Ifly

Very true Turk..and to me the most aggravating part of hunting public land..having to deal with the unknown of other hunters. I have been hunting public land for many yrs...40 something...and last yr. was the first yr. I have been cut off by other hunters while working gobblers..happened 4 times. I hunt only public land and have tried hard to get away from crowd, but bad health has limited me and that is the reason for being cut off. It's really hard to blame anyone for doing it because it's so easy to happen and that's the aggravating part. I hear a gobbler and then hear the hens..or is it a hunter working the bird..how should I approach, it's hard to tell the difference between real hens and someone calling...both can sound good or bad. I would venture to say most don't really care..they hear a gobbler and charge in. I backed off on birds about 3 times last season because I knew someone else was working the bird. I knew because the calling was way to much and way too much cackling. I also could tell one was using a Primos sounding slate rolling off the cackles. One bird I knew two were working as a team with mouth calls..that bird ended up having 1-5/8" spurs..Osceola. My point is I could have charged in and almost did and that is the frustrating part..not really being 100% sure and not wanting to back off on a hot gobbler. I backed off once thinking someone was working the bird and later went back in the area and he was still gobbling with no hen sounds this time and I called him in and killed it. Anyway I often think to myself while hunting public land how nice it must be to not have to worry every time you hear a gobbler about who else hears it..etc.

Fullback24

That's another point about public land.....etiquette and courtesy are almost non-existant. I can't stand sniper hunting for turkeys, but the thing that galls me the most is being shortstanded or run over by another hunter....and usually, the shortstander is also a sniper.......there's few idiots around here that are notorious for this crap.......I, like Ifly, have backed off on gobblers that I thought were being called to, only to figure out that there wasn't anyone in the vicinity......but, I feel better about that than I would about screwing someone else up........I think some hunters feel that the challenge is calling a gobbler off of someone else....that's not the way I play it....

Fullback24

That's another point about public land.....etiquette and courtesy are almost non-existant. I can't stand sniper hunting for turkeys, but the thing that galls me the most is being shortstanded or run over by another hunter....and usually, the shortstander is also a sniper.......there's few idiots around here that are notorious for this crap.......I, like Ifly, have backed off on gobblers that I thought were being called to, only to figure out that there wasn't anyone in the vicinity......but, I feel better about that than I would about screwing someone else up........I think some hunters feel that the challenge is calling a gobbler off of someone else....that's not the way I play it....

ranchand99

Nice post fullback24.I agree.

95% of my turkeys have come off of public land,and it makes taking a tom from private land so easy,and those video hunters?Most of those birds are 2yr olds,on private or low pressured public land..I have never seen a video with some of todays popular hunting names..where they have taken a tom from a WMA in Georgia.

I have had 3 or 4 Kamakazi birds come to me,and they are fun to hunt.They were all on private land.Personally though I get a better feeling of satisfaction from winning a long hard battle with a wise old tom.It's all abouttrying everything in your book,learning the bird,and finally figuring him out,and seducing him with the right calls(or learning when to shut-up)that makes it more fun in the end.It's a great feeling of knowing YOU took the tom that half a dozen or more hunters were after.Whether he has 3/4" spurs or 1 3/8" spurs.

Not just to go to the foodplot at the hunting club opening morning.Sticking out a few decoys.Making some sick sounding yelps,and having a Tom or 2 walk right in for you to hammer.(And yes it can be just that easy)

Even though Mr.Longbeard may not be a very popular person I still respect his view.Until you haveonly had public land to hunt you won't truly know how easy private land toms can be.

turk2di

Tho i agree with Mr.Longbeard for the most part,it would be prudent for him to re-read his post and make sure it's worded in such a way as to not become off as arrogantor judgemental. He has very good inputbut some miss his core message due to aforementioned distractions. Now............no matter how hard you try, if u hunt public enuf, your gonna unintentionally intrude on a tom working sequence initiated by someone else. Example: You hear a tom gobble in the distance, so u decide u must get closer, in the meantime another hunter has already been foolin with the bird for 30 minutes to no avail. Other hunter has tried to budge the ole rascal, but he is hung up so other hunter decides to stop all calling in hopes of breakin said tom. In the meantime here u come, completely unaware of prior hunter. So it can & does happen, probally more often than we realize.And in many instances, leaving other hunter to tell all his buddies how some idiot really screwed up his hunt

Rebel Hog

Yes, on week-ends and holidays! During the week, no problem!

ranchand99

I do agree with you turk2di.I have read several of Mr.Longbeards posts on this forum,and the forum on which I help moderate,and will agree his posts can come off as being very blunt,and narrow minded,but on this subject I'll have to agree with him...even if I don't agree with his wording,but then again that's Mr.Longbeard,and you gottarespect someonethat doesn't change his view just to be with the group.

Adrian J Hare

All I have to say is this post sure turned out to be a heck of a post on What one needs to be and do to hunt public land birds. Now here's a post that alot of hunters will learn by ...BT

Bobgobble2

Although I wont get caught up in all this toughest,hardest,smartest,crap,there have been some good points made here!I still wholeheartedly agree with S&R's statement about "its not all about the area we hunt but about pressured birds"!Most all the replys we make here on the forum come from our experiences afield brought about by hunting in OUR own stretch of woods!Many of the statements we make here are area specific as is this topic!I hunt Tehama county mainly here in N.Calif and 95% of our turkey population inhabit private land held by residential individuals as well as commercial timber holders controlling vast amounts of property cut-off to the public!Consequently most all of our turkey hunters hunt on private grounds simply because thats where the birds are at via lease,club,permission,and oh yes we have our fare share of tresspassers too!Just because it is private land doesn't neccassairly mean you have it to yourself around these parts!I hunt one small piece of private ground with a road that goesto the property cuttingthrough a # of other pieces of property privately owned!For the past few years it looks like a dang freeway before daylight as the hunters take to the field with headlights everywhere!I see more traffic there than on some of the public ground I hunt!
One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was joining a club that I first didn't look over the members and how it was run!I may have 400 acres of private ground to hunt but so do the guys on the ranch's next to me!Its a real joy working a bird with guys on the property lines sqeakin and chirpin trying to get them to come there way!And better yet get caught moving around busting your bird ending the hunt!I could go on but ettiquette is slowly developing into a thing of the past simply because of the attitude and amount of hunters taking to the spring woods!
We all deal with what were dealt and either make adjustments or go home!Overcoming pressured birds no matter where were at is,and is going to be part of this sport as we move forward!I choose to move forward and stop complaining,for me persistance pays sooner or later I'll find some blind lovesick gobbler to come my way...for what its worth ..Bob

ranchand99

Great post Bob!I'll agree with you,not all private land birds are a cake walk,but I have come across alot more un-educated birds there,and will admit if they live through an encounter with a hunter they dowise up.I'll also agree rudeness is everywhere not just public land.