Was watching the outdoor channel today and I felt like turning it off. These guys from Bowhunter magazine went out to this place in South Dakota to hunt some I think Merriums gobblers... Anyhow the Outfitter begins to explain what they can expect as far as kill %. He tells them that 45 bow hunters killed 60 Gobblers and he expects 50 bowhunters to kill 75 gobblers the year this show was filmed All I can say is. Now I know how all these guys that have 50 and 60 sets of spurs laying around kill there "Wild Turkeys"... GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!! I just cant help but to get sick when I see this kind of hunting... And what really makes me sick is how these guy tell there hunting stories like they did something that my 8 year old nehpew couldn't do on the same property and he's never been hunting a day in his life

Mr. Long beard-

I have read some of your other posts and you seem like you like to let eveyone know how hard the turkeys are to kill on the public land that your stuck hunting with. You and I both live on the east coast where small tracts of land with many hunters are the norm. Out west it's not the same...Farms are 10,000=+ acres and hunters are few and far between. No merriams aren't as hard to hunt as easterns because there are so many birds per hunter. Just because it's easier doesn't mean it's not hunting. You need to stop telling people all the time what hunting is because hunting is different to everyone. We as hunters ought to stick together rather than putting eachother's style and methods of hunting down. I have never responded to you before because I hate arguing with other hunters, but you need to realize that you come off as being rude. Your statement "Public land will make a turkey hunter out of ya" is ridiculous. I have been a "turkey hunter" since I heard my first gobble on private land. You must think that on private land you cluck one time and 5 gobblers come running in and you take your pick. I'm sure your a fine guy who loves to hunt like me...but get over the whole public land thing. You could always find private land to hunt on anyhow...it just takes some effort.

Well,I'm one of those hunters who has taken 50+turkey over the years.I've NEVER been on that kind of hunt.95% of the birds I've taken where shot right here in Pa.Many on public ground.It's a known fact Pa. has more turkey hunters than any other state.So I know what pressure is.20+ yrs ago there were very few birds and even fewer hunters.If you could yelp you would kill longbeards no problem.As the population grew so did the # of hunters.That left me with 2 choices.I could sit around and complain about it and kill fewer turkey or I could adapt my huntin style to deal with pressured birds.I chose to adapt and still fill my tags each year.

jalvaja and mr. longbeard-

Even if you or me or anyone else hunted merriams or rios and killed 15 toms a spring its not our place or anyone else's to tell someone they aren't hunting. Hunting is hunting no matter if its in the middle of a flock of 300 birds in Texas or if it's on public ground with mr.longbeard who only hears 2 gobbles in an entire season. We are hunters and ought to stick together rather than put another hunter down. Besides you can't relate tv hunting to your own anyways because they want movie star turkeys...not challenging birds.

Now you guys take it easy here

I've been lucky enough to hunt corner to corner in the good Ol USA and I have hunted every speice there is to hunt Incuding South Dakota. I have to say that the comments about the birds are right. Some places have the numbers and far less hunters, so presure don't effect these birds near as bad. Other States have harsh tresspassing laws and this also helps , because it keeps the rip raft off and helps with the presure on the birds. NOW if you want to hunt presured birds , come and hunt Ontario in Mid season. I have to say that these Ontario birds Public or Private are one of the hardest birds to hunt because of the Lack of public land and lack of controlled Tresspassing laws. Up agaist PA Ontario fits right into the presure bird syndrome. Longbeard has some of the same problems I know out his way and presure creates hard hunting, but good turkey hunters over come this problem by like Jalvja says adjusting too the birds. Now he says he has only killed 50 birds but don't believe him because I know he has killed more

These hunting shows cost dollars , and the producers of the shows are going to spend them dollars on places that can produce Kills. If they spend too much time and not getting the video work they need then they have lost. Seeing these hunts that produce kills add more to a show then just a walk in a field and talking. This is why you see so much filming in TX because of the population of birds in the areas.

One day Mr. longbeard , just one day you maybe able to hunt some of these easy such birds , then you won't be a turkey hunter , you'll be a Zoo shooter like the rest of us lol ...BT

Been awhile back but I recall listening to an interview with Harold Knight and David Hale, and the question was posed to these two respected turkey hunters on what was the toughest specie of wild turkey to hunt and both said pressured birds no matter where your at arethe toughest. Quite frankly I couldn't agree more!Jim is right on the money!Pressured birds arent impossible to harvest with alot of"in the field experience"!Things like presseason scouting,reading sign,understanding overall turkey behaviour and language among many other things all have a roll to play in those guys bag of tricks that harvest hunted birds year in and year out NO MATTER WHERE YOUR AT IN THE TURKEY WOODS!

I'm from South Dakota and while I haven't yet hunted turkey in either the Black Hills or the Gregory area, I know both of them have a reputation across the country as being prime areas. There's just a ton of turkeys there, just like there's countless pheasants in the areas in between.

Also, the NWTF and the GFP frown deeply on 'stocking' areas with 'raised' turkeys. In fact, when they hear of people wanting to do that, they try to work a trade with other regions of the country to bring in adult wild turkeys, rather than let someone release farm-raised birds. Because of that, there are very few, if any, turkeys that aren't truly wild around SD. Many of them may not be as wary as those out East, but that doesn't mean they're farm birds.

Mr. Wholelottagobble,
I am not here to tell you, that you are wrong. But in the western state of CA, where i reside. There are not 10,000 acre farms and we have way too many hunters here for the small amounts of public land holding turkey's. I hunt mostly in northern CA for turks and it is not easy. Public land is hard to find and especually hard to hunt with as much pressure as it gets. Just so you know, CA i would not say is an easy state to hunt for turks on public land.

JN- No offense to CA but where I am am from...going out west to hunt does not include California. I guess that doesn't make since but I am talking about in general the huge ranches that rios, and merriams get hunted on. Those are the hunts like Mr. Longbeard is refferring to where there are10 birds gobbling on camera and you take your pick. Easy compared to public land easterns or not...it's still hunting. Your a hunter, I'm a hunter. Mr. Longbeard is a hunter. Like I said, I don't want to argue with hunters, don't like it, we got to stick together but cmon you know I wasn't talking about California...the most populated state in the country. My only point is this PERIOD...Hunting is hunting...no matter how easy or hard, no matter me , or you. The only reason I even mentioned public land is because in 99% of Mr Longbeard's posts he feels the need to remind us that no one hunts and kills harder-to-hunt birds than him. That stupid thing he has at the bottom of all his posts "Public land will make a turkey hunter out of ya." gets old too. The first gobble you hear will make a turkey hunter out of ya no matter where its at.

Here in eastern Kansas I hunt both public and private lands. We are blessed with lots of birds (though I haven't seen ten birds gobbling in front of me at once yet like on the shows!), but there are also lots of hunters this close to Kansas City. Let's face it - no turkey is easy! Clearly you have an advantage when you don't have to take into account where other hunters are set up or worry about someone else bumping a bird you are working, so I find it more of a challenge to harvest a bird from public land. But each year me or one of my sons do and it is very rewarding.