I have a lot of turkeys around my place and they were active today. Heard lots of gobbles

But I noticed that over the years when Im out side and Im wearing black they seem to not be bothered by me.

I wonder if black is better than camo on them?

Just an observation and maybe the birds dont feel threatened.

But I think I could have stalked within shooting distance of one today

Interesting observation.

Conventional wisdom would make one think that the solid black would be easier to see and make movement more obvious, but maybe not?

They sound tame. Black is seen easily in the woods because it makes a definite outline.

they are wild turkeys Maybe used to people?

No idea, but my great-great-uncle was a lifelong and locally legendary turkey hunter and by all accounts he always hunted in an old black suit that was too worn out for church.

Now, al snow, that is interesting!

I am considering wearing a black sweatshirt hoodie behind my Heads Up decoy

You do that here and someone will blow YOU away with a .243.

There was a fella' some years ago from the state of Virginia, I can't remember his name right now. He made quite a name for himself as a hunter although he used a compound. He always wore a black hooded sweatshirt when he hunted everything.

"Hey Tom, the two-legged feeder filler is stalking us in his ninja suit again."

"Ignore him, Jake. Let him think the ninja suit works. You gonna eat that corn?"

Try walking up to them wearing black in the woods. They’ll run like hell. It’s the house they don’t feel threatened with. Turkeys get almost domesticated in a sense fairly quick. Years back I had a flock for 15 years would be in my yard. I started throwing feed out cause I liked seeing them and wasn’t going to hunt them. I’d be on my deck grilling burgers and they’d see me, run up and stand under the deck looking for food. It was almost a pia. At my current place I see them almost every day in the farm fields across the road. You can about walk up to them. Their interest is strictly the breeding season. In 2 weeks our season starts. Wear black than and try walking up to them. May happen once wearing anything. Over last summer I’d be shooting my bow and a buck would run right at me with 15 yards to get to a jewel weed patch. He did it almost every day. I wear T-shirt’s in summer. You think maybe I should wear T-shirt’s deer hunting since this buck wasn’t alarmed? Just something to think about. The obvious answer is the same reason the birds are acting like they are

Forgot to add, they’d be on my drive in my old place. I had a puppy starting pen for rabbit dogs fenced in right below my drive. When the poults got to where they could mostly jump and not really fly well they’d sometimes jump down into pen and couldn’t get out. The hens would sit there while I went into pen and pick up poults and lift them over fence. Didn’t matter what I wore. They’d kee kee regular but there was no excitement or vocalizations during this moment. After they were set free they’d just stay in yard and pick bugs off the lawn

Last spring during youth season, I was working cattle and saw a nice tom out in the hay field. I called a buddy of mine to come over and bring his nephew to try on that bird. When he got there, we devised a run and gun plan to have me push the bird down a timber edge right by him and the youth hunter. Well, they got set up and I got into position and when the time came I tried to push the bird. Plan worked perfectly, except that when the tom saw me he instantly came to full strut and actually came towards me. I had on black Carhartt from head to toe and I puffed up right after he did. We had a little stand off for about 1 minute until he decided that I was either a human or too big to fight! At this point he ran right to my friend and with one 410 shell the kid had meat! I’m not going to say I’m hunting in black, but I got within 35 yards of him before he turned and dropped strut. I was crawling on my knees and trying to stay low, but it was in a wide open field. Also, these birds get hunted a bunch and are not stupid, although he might have been the exception. Nevertheless, the kid was pumped and that’s what matters.

Crawling on your knees to a lovesick bird only proves the bird thought you were another turkey. The fact that it figured it out, shows you were lucky you had another hunter in place.

In Pa., in the spring, it's illegal to stalk turkeys for obvious reasons; you may get shot, since people, although not lovesick, are in a heated sense of urgency to kill a turkey many times. If your state allows that then you need to keep your wits about you before making a turkey out of yourself. It only takes one guy making one mistake.

That’s why I said that George. It was on a 3,500 acre ranch with no roads except a drive going up to where we work. He and I were the only ones there and I being a non youth, was not armed. I am aware of both the law and other hunters. Had we been elsewhere, we would not have tried. Oh, I had my wits about me as well.

Interesting observation, I think I will stick with my camo though. Rather be unnoticed than ignored.

Ditto of bluesman !

Don’t do it in PA you could get shot.

Black is camo when your in a blind. Every turkey I killed except the first I had on black.

Bowmania

For safety reasons, Never wear Black, Red, White , nor Blue.

Had two toms breeding females in my yard last weekend. They are not scared around the house but try to approach them out beyond and they take off when they see you a half mile away no matter what you ate wearing.

Waiting for you to fill your bird feeder. Stalking is illegal in most states.

Go ahead and try to pursue the bird and see what they do. You will find out quick enough.

Only way you find out for yourself. You try to pursue the birds around the house and I think they may do something much different than you think.

My dog chased birds off the fence one day they never came back. I believe a bird can think and reason. I seen to many to think other wise.

Black is the blind colors its red, white and blue not to wear. Someone might shoot you mistake those colors for whats on a bird. Supposed to ID your target and beyond but that's when pigs fly.

Many of us have had bad experiences turkey hunting over the years.

Sure hit the nail on the head with bad experiences. Myself and my friend had a gobbler all fired up.This gobbler double and triple gobbled several times. We were on some public game lands in Susquehanna county pa. This guy came between us two and the gobbler and shot it.Snuck right in on us working this bird we were working.

This is the very reason why its illegal to stalk turkeys in Pa. and NJ. Not sure about other states because people do these things.

I also think if you get checked by a CO and you don't have a call in your pocket you may get sited because they assume your stalking birds.

Its said that Turkey hunting is the most dangerous that more people get shot in this season.

Sad that someone can get this hungry for a bird they have to do this and put us in danger.

I hunt in SW PA and I will only hunt turkey on a piece of property that I know who else is hunting it. I'd hate to catch a 12 gauge blast and spring gobbler in PA is notorious for "accidental" shootings. I really wish PA would open spring gobbler up 2 weeks early for archery only, maybe someday.

PA Certainly is a beautiful place, love it down there

2 buddys got shot at last year in the road picking up a bird and got sprayed with pellets They called the warden who came out and took the guys gun and his truck and worse the bird that was a triple beard and 1 1/2 spus at least 25 plus pounds. I knew this bird and seen him before myself and what a bird. Apparently this farmer had been watching this bird also.

The farmer saw the bird fly over his field with arrow in it and drop in road he told warden. This farmer is who shot them he shot the bird in road with their arrow in him and took bird and ran in his house with it with their arrow.

When they jumped in truck to drive around to pick up they saw bird go down and this guy shoots the road and says this is my bird now and they and their truck got sprayed. They said warden is getting called and they did. Warden lived close and was right there.

They went to court and the guy got finned but they could not get bird back. Warden made sure they shot bird legally but refused to give evidence back after he checked things out.

He lost this giant bird but it could have been worse they could have gotten hurt by the guys gun shot or truck damaged.

Worst part this was one of their neighbors who done this.

Giant birds seem to make others nuts it seems and some lose a sense of safety and reality's.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here