Chris_H

When I first started turkey hunting, I didn't run and gun. I sat in a blind or on the edge of a field with decoys set up, and simply waited for hours on end. Not once did I not see turkey visiting my spots on a regular basis. I sometimes run and gun, but thats only on certain mornings when the birds aren't really working for me.My uncle, on the other hand, is a diehard to the grave turkey hunter, and 75% of the time he runs and guns, and is 99% of the time successful. In fact, he got me my first bird runnin' and gunnin'... a solid 21 lb., 9 inch bearded gobbler. Personally, I like to run and gun in the morning, but sit in the blind in the afternoon.

Bobgobble2

Too each his own fellas,but I can tell ya this if your movin blindly around turkey woods than your bumpin birds period!!!!!!Yes I said blindly because if you aint hearin them than thats exactly what your doin.I know too well what Swamper is talkin about,nothin worse than knowin theres birds in the area especially after doin your homework in your preseasonscouting,than to have some Joe Blow come along stoppin every 100 yards to crank a box call, or blow on some kind of locator call,only to blow out the birds that were already spooked by the guy before him.Mauser makes some great observations as I have seen the same thing in fellas travelin the roads in there rigs or ATV"s stoppin to try and locate only to have the birds go silent they didn't know were there in the first place and still didn't when they left.Turkeys can and do pattern hunters after a few spooked experiences by hunters doin the same thing through the course of a season.Nothin against nobody here we all do what works best for us individually.But understand hunting opportunties dictate if I'm going to R&G and cover some ground or be patient and sit and wait.If I'm going to hunt a small piece of ground I know there are birds than its putting my buttseat to work.Some of you fellas are blest with huge tracks of public ground others have plenty of farms and ranch's they hunt and can R&G because they have plenty of ground to hunt that holds birds.Others such as here in N. Calif are surrounded by mostly private ground with limited access to realistic turkey hunting possibilties on public.Consequently nobody is going to a small piece of ground to R&G on but are forced to take a more patient approach of which there sure isn't anything wrong with and just as effective.For me personally I like a patient approach because believe me there are alot of birds that get passed up by hunters who just because they dont here a bird sounding off or are unable to 'strike a bird'keep moving and if the truth be known I LIKE IT...keep movin.....Bob...

Hobbes

I hunt 95% public land (NF) that is broke up into large blocks scattered out over several counties. I guess I've always done whatever I thought the situation required. And I didn't get it from watching videos, I got from chasing gobbling turkeys. If I've got a bird roosted, I'll stay on him if he's gobbling and that may require moving several times. Yes I have bumped birds while moving and thinking I was certain I knew where they were, but I'm normally following a gobbling turkey and I've killed several of those birds doing that.

I also like to "run and gun". If I don't have a bird roosted and don't hear any from the roost ora bird I'veroosted doesn't cooperate after he flys down then I'll move to another area to find a bird that does want to gobble. I may come back to the area later to see if he's lost his hens or another bird has showed up, but I won't sit on my but for 4 hours without hearing a sound making the occasional yelp with the impression thatis the only way to kill a limbhanger. My morning would consist of walking trails and calling into areas that I have found birds in the past. I've hunted these areas for 18 years so I know where I have found birds in the past. If I don't find a bird from there, I'll head to the truck drive a couple miles to a trail I've had success on before and do pretty much the same. Yes I'll start out calling right from the truck.

I'm sure I've bumped a few birds I never knew about, but I never really cared. I'm looking for a bird that wants to gobbleand me bumpinga bird that I unknowingly walk into does not shut him up for the season and it doesn't run him out of the country. I don't care whos egoit hurts, were not dealing with Boone and Crocket Whitetails here. Calling like a lunatic at a bird may well shut him up, but what I'm doing isn't. I've actually bumped a couple birds while movingthat wasn't sayinga word, then moved around a couple ridges and called the bird in gobbling and walked out with him over my shoulder. And no, they were not all 2 year olds. But, I will add to that, I'll thump a two year old any day of the week.

Hobbes

I should add that the area I cut my teeth on hunting had plenty of tracts of land for me to hunt my style. Those that are not fortunate enough to have that opportunity are limited to parking it on the place they have in a likely area. I always like hunting NF because of the amount of area I had to find a bird that wanted to cooperate, but I knew a lot of guys that hunted one 100 acre farm and parking it was the only option.

