Call Blockers/ Poachers

[bigcard75]

I don't know how to describe this, but it made me so mad today, I almost lost my cool.

My buddies and I hunted a property this morning for the first time together. The spot has been good for years. And we always hunt it at seperate times. Anyway we have permission from the land owner to hunt, written permission mind you.

We were posted up in our spots nice and early this morning. We got out at about 6 am, set up all of our decoys and nestled into our very well covered spots.

We know where the birds roost and where the fly down and the area that they usually start in in the morning.

Well we are there and we are making our calls at first light. I am posted up right on the tree line and there is a fence behind me. Anyway I see these two idiots that are getting out late, and making all kinds of noise. I have birds up on the ridge about 75 yards away.

I knock my slate call with the striker to making a knocking noise. They see me and I motion to them to come to the fence, They do. I told them that we are hunting right here and that there are 4 of us posted on this field and all down the fence line.

these guys proceed to move, but they just go down the fence line further than where we are, they watch us morning, when the birds start to gobble back and come to us, they start hammering their box calls. are you kidding me. I have gobbler in sight, and just talked to these yahoos, and they are hitting a box call 50 yards away and are in the woods.

I was pissed, but cant say anything to them because I don't know if they have permission to hunt the property that they where on. I know the owner over there and know those two are not his sons, but they may have permission,

Anyway the Gobbler I was working starts headed towards their box call. This goes on for a bit, I finally got pissed off and took out my hoot owl and crow calls and started going crazy on them. The gobbler ran off. One of my buddies wanted to shoot off his gun just to make the birds run away.

The two idiots on the other farm came back to where I was and start yelling at me for making the calls. I said to him are you freaking kidding me. I was working these turkeys since daybreak and talked to you. He said he had every right to just move up closer than where I was.

I came about two seconds from throwig something at him.

Anyway I guess he just likes to block your calls or poach off your work.

Anyway Next time I go out there I am taking a video camera so that I have video proof to show the other landowner.

Let me Clarify, We where on a fenceline on our property. The birds we are talking about where on our property and on our side of the fence The guys calling had no turkey coming from their side of the fence. They only started calling after our birds where in sight on the top of the hill coming off the roost across from us on our side of the property. If those guys would have shot one of the birds they would have had to climb over the fence to get to them. For a legal shot they would have had to get the toms to jump over the fence and get onto the other property.

[ril7572]

I guess I'm missing something. You're set up on a property line, someone hunting the other property has birds coming to them, you scare the birds off... And you're pissed at the other hunters:confused:

If they have permission, What makes them Poachers???

[raven_over_easy]

I know the feeling, we have a very small field to hunt and we have been "cut off" twice on birds we have been working. Both times they killed the bird.

[deadaim]

They are just turkeys never get into a heated argument when both of you are armed it just aint worth it.

[turkeyhunter91]

if they had permission to hunt the farm they was on, it was legal but it was not very sportsman like, i never go in on a farm if i think someone is on it just because that is the right thing to do.i have had people do that o me before as well and i know they knew i was huntin,one even waved me on after i was set up and this jack as$ comes down the feild in the middle of the day scarein all the birds off and i have had them be right behind me in the dark,we was already goin down the feild and they had to see our lights in the middle of a big open feild and our truck at the gate,both times we just left.

[Scott7m]

sounds to me like the guys on the other property are the guys that should be ready to get you, they were on their side of the fence, it's not their fault they out called you and had the tom coming to them......

you information on the fence is sketchy, but from what i can gather, they were in the right, at least they were on their side, just close to where you were. as long as they didn't shoot across the fence, or cross the fence, they did nothing wrong

[thunderchicken09]

Id say they would have shot across the fence if they came in range. Theyre not goin to call them thru the fence and i know they're not gonna sit and watch them when they came in. I agree with scott tho, dont get mad if they just out called you.

[Scott7m]

Id say they would have shot across the fence if they came in range. Theyre not goin to call them thru the fence and i know they're not gonna sit and watch them when they came in. I agree with scott tho, dont get mad if they just out called you.

they'll cross a fence...... i often hear people say the slightest things will stop them, but if there looking for love they'll surprise ya sometimes..

[Xi Bowhunter]

They are just turkeys never get into a heated argument when both of you are armed it just aint worth it.

This is good advice that you just don't hear often. They are just turkeys and not worth getting into an argument over, or worse. I know it is frustrating, but what it all boils down to is it is just a bird. There will be others.

[turk2di]

No doubt that was an aggrivating sequence to have to go thru, but they may have had permission to hunt across the fence. You got mad at them for running off a bird you were workin, then run off the bird they had headin thier way. Sounds like a get together session is in order b4 the next hunt to smooth out any hard feelings & reach an amiable hunt situation. It could only benefit you both!

[Redlined]

There is an unwritten rule in turkey hunting that you don't cut other people off. As more and more begin to hunt turkeys the etiquette seems to fall to the wayside. The guy may have had permission to be were he was, but it was pretty unsporting for him to c*ckblock you when you were already on the birds. Then by the same token, you turn around and scare the birds off. Not a great amount of maturity shown on either of your parts IMO. You guys and the other two really need to figure out when each other is going to hunt and plan accordingly. Going around trying to screw each other up is only adding to the problem. Another thing to consider, unless you're hunting a huge tract of land, six hunters is a real stretch for turkeys on one farm at one time...........

