From Minnesotas DNR website.......lol. Stay bold........


Aggressive Turkeys
Remember that wild turkeys have a "pecking order" and that habituated birds may respond to you as they do to another turkey. The best defense against aggressive or persistent turkeys is to prevent the birds from becoming habituated in the first place by being bold to them. Everyone in the neighborhood must do the same; it will be ineffective if you do so only on your property. Each and every turkey must view all humans as dominant in the pecking order and respond to them as superiors rather than subjects. Habituated turkeys may attempt to dominate or attack people that the birds view as subordinates.
Adult humans may drive off or deter these aggressive birds with bold action by forcefully fending them off with brooms or other non-injurious implements. However, the turkey may then recognize that individual as dominant but continue to respond to other people as subordinates.
Turkeys which repeatedly challenge or attack children or elderly persons or otherwise threaten public safety may ultimately have to be destroyed. Keep turkeys wild to avoid these consequences.
Trapping and relocating "nuisance" turkeys is not an option. The methods used to trap turkeys in remote areas are often impractical or ineffective in urban or suburban areas due to safety or disturbance. Released turkeys may also continue their inappropriate actions where they are released or may move substantial distances to other suburban sites.

Might take a little longer. The 9 year old and the bow hunter are throwing a wrench in the gears.

Can you tell if a bird is a two year old or an old bird when he comes into range?i sure can't and don't know anybody that can unless they are real close where you can see their spurs,if he has a full fan he gets shot,part of the excitement of turkey hunting is running to your bird to see how big his hooks are

Google and I are tight....

Pretty easy if you have them named. After all they are tame.

Les, you are entertaining but I think we have all figured out that you are not serious.

A little off topic, I do not turkey hunt much but would like to add something. I have fished with my father as well as a friend several times in Mn. We would take a week off, rent a canoe from an outfitter, and camp in the Boundary Waters National Park. A true wilderness experience with unbelievable fishing. Smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, even huge crappie caught all day long for a solid week. Although there are bound to be some great fishermen in that state, I have not met one yet. When showing others pictures, or stringers of fish we kept for supper, no one could believe they were not caught on leaches. We had a bait shop owner all but call us liars when we stopped to weigh a smallmouth or two. He could not believe we caught them in a small spill way right down from his shop with plastic slider worms of all things. He still believes at they were caught on leaches in a larger lake I am sure. We have never fished live bait up there and I dont want to even think about handling a damn bloodsucking leach. We pretty much use what we fish wheeler, guntersville, and any other alabama impoundments with. We have been there plenty when the locals complain that the fishing is slow and we have no problem catching till we are tired of it. The only thing I can figure is that the water is in liquid form maybe 4 or 5 months of the year, with good fishing maybe 3 of those months. The locals probably never really have enough experience to learn to fish! (ice fishing excluded) My father and I fish more in a year in Alabama than most would in a decade in that state. Long story short, you really cant compare states with such differences in climate, game and fish laws, and cultures. That goes for the wildlife as well as those that pursue them.

I'm just trying to point out that if you kill less gobblers you have more gobblers to hunt.
It sounds like you guys manage you properties very well for the birds. Yet people complain that there no birds.
Here is my point.
You have 2 identical clubs with the same amount of birds. 1000 acres each. 5 hunters each. 1 club harvests 25 birds. 1 club harvests 10 birds. Which club would you want to hunt next year. Remember, both clubs had the same amount of birds starting out.

I'm in if you could put up with a preacher for that long. I don't figure that killing Yankee turkeys is a real crime anyway. Count it as Reparations.

For sure the one that killed 25. They've obviously got far better habitat than the other club, and when you have the habitat you will have the turkeys. Your example is impossible; there is no way to ever know that both had the same number at the beginning of the season.

We do a lot more down here than scout for turkeys and then kill them. Many of us spend the rest of the year managing the land for turkeys. We don't see that as the government's job; its our job to do stuff like this:



And this:


And this:



When you spend much of the year giving back to the land, then you can do some of this and still have plenty the next season:

Nobody here cares how y'all do it up north and don't owe y'all an explanation for how we do it here.

Heck all I have to say is if we could kill 10,then 10 is what I'm after,11 if I come to your state!!!!!!