Makes my butt hurt too much.

gmil6184

haha as you can see, opinions on what hunting style works best are about as spirited as who has the nicer truck, smarter dog, or prettiest girl friend. Run and gun, in my limited definition, is where you try to strike up a bird with either a locater or hen call, and then move in to a position to try to call him in or intercept him. Its my preferred style of hunting because it feels more active and exciting then sitting and waiting in a blind. Like some people have said earlier, my thought is that I just spent all deer season sitting still and being quiet, now I want to move around and do some calling! Granted, any time you are moving in the woods you are likely to spook game, even if you don't realize it. But being aggressive and calling a lot is what makes turkey hunting fun for me and I have been fairly successful. I also have the good fortune of hunting a fairly large track of private ground so take that for what its worth..

Chris_H

Well, when I run and gun, my homework has definitely been done, and I go to my normal sitting spot. Only then if the birds aren't working for me will I begin to move, or if I see them and they arent moving from their location.

Now just here me out... I'm not trying to be a pain here, but how do you know that you are bumping birds if you don't know that you are bumping birds? Think about it. [8D]

SwampCollie

When you turkey hunt long enough, you'll begin to realize that in the spring time when you aren't hearing birds gobble, and you are no longer seeing birds regularly, its because they have gotten wise to you. You only have to mess a turkey up one time to educate him for an entire spring, sometimes his entire life. Depends on how bad the "bump" is. More over, if you have ever hunted on public or hunt club land where there are more than one or two hunters hunting a piece of property, you can occasionally see the direct effect of human interaction. If you are doing much walking at all, you occasionally meet one coming the other way on a road, or perhaps bump into one walking out into a field.

If you see lots of turkey sign... and never any turkeys... guess what... you are bumping birds.

When you put on a deer drive but don't see any deer... do you really think that there are just no deer in the area? Or do you think perhaps that they just stayed a step ahead of you? Same concept.... and just like deer the more turkeys interact with humans, the more they pattern us. Its not like they are super smart or anything... but over the generations... dumb ones aren't around long enough to pass on their stupid traits to the next generation.

SwampCollie

See... thats not really running and gunning. That is just moving to find a hot bird. Thats totally normal activity for turkey hunting. And true, you will run in to one every now and then.

Let me give my definition of run and gun hunting, just to clear up some of the bickering and what not. I don't honestly think I even really explained it any how.

Run and gun hunting is when you have a bird gobbling, and often when you have a bird responding to your calls... but rather than letting him come to you... you decide to go to him. You make the bird gobble... then you "run" to the bird, set up fast in a likely area somewhere between where you were and where he was... then you hopefully "gun" him.... hence run and gun. It more accurately immulates what really goes on in nature... but it is also risky because you run the chance of having a bird meet you in the middle. Part of turkey courtship is the tom strutting for the hen... and he has to have a place to strutt. He won't do it in the briars or the water... he prefers open woods, roads or fields. Makes sense. Toms usually have a spot they like to strutt in, and they are not hard to find.. writing is on the ground. If he is not in his strutting area, and has responded to your calls... you have to beat him there. Thats when your decoys... and your hustle (hence RUN) pays off.

What you and a few others are describing Hobbes is not what I consider run and gun hunting. All that is what I consider "prospecting"... just looking for one to sound off. There are in my opinion right and wrong ways of doing this.. and any time I acctually MAKE a turkey noise... I will stay where I'm at for at least 20 minutes... because birds will come in quiet. I have learned never to run that call unless I am ready for a bird to gobble 100 yards away and come charging to be in gun range in less than 30 seconds. I have been burned too many times just walking and calling randomly in semi-suspect areas.

Rory/MO

if you know what your doing, this wouldnt happen, and if this happend you would also probably be overhunting it

Hobbes

I'll go ahead and say that regardless of how it reads, I'm notreally bickering just stating my opinions on the subject. No hard feelings either way. I know I could turn you onto my way where I normally hunt and you'd walk away with a smile. Not always a bird, but almost always a smile.

I feel Ithat while I'm not an expert, I have hunted long enough (18 yrs) to havehad quite a fewturkey encounters from "bumps" to "kills".While I have never even remotely thought they were push overs, I've neverbeen of the opinion that one bump will shut a turkey down for the rest of the season and no where close to the rest of his life. I've blown chances on too many birds and turned around and killed what I know was the same bird within a couple days.

As far as "run and gun" bySwampCollie's definition, I do it all the time. I give the bird a chance to come to me, but if he hangs up or it's obvious he is moving around me and I feel I can make a move........I'm on my feet and moving on the bird. This does not have to be a sit on my but and hope the turkey feels like coming to my current location. I can move and have successfully done it my fair share. Myself and friends do this successfully on a number of birds every year and 99% of those birds are public land. If I know there are others in the area I don't move as freely and I've hunted a couple public areas that I was afraid to move, but my usual areas allow for me to "run and gun" when necessary and do plenty of "prospecting".