[Labrador]

If the birds responded to their calls and were coming to them, so be it. You have no way of knowing whether they had permission to hunt where they were. They didn't shoot across the fence, so you can't claim that they would have. This is no different than waterfowl hunting and having someone with a bigger/better spread or better calling pull the birds to them that were working you. It's a fact of hunting, especially in public areas, but increasingly more-so on private grounds. I would suggest that if you don't want to have birds pulled off you, move to the interior of the property where the neighbors' hunters are less likely to be able to affect your hunt.

Feel free to take a video camera with you next time. Keep in mind that the hunters on the other side of the fence may have theirs:

150.710 Intentional obstruction of lawful taking of wildlife.
(1) No person shall intentionally obstruct or disrupt the right of a person to lawfully take wildlife by hunting, trapping, or fishing.

[sputterbug]

I disagree with most of the responses. After your edit/clarification, I would say you were in the right. As for running off the turkeys, sure it may not be mature, but what are you supposed to do, watch while the birds you've been working toddle over and get shot?

You guys were there first, they should have backed off to another location, not 50 yards down the fenceline. Same deal next time... if you guys show up and they are there first, you'd be expected to back off to another location and give them elbow room to work the birds as long as they are calling from the property they're supposed to be on, right?

[CardsFan84]

I would have done the same thing. I may have even fired my gun off to scare them away. All of you can sit at your computers and say "They could have had permission" or "You can't be mad if they out called you" but you are either a P**** or a b****. If someone would have walked in on me, saw where I was, and I spoke to them and they still set up 75 yards away. I would be irate. The fact that they didn't have the decencency to move somewhere else would have really fired me up. If you think I could sit and watch someone set up and call birds that you have been working, your insane. I would rather scare every turkey in the county off than watch some idiot shoot one in front of me. You think that decent moral person wouldn't shoot through the fence on to your property?

Explain to me how he doesn't have the right to scare off whatever he wants. Why would anyone let a bird walk right in to someone who just came in and set up on you?

[deadaim]

I would have done the same thing. I may have even fired my gun off to scare them away. All of you can sit at your computers and say "They could have had permission" or "You can't be mad if they out called you" but you are either a P**** or a b****. If someone would have walked in on me, saw where I was, and I spoke to them and they still set up 75 yards away. I would be irate. The fact that they didn't have the decencency to move somewhere else would have really fired me up. If you think I could sit and watch someone set up and call birds that you have been working, your insane. I would rather scare every turkey in the county off than watch some idiot shoot one in front of me. You think that decent moral person wouldn't shoot through the fence on to your property?

Explain to me how he doesn't have the right to scare off whatever he wants. Why would anyone let a bird walk right in to someone who just came in and set up on you?

150.710 Intentional obstruction of lawful taking of wildlife.
(1) No person shall intentionally obstruct or disrupt the right of a person to lawfully take wildlife by hunting, trapping, or fishing.

[buckfever]

Etiquette - The guys on the other property clearly showed no class. Like others stated, it's an unwritten rule that you should show some common courtesy when other hunters are at a hunting spot first.

Interestingly, it seems like the jackasses in these situations are not usually the landowners. These episodes always seem to involve people with permission who don't care about neighborly relations.

When you set up right on the property line, you run the risk that somebody might be on the other side of the fence. I agree that these guys would've probably been more than willing to shoot the birds across the fence (if you weren't around), but toms won't hesitate to jump fences if it's in the way of where they want to go. I've called 2 in toms over woven-wire fences so far this year.

I had a somewhat similar situation as yours on Sunday morning. I was getting to my farm through my neighbor's farm (which I had permission to hunt or cross). I ran into 5 guys that were hunting the neighbor's property and told them that I was just driving through my neighbor's farm to access mine from the south. After getting some hard looks, one of the guys recognized me and knew that I was telling the truth. I showed him a map and told him where I was planning on hunting. He showed me where they had ground blinds set up, so that I wouldn't park near them. He said he had a youngster going in one of the blinds. It turns out that I knew both the boy and his father (who wasn't there). As we talked about that, I offered to take the boy with me. Everyone agreed to this, b/c they were basically hunting big fields with very few woods, and they hadn't been having much luck. They also knew that most of the turkeys they were hunting roosted and spent most of their time on our property.

I explained to Bennie (the boy) my plan of attack and he quickly picked up on everything. Unfortunately, gobbling was quite sparse, and we didn't hear any birds where I expected. I got one 2 takes on a cutting sequence and we decided to move to the closest bird. We got him to gobble at least 100 times at about 150 yards, but I was actually calling to the hens we could see with him. We also had some hens calling from behind us, and they eventually walked past and over to the tom. After about an hour of trying to bring those hens over (w/ tom in tow), they moved up to the field on the neighbor's land. At that point, I called the guy he was supposed to hunt with, and Bennie slipped back over to the ground blind on their property. I heard a shot about an hour later, so I'm hoping that Bennie got a bird, but I haven't called to find out. Regardless, I think I created some good will by trying to put him on a bird.

[turk2di]

I would have done the same thing. I may have even fired my gun off to scare them away. All of you can sit at your computers and say "They could have had permission" or "You can't be mad if they out called you" but you are either a P**** or a b****. If someone would have walked in on me, saw where I was, and I spoke to them and they still set up 75 yards away. I would be irate. The fact that they didn't have the decencency to move somewhere else would have really fired me up. If you think I could sit and watch someone set up and call birds that you have been working, your insane. I would rather scare every turkey in the county off than watch some idiot shoot one in front of me. You think that decent moral person wouldn't shoot through the fence on to your property?

Explain to me how he doesn't have the right to scare off whatever he wants. Why would anyone let a bird walk right in to someone who just came