Has anyone used a tail fan to walk up on turkeys?
04-15-2015, 09:18 AM
#22
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: West TN
Posts: 847
col if you are worried about that then a simple wrap or two of electrical tape around your barrels end will prevent that. (Same goes for muzzleloaders & rifles in the rain during deer season) The thousands of psi will blow it off when you fire it so no worries there!
04-15-2015, 09:41 AM
#23
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
Colbea, as I have already said, I would strongly advise against crawling around with a turkey fan in front of your face stalking a turkey, however, there are times when a hunter must crawl, at those times crawling using your elbos instead of your hands with the firearm accross both the crooks in your arm like the military teaches will keep your muzzle out of the dirt.
04-19-2015, 04:11 AM
#24
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MT
Posts: 759
Yes I do!!! And it is awesome! My set up is this. Set up a pretty boy and hen. Do some calling and see the birds. (or even just see some in a pasture) They don't come in. So, with a spare fan right next to me I will throw it up in front of me. I'll stand up, walk out to the decoy, take it down and go back to walking right at the birds in the field. And when I say walking, I mean standing upright (I'm 5'11") put the gun down by my leg and the fan just below my eyes. When I see them commit on the intruder (me) I will then kneel or lay down and wait for them to get where I want them and drop the fan and shoot. Very Exciting!!
As far as safety....I normally know I'm alone BUT shooting at a 195 pound tail fan without a head is mind boggling to me. Especially if there are other birds in the field that I obviously am going directly towards. But my question is this for you that say this is un-safe. You are sitting in a bush/next to a tree perfectly camo'd in. Not even a photograph could give up your location. You have that tom decoy right in front of you waiting to bring the birds in. (And these decoys are getting too lifelike.) You do a perfect sequence of calling. BUT out of the blue a hunter peeks up out of the treeline. He sees the decoy. But he doesn't see you. He shoots at the decoy not realizing what is beyond his trophy bird. How safe is that? Sure you can make contact by waving or screaming but what if you don't see him at first?
Here's my view. I never thought this would work until 3 years ago. I was in a terrible rut of not getting any birds even close. I had 2 toms, 1 jake and 3 hens in a neighbors field. They weren't even interested in the call. I laid down with the fan up in front of me moving it from side to side. Long story short, 1 hen came to 5 yards from me, the jake was about 5 feet from me and the tom hung up at 50 yards. I moved the fan and scared the jake and when he jumped the tom came running in. 10 seconds after that there was a tom laying in the field.
This WILL stay in my hunting strategy!!
As far as safety....I normally know I'm alone BUT shooting at a 195 pound tail fan without a head is mind boggling to me. Especially if there are other birds in the field that I obviously am going directly towards. But my question is this for you that say this is un-safe. You are sitting in a bush/next to a tree perfectly camo'd in. Not even a photograph could give up your location. You have that tom decoy right in front of you waiting to bring the birds in. (And these decoys are getting too lifelike.) You do a perfect sequence of calling. BUT out of the blue a hunter peeks up out of the treeline. He sees the decoy. But he doesn't see you. He shoots at the decoy not realizing what is beyond his trophy bird. How safe is that? Sure you can make contact by waving or screaming but what if you don't see him at first?
Here's my view. I never thought this would work until 3 years ago. I was in a terrible rut of not getting any birds even close. I had 2 toms, 1 jake and 3 hens in a neighbors field. They weren't even interested in the call. I laid down with the fan up in front of me moving it from side to side. Long story short, 1 hen came to 5 yards from me, the jake was about 5 feet from me and the tom hung up at 50 yards. I moved the fan and scared the jake and when he jumped the tom came running in. 10 seconds after that there was a tom laying in the field.
This WILL stay in my hunting strategy!!
04-19-2015, 07:38 AM
#25
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hatton, Alabama
Posts: 520
I will try to get a video up later. My buddy has used this technique the last 5 seasons and it has done well for him. He limited out the last 2 years and about half of them came this way. I would advise against using this in timber.
For the record...we hunt public land in Alabama exclusively. Trust me...watching him try to sneak on one there is ZERO chance he will be mistaken for a turkey. He doesn't belly crawl. He squats low, sometimes crawls. He uses the technique to take birds in clear cut. Matter of a fact we have nicknamed him "Cutover".
