Would you use a rifle for turkey hunting

[Todd1700]

Your knowledge of ballistic is also sadly lacking.

Then by all means feel free to specifically point out where my ballistics knowledge is lacking rather than making a meaningless general comment like the one above which is backed up by nothing. Are you saying that shotguns with turkey shot will kill turkeys at 160 yards? Are you saying that rifles won't kill humans farther away than shotguns? Are you saying that a guy shooting in my direction with a 243 from 400 yards isn't a danger? Because unless you are implying that one of those points is wrong I don't know what the hell you are talking about with your ballistics comment. I doubt seriously you have any idea what you are talking about either.

And your constant attempt to transform a hunting debate into a gun control slash gun ownership debate is ridiculous. So you want people to be able to use whatever weapon they want for hunting any animal in any circumstance? What about duck hunting? You want people shooting up into the air with high powered rifles? Same for dove? Quail? Geese? Lord have mercy where do you folks come from. How old are you? 12? You sound like one of these guys that is destined to end up in a cabin in the hills of Montana wearing a tinfoil hat and babbling about black helicopters coming to whisk you away to a secret UN forced labor camp. Get on some anti psychotic meds my friend before you end up in a cell next to Ted Kaczynski.

What do you do for an encore? Go to a cooking website; wander into the middle of a debate on the best tuna casserole recipe and start accusing the people who don't like yours of being pro abortion liberals. Cause that's just about as crazy as what you are doing here.

[sidewinder319]

It ia amazing the gun owners who are mad up set Liberals and don't even know it.

[Todd1700]

  Way to not answer anything I said. Could it be because if you tried to debate me on actual facts you would come out about as well as a one legged man in an @$$ kicking contest. Go ahead and give us your defense of wing shooting ducks with a rifle since there should be absolutely no weapons related hunting restrictions whatsoever. Explain to us how the family members of people killed by the fall back bullets should just shut up and not complain less they be labeled un-American communists by some random basement dweller on the internet. And I'm still waiting for the lesson on the ballistics I was so wrong about. LOL!

If you think I'm being harsh go find any busy hunting forum and post that you don't believe there should be any restrictions on weapons and ammo used when it comes to the hunting of any game. Even if that means shooting into the sky at ducks, quail, or dove with a 30-06. See what they say to you. I'd recommend some asbestos underwear before you start.

You have the right to own any firearm you desire and to do what you want with your life. You do not have the right to engage in activities that greatly endanger the lives of other innocent people. I'm sorry you lack the ability to see the distinction between those things.

[billy_56081]

The largest percentage of accidental shootings while turkey hunting comes from shotguns. FACT!

[Todd1700]

The largest percentage of accidental shootings while turkey hunting comes from shotguns. FACT!

That's because 99.5 percent of all turkey hunters use a shotgun. That's like the old statistic, "90 percent of car accidents occur within 5 miles of your home". Well yeah, but it's because that's were you do 90 percent of your driving not because the roads around your house are the most dangerous.

[billy_56081]

The accident rate with shotgun is higher even per capita. 

[ironglow]

Predator hunting ( fox, coon, coyotes etc) is done in full camo with all the usual "hiding" techniques..scent, scent blocker.  Then there also are the other accoutrements..lures, predator calls etc.
    Predator hunters are normally equipped with long range rifles..anywhere from .22 hornet to .204 Ruger, 22-250 & .220 swift..

  Still, no big casualty figures..not nearly as many as the shotgunners with turkeys; in fact..I cannot recall one predator hunter shooting another, even WITH the long range rifles they use.....  Why is that ?
     I used to write our state game commission regularly..Where I live, until the last few years, big game hunting was relegated to "shotgun only" which meant slugs.  Finally, a few years ago, my county and several others opened big game to rifle..(any centerfire).  I guess some figured the hunting accidents would really climb.  Actually, as I told the DEC, the shooting accidents not  only didn't rise, but actually declined in those counties.
   Now, many morel counties in my state are allowing rifles for big game..

[Todd1700]

Predator hunting ( fox, coon, coyotes etc) is done in full camo with all the usual "hiding" techniques..scent, scent blocker.  Then there also are the other accoutrements..lures, predator calls etc.
    Predator hunters are normally equipped with long range rifles..anywhere from .22 hornet to .204 Ruger, 22-250 & .220 swift..

