Ethics Check

[Wild spirit man]

I read with interest your article called "Ethics Check" but when I went on line to your web sight I could not find a link to forums or any thread called Ethics Check.  I would have liked to post my answers but alas it was either not there or just buried too deep to find.

[wisturkeyhunter]

There are several post down below in the talkin' turkey general discussion forum that talk about it.

[Turkeybuster]

HEY Wild spirit man WELCOME!
 
Start a new thread make your post and go from there you will get a lot of replys as this is discussed quite often on the forum.
 
Turkeybuster
 

[Fan Club]

Welcome to the forum, Wild Spirit!
 

[johnwaynejeep]

Here's my responses to the article
 
Situation 1: The Mystery Caller
I would go with choice A) call more aggressively.
 
Reason: I thought this exact scenario happened to me last year. I was out Cutt-and-run hunting and I thought I stumbled into someone elses range cause the amount of calls coming from the other side of this clearing was amazing. I tucked down and stayed quiet hoping I didn't mess up someones day of hunting. To find out there was no other hunter. SD turkey are amazingly vocal and I don't think you can call too much for them out here. Calling more aggressively is not going to signal your presence to another hunter, I would hold my ground and continue calling and hope for the best.
 
Situation 2: Cornfield Capers
A) grab your gun and get ready
 
Reason: My decision to shoot or not to shoot would be based on my reason for hunting. If I'm hunting for food then I'll take the shot. If I'm hunting for a trophy then I would like to think I would pass and try another location. That's not to say that I would not give in to temptation though. I'd like to think the best of myself but honestly I think the bird has a 50/50 shot in this case.
 
Situation 3: Roosting Rhetoric
B) Don't take the shot
 
Reason: It's illegal. There are times when a person can wrestle with himself and argue one way or another...like I did in situation 2...but a turkey in a tree is a turkey in a tree.
 
Situation 4: Distance Dilemma
A) Grab the rifle
 
Reason: I bought a combination over/under 12ga/222 last month just for turkey hunting. I see no reason why you can't use a rifle to turkey hunt. There have always been varying levels of difficulty in hunting that hunters can challenge themselves with. In reference to deer you can hunt with rifle, muzzleloader, compound bow and traditional bow. Each tactic has an increased level of difficulty that hunters can choose to challenge themselves with if they choose to do so. My friend thinks anyone who doesn't hunt with a traditional bow is not a real hunter. I agree he's a more skilled hunter then me and I aspire to improve myself but I don't think of myself as a non-hunter because I use a rifle.
 
 
The bottom line is I would like to think that I'm an ethical hunter, but sometimes I bend the rules and there's days when I've gone home disappointed in myself and my actions. We all have our demons and we all have to learn to deal with our temptations.