Last week he and I set up on a dogwood the size of your arm in the middle of some clear cut. Just over the rise and down in a low spot was a strutter about 80 yards. 250 yards to the left a gobbling bird. 150 yards to the right in the timber 2 gobbling birds. at first he tried the "Chicken on a Stick". He saw what he thought was another gobbler so he backed up hoping to call them up to the rise for a double. We were trying to get the birds to the right but the left hand bird came in from 250 across the cutover to meet his maker at 33 yards. While we didn't get the bird with the decoy just the fact that the strutter never left the wide open after seeing my buddy almost completely standing up sold me on the technique.
For the record...we hunt public land in Alabama exclusively. Trust me...watching him try to sneak on one there is ZERO chance he will be mistaken for a turkey. He doesn't belly crawl. He squats low, sometimes crawls. He uses the technique to take birds in clear cut. Matter of a fact we have nicknamed him "Cutover".
Last week he and I set up on a dogwood the size of your arm in the middle of some clear cut. Just over the rise and down in a low spot was a strutter about 80 yards. 250 yards to the left a gobbling bird. 150 yards to the right in the timber 2 gobbling birds. at first he tried the "Chicken on a Stick". He saw what he thought was another gobbler so he backed up hoping to call them up to the rise for a double. We were trying to get the birds to the right but the left hand bird came in from 250 across the cutover to meet his maker at 33 yards. While we didn't get the bird with the decoy just the fact that the strutter never left the wide open after seeing my buddy almost completely standing up sold me on the technique.
04-19-2015, 08:11 AM
#26
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
" Trust me...watching him try to sneak on one there is ZERO chance he will be mistaken for a turkey". Sorry, there is a chance of some fool shooting him. I have seen hunters in PA mistaken for a turkey because they had a red full beard, because the used a red or blue hankerchief, and other absolutly ridiculous excused. Much of this nonsense is because of the drive to be successful and have bragging rights. There is a mental condition that occurs when a person is so goal oriented that they see what they want to see and convince themselves what they are looking at is a turkey when indeed it is a human being. I have seen far too many people blinded on one or both eyes, have sever and traumatic other kinds of injuries, seen brother shoot brother, grandfather shoot and blind hs grandson. All of these things were because the shooters thought they were shooting at a turkey. So, no I won't trust you,( not calling you a liar, just addressing your statement). I have seen what can happen so there is no way I would ever sneak turkey behind a turkey fan, standing crawling or stupped over because indeed, there is a chance I would get shot in mistake for a turkey. No turkey or any other animal or bird is worth getting shot and on public land, your chances of something bad happening are even better than private. For those who do it, or think there is no danger, go ahead and do it, however, for those considering doing it, consider long and hard before you do. Every hunter should have to observe the aftermath of a hunter getting shot in the field, both immediately after it happens and the long range affects to the victim and their family, perhaps they would think differently about taking unnecessary chances just to shoot a piece of game.
04-19-2015, 08:45 AM
#28
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Hatton, Alabama
Posts: 520
Go back and read my post again. I said that I wouldn't suggest it in timber. I do believe that there is virtually zero chance of getting shot in the middle of clear cut. Watch the video. First off he would have to be in range. If someone is that terribly sighted in the wide open then they don't need to be driving themselves around. ZERO chance he would get shot in that situation and I stand behind that 100%.
I would never, never, never do this in the timber. Fields and clear cut are totally different beasts.
I would never, never, never do this in the timber. Fields and clear cut are totally different beasts.
04-19-2015, 09:46 AM
#29
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,436
I do not have to go back and read it, I read it quite thoroughly the first time. You don't believe it could happen, I know it can. I have seen hunters shot in mistake for game in timber, on the edge of and in open fields. If you want to do it, by all means do so. I posted because of those who may be thinking of doing it, because I believe it is unsafe and have seen enough carnage in turkey and other seasons to have some basis in fact for my belief. You are not always alone on a property, even when you are supposed to be and there is no other species that causes to do stupid things. I have called in hunters when I was supposed to be the only person on a property, and that was using a hen call in spring gobbler season. You never know who is lurking around listening to the same bird as you are working. Not going to turn this into a protracted argument, I said what I had to say and you will do what you want to do. Be safe, I am out of this.
04-19-2015, 10:54 AM
#30
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
When a person says it will "never" happen in a certain circumstance, I would have to remind them of the old saying: "never say never"! No way would I attempt this fan deal anywhere on public land and IMHO if a person is already trespassing on private property it would lead me to believe that they don't follow common sense rules either and may just be the one to watch out for that would shoot at anything resembling their quarry.