...times how ever many turkeys those hens would have produced, then you have some exponential numbers




Says what data? Hasn't turkey hunting been shown to be the least impact to a turkey population overall?

I shod have said that the club that only killed 10 had a self imposed rule of 2 birds each.

Sorry I ruffeled your all's feathers. I just thought you could have better hunting statewide if you were not killing every bird that walks by. It all boils down to being about the kill.
Well I'm tired of wearing my finger out. Kill them all.

I'd say you don't know what the hell you're talking about. You admittedly are all about the kill. You pattern birds just like a deer and it doesn't take a lick of skill. Hell, if your success rate is what you say it is, I've probably done more turkey hunting this year than you have in your whole life. Fact of the matter is, most of us down here cherish the chase. We enjoy playing chess with those birds, and tricking a hard gobbling bird into reversing nature and coming to my calling. That is a whole lot less about the kill than you ambushing a bird onoce a year.

What? You are just gonna walk away and not even respond to my post about habitat management? You don't do any of that kind of work, do you?

Thanks for posting. It gives us a great picture of the current divide in our nation. MN voted for Obama and the people there apparently want a very socialistic state. That desire is reflected in the way they handle their turkeys - draconian government regulation that gives almost everyone a chance to kill one stupid turkey. Meanwhile, the landowner has absolutely no incentive to manage his land for turkeys and the number of turkeys you have will always be greatly limited by that fact.

Alabama much prefers the free-enterprise system instead of government socialism. We have a long turkey season with a generous limit, and the landowner has tremendous incentive to manage his land for turkeys. Even if he doesn't hunt himself, he knows he can get a good price for a lease to someone who does. The result? We have an abundance of turkeys and they are indeed a renewable resource. Sure, they are smart and tough to kill, but that makes the hunting of them far more interesting than blasting one the moment his feet hit the ground on opening day.

Its also created what I call a turkey hunting culture. Our state is filled with nuts like me who regard turkey management and hunting as our primary hobby. Some even make a living from it. This benefits the people as well as the turkeys. Our turkeys are a precious resource. In states with low limits, they are often hated. You won't find that here.

I'm glad you posted, not only here, but in the deer forum as well. IT gives us a good look into the mindset of those who expect the government to do everything for them. And I hope it also gives some of those hunters in our state who want more government regulation of hunting a better picture of where this leads.

You guys that want more rules - this is where you eventually end up. You end up with Les. I'd rather not myself.

Good hunting to all!

No, please don't stop. I enjoy reading the nonsense you post, it's entertaining.

For you guys that kill your 5 birds in state. Your not starving do I know you don't need 5 in the freezer. Why do you kill every full fan that comes into range? It seams like the great hunters/ great area hunters would be very happy with finding the biggest bird in the area and hunting "him". After you put yours on the ground, why do you feel like you have to go out and shoot 4 more?
Seams to me that if most chased birds just got the hunt and not the kill there would be more birds.

Wow Les. Im not starving BECAUSE I kill 5 birds a year in Alabama.
I might be if I didnt.
I DO NOT buy meat in a grocery store..EVER.
I even went through college 30 years ago eating venision and turkey.
At my house. We ONLY eat wild game. We had venision burritos last night. Stir fried turkey with peppers and onions over a bed of rice the night before.

Because of that we are very healthly, low chlorestolol and and low fat.

I takes at least 1-2 deer, 3-5 turkeys and hopefully the occasional wild hog to feed my family.
I LIKE shooting 5 birds just for the FOOD.
And I only shoot gobblers..no jakes. But If it has a beard over 8 inches, a full fan and comes in I KILL it.
I age them when I walk up to them usually.

And one thing Im sure of..no matter what their age...mmm..mmm..they are gonna taste GOOD!

Lets go kill them all! Ive killed piles of those easy midwest stupid pigeons, from Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky and more. PIGEONS..they run to the calls, and there are a ton of them. Theyd be extinct if we sent 25 guys up there trust me.

Heck no Brandon..you didnt go there.

But I have to admit...even he probably could..thats how easy they are.
He could at least spot one in those fields up there and do a mohecan sneak on him and bushwhack him!