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Turkey reaping, anyone?

Why would you go all in on the first day? Like anything, it has its place.

Never said I was. Just asking about negative responses. Nothing wrong with being prepared. I’ve only reaped a turkey once, only tried it once as well.


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I was wondering about negative experiences as well. I’ve got a few birds lined up that seem prime for reaping. All in private farms I have permission on that don’t have a tree on them. The birds are roosted just off the field, my only access is from the field and the birds would see me walking in, so I don’t stand much of a chance of setting up without being spotted my thought is to wait until fly down and try my luck.
 
Gotcha, just trying to figure out why the strong stance against. Turkey hunting is at the top of my list. I too prefer to hunt them without decoys in the woods but that’s not every scenario & definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with using them. Outside of shooting them on the roost, all other legal methods I’m fine with.

Because I’m a purist, dammit!

We (I work for the USFS) just had a guy shot in the face this weekend. Was he reaping? I hope not because it’s illegal here (like it should be everywhere, lol). Zero excuse for EVER shooting another hunter, period.

The LEO report didn’t say whether decoys were being used or not, but it’s not far fetched to assume the shootee was putting the ninja sneak on some calling he heard and the shooter pulled the trigger on movement. Both situations are beyond comprehension to me.

If you want to hide behind a fan and belly crawl up to a bird and it’s legal where you hunt that’s on you, have it. And if you’re going to only do it on private land because the public is filled with crazies then you can take solace in the fact that it’s going to be a trespasser that shoots you in the face. Armed with that information I only ask that you file a hunt plan with your loved ones because he’s likely to haul ass and not offer the assistance you need as a result of him shooting you in the face.

And keep your phone charged
 
Just asking about negative responses. Nothing wrong with being prepared.

Well I got my answer. Got on a bird last Friday on some public land but every time I called, he moved further away (call shy). Finally caught up to a bird in full strut just over a small knoll. Backed down a bit, got my reaper fan up and about the same time the bird I was watching saw my fan, the "other" bird gobbled and I instantly knew the bird I had seen was a non-dominate bird just strutting with the other. He tucked tail and took the other one with him. So, there are negative reactions, especially with non-dominate birds.
 
Rookie.

Zip tie some tail feathers to the middle of your reap-o-matic to make it a Jake fan.

Stapling some Kevlar to the back of it might not be a bad idea either while you’re in the modding mood.
 
Well I got my answer. Got on a bird last Friday on some public land but every time I called, he moved further away (call shy). Finally caught up to a bird in full strut just over a small knoll. Backed down a bit, got my reaper fan up and about the same time the bird I was watching saw my fan, the "other" bird gobbled and I instantly knew the bird I had seen was a non-dominate bird just strutting with the other. He tucked tail and took the other one with him. So, there are negative reactions, especially with non-dominate birds.
I've seen birds run off from a full strut decoy and Ive seen longbeards shy away from a jake and hen decoy combo before too. It all depends on flock structure and the birds mentality. We have a problem with call shy birds on our farm who dont seem to be interested in coming to fight other toms or jakes. The only birds that want to come to tail fans are groups of jakes that seem to function as a gang, and we seem to have those more years than not.
Ive killed 2 birds with tailfans, one was a jake that was in a group coming to investigate a tailfan and the other was this last monday when I found a piece of public with no one hunting it and a bird hung up at 60 yards until he saw me flash a tailfan at him. If there would have been a single car in any of the lots the fan wouldnt have been used, but it worked real well on the bird I ran into.received_597844998277281.jpegDSCF0063.jpg
 
Rookie.

Zip tie some tail feathers to the middle of your reap-o-matic to make it a Jake fan.

Stapling some Kevlar to the back of it might not be a bad idea either while you’re in the modding mood.

I do use a real turkey fan instead of the picture that came with my kit but you are right that a jake fan would probably help avoid what just happened to me.
 
I'm a hunter safety instructor and besides tree stand falls, turkey hunting always has some kind of accident unfortunately every year. Statistically, turkey hunting is one of the more dangerous forms of hunting; although I preface that by also stating that hunting overall is one of the safest pursuits there is!!! You're at more of a risk driving to and from your hunting destination than you are when actually hunting. So with all of that said, we have always strongly encouraged students to sit and call Turkey's, not pursue them. Because reaping involves pursuit of a turkey calls and or turkeys, there is an inherent increase risk of danger. My recommendations are that you NEVER do it on public land whatsoever. I also recommend that you wear blaze orange when moving on public land during hunting season, than putting your full camo back on once you are set up to call. As far as reaping on private land where there is no risk of potentially unsafe encroachment by others, my advice is to do what brings you enjoyment in the field in a legal and more so an ethical way. If reaping to you is unfair advantage, don't do it. I was a run and gunner for years and it awesome to fire one up and bring it in. However, it is also just as awesome to set up a blind and call blind all day in known turkey country waiting for some action and an ethical bow harvest. As far as judgement on male turkey decoys, I've hunted enough over decoys to know, they do not provide an unfair advantage. There have been plenty of times turkeys will go right past decoys, other times they can't escape them. I've hunted turkeys long enough to know that decoys do not provide any added advantage in my opinion over general calling, leaf scratching or any other technique. So we also recommend not to sound like a Gobbler during the spring so you don't get shot, do any of you use a Gobble while hunting? How about coarse jake or gobbler yelps later in the spring as the males are starting to re-group. Some of these suggestions are more for safety than because there is some kind of undecided advantage over another. What about the guys using .410's with TSS loads and routinely and ethically harvesting toms out tp 50-60 yards? Is that unfair advantage? Personally, I put my decoys at 8 yards from my blind so I can pin their head with a broadhead because I like to see and listen to them come in. But they oftentimes don't come in at all one day and may not the whole season. That was my season last year!! First time I hadn't shot a turkey in years but I had some of the best hunting ever in terms of pure, in the midst of it birds all around me. my buck three80's worth.
 
On my full strut decoys, I use one of my harvested full fans as well. I also paint the head completely white on my full strutter. Many times I believe it scares the subdominate toms and jakes off but once in awhile it will make an old field strutter break. I only use it when I 've been hunting for a week and that field strutter completely ignores everything else I do.
 
I have nothing to add except.
1. It can be highly effective
2. It can be a lot of fun
3. It can be dangerous

I will also add, I don't always carry a decoy, but I always have a fan with me. For instance, I just last week I had 2 toms gobbling in an opening in the timber. Even at 75 yards away I could not get them to break and come to me. The timber was thick with under brush (private property), I held up the fan in front of me, crawled down the hill and shot a bird in the face. I could never have done that without the fan.
 
I went all in reaping today. Spooked several non-dominant birds, had a group of hens leave the Tom they were with to come with me and he just walked away the opposite direction, and had a Tom and two jakes come in after calling at them and standing at the property line for 20 minutes. Missed the Tom. They got too dang close! Here’s a screenshot of the GoPro footage. 861585AA-0480-4A8F-8A43-0BFF7FA732F2.jpeg
 
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