's all about the thrill of the chase...perhaps more so with gobblers than anything else I hunt.