smart or not?
 

I was watching American Hunter on T.V. when i noticed this guy crawling through the brush with a turkey feather stuck in his cap and then he sets up and starts calling i can only hope he was hunting private ground and sure there was no one else around i certainly would not recomend doing this your thoughts

RE: smart or not?
 

Its Not Smart, Lota Gun Happys Out There...But It Could Be Tradition For Him

RE: smart or not?
 

I have heard of people taking a feather from thier first kill and putting in thier hat, but to be crawling around in the field with one , in my opinion, is just stupid and asking for trouble. Maybe he is looking at starting a new tradition ... dodging shot.

You got to remember though if you saw it on tv it was most likely a game preserve and no other hunters around. So, thids guy was mostlikely safe. Wouldn't recommend it for most of us though.

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Some of the hunting shows amaze me. Last year I posted about a show that I saw where a guy took a turkey fan and held it in front of his face to try and bring in a strutting Tom. Having a feather in your hat is bad enough, but masquerading as a strutting bird is INSANE! What kills me is the new hunters may be checking this out thinking this is how it should be done. I think the guy said something like don't try this at home, but in my opinion airing something like that is just irresponsible. Also, I always wonder about the shows where the deer hunter is wearing orange, but the guide is not... I suppose guides are bullet proof...

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I have a Friend that will do whatever is needed to affix a Tag on a Bird. Iv witnessed him Stalk a Gobbler in a Field, that was 100 or so yards away, well into the Turkey Season, with a Carry Light Hen Decoy Sitting on his Head, while he crawled through the Medium High Grass, with his head and Decoy just a Bobbin. Damm Fool! He killed the Bird, and once he zeros in on a Gobbler, he usually finds a way to Tag Him. Did I mention that he is not Right in the Noggin!:D

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Your buddy sounds like one awsome turkey shooter;)

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in no way do I want to have anything on my person that has anything that looks like any kind of bird,durning turky season.

as for the hunter orange.some states ; state that "a hunter" has to wear so much hunter orange.only "a hunter".anyone else can tromp through the woods wearing anything they want as long as they are not carring a weapon and hunting license.they have a hunter, a guide , a camera man , and the only one that has to have it on is the hunter???????????makes a lot of since to me [:o][&:][&:].as you said guides are bullet proff I guess.

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RIStrut Stopper I would agree that is insane hard to believe video producers would allow such things to be aired

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You would have to be a real idiot to shoot at a guy with a feather in his hat. Once when in college at siu I took a guy jump shooting woodies on a creek. He was an amateur but he kept asking me. Anywas a crow jumped up and he instantly smoked him. He didnt identify his target. It could have been a baby in a stroller and he would have shot it! Needless to say i never hunted with that stroke again. S o I guess they sadly are out there.

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Thats risking a lot. I don't think that is a smart hunting tactic at all. There are many hunters out there who'll shoot at anything.

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My opinion is that if there is someone so foolish to shoot at a single feather, or even an Indian war bonnet full of feathers (no disrespect to our native americans) he should not have a firearm in his hands in the first place. We need to police our own.
In Mississippi, a legal gobbler has a 6 inch beard. That illiminates the "Bang Bang into the brush" mentality. I think that is good guidline and promotes clear shots.
On a humorous note: My dear father who was a champion for hunter safety and ethics, was hunting a gobbler that was responding aggressively to his calls. the terrain was hills and hollows and when your shot appeared, you had to take it. Well the repeated gobbling got closer and closer until a turkey head (no more that 20 feet away) broke the horizon of the ridge obstructing his view. One shot from that Ithica 20 ga. over/under and the woods fell silent. He had killed a mature hen and the gobbler disappeared into the spring undergrowth without a sound.
He walked back to camp toting an old hen and a heavy heart. When questioned about the hen he responded, " damn lesbian". We all got a good laugh and had quite a feast that evening.
The point of this story is to say that in 1986, There were very few turkey hunters and a shot like that was understandable. But today, we have many more turkeys... and hunters. Today my dear old dad would be chastized for lack of judgement. Ethics are changing for the better and I feel the wildlife will benifit.

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After reading this I have to ask , as too what kind of feather was used in this ?

On my first quest of a Grandslam I took a single sadle feather (colour phase) and placed it in my Lucky hunting hat. After I had the 4 th feather of all the subs , the hat was set aside. Now these feather were small being they were from the base of the tail, but I never had a problem with other hunters taking pot shots at me. After all a feather colour would still blend into a camo pattern of some sort due to color. I think a hunter would have to have a Bionic eye to see it was from a turkey ;) ...BT

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Excitement,peer pressure,competitions,iggnorance, can sometimes cloud a persons better judgement!I've guided many perspective hunters over the years and I would recommend leaving the feathers to the birds!Oh yes,I have my mounts and fans around the HOUSE but not in the woods!And no I dont carry a deke either!!.....Bob

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risky

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Holding a tom's fan up in front of one's face is asking for trouble, but a single feather in a hat doesn't seem to me like it would be anymore mistaken for a turkey than would the whites of ones eyes or one's nose hanging over the face mask.

Hunting with decoys would be thousands of times more dangerous I would think.

Hal