  Still, no big casualty figures..not nearly as many as the shotgunners with turkeys; in fact..I cannot recall one predator hunter shooting another, even WITH the long range rifles they use.....  Why is that ?

Because turkey hunting, by it's nature, is inherently a little more dangerous in that a gobbling bird usually draws the  hunters to it rather than vice versa. Coon hunting is typically done with dogs which you can hear barking for a mile and the animal is usually treed before being killed. Other predator hunting is usually done by setting up and calling the animal to you with very loud predator calls (often even on an electronic device) which is pretty easy to hear as well. And it's also a numbers thing. Very few people in the woods predator hunting compared to almost any other kind of hunting. Oh sure most folks will shoot a coyote as a target of opportunity but I'm talking specifically hunting them. I know hundreds of people that hunting deer, turkey, ducks, etc, etc,. But I only know one guy that goes coyote hunting and he does it after every other type of hunting season has gone out. (there is no closed season on varmint animals here).

Now, many morel counties in my state are allowing rifles for big game..

Big game sure, but if you have been reading the posts of this sidewinder guy who I have been posting in response to, he is advocating no restrictions of any kind. Which would mean if you want to shoot at flying ducks with a 270? Go for it. And if anybody thinks that's a bad idea then according to him you are a Sarah Brady gun grabber. I think that's nonsense.

[ironglow]

   Although I don't hunt any birds here as I explained in another post, I converse with turkey hunters regularly.  Their game it seems is to call in the bird to their gun.  They indicate that to seek out the bird by pursuit is a child's game  and often joke about now and then calling in some rube to their blind.
  I won't get abrasive about it but I expect my state is just a bit tardy in changing their rules to catch up. just as they were with the rifle season for big game.  Across the border, in PA they have used rifles to bag turkeys for many years (mostly .22 mag), perhaps never quit since frontier days and there is no unusual shooting accident record there.
  I am a state approved & trained hunter/safety instructor, and I am of the firm opinion that very, very few "hunting accidents" are truly accidents in the pure sense of the word.  Almost every accident is because somebody did something STUPID !  So often, we hear stories on the news in which the wrongdoer makes the following statement..  " Ithought i was shooting a deer" or "I thought I was shooting a turkey".. A person like that has to be 2 persons, since 1 person alone can't be that stupid !
  If one is hunting turkeys he must decide A)  Is it a turkey? B) Is it a tom turkey ? C) Is it a clean shot with a clear backstop ?  The same goes for a deer, bear or any other game..no excuse for shooting another man in these cases.  The charge should be stiff !  A slob hunter is a slob hunter and ruins things for all of us, and it reaches over to 2nd amendment issues (providing grist for the anti-gun mills).

  I do disagree with a couple of your conclusions;
 
   1)  Predator hunting is not a "second choice" to to big game.  I prefer it over big game and I am FAR from alone.  I also prefer varmint hunting over big game hunting.
   2) Although coon hunting is generally done with dogs and I have done plenty that way..day/night predator calling for coon is coming on strong..it's a real blast !
  A narrow , but often used definition;      Varmints=woodchucks, rockchucks, prairie dogs,     Predators= coyotes, wolves, coon, fox, bobcats

   In any case, it is the slob huntere who is the REAL danger and all true sportsmen should do their best to weed him out..

[SHOOTALL]

lets face it alot of the people shooting other hunters is from inexperinced hunters or hunters with buck i mean gobbler fever. Someone using a rifle in many cases is more inclined to get a better sight picture , often inexperinced shotgunners feel they can blow a hole thru. anything. Predator hunting around here takes place at night when few other hunters are in the area making compareing it to turkey hunting much like compareing apples to oranges.
There are many reasons to hunt turkey and many ways to do so. I find it ammusing when someone using a modern gun of any kind starts talking making it hard so it means something . Well if that's the case for them I would suggest either crawling up and grabbing one or jump out of a tree and bite one on the neck. Some folks like eating turkey and don't care to sit in a tick infested area to call one . Others just like rifle hunting . Anyone calling and hunting with a 22 RF is still got a lot of dificulty involved. Then there are the hunters who like to take a turkey when deer hunting when legal. The ones who clain purest should hunt the way they like and leave the rest alone to their ways of hunting.

[ironglow]

Shootall;
  I can agree with that..

[billy_56081]

I think Shootall said it best. Most turkey related shootings happen from sound shooters with shotgun. Slobs who should be banned from ever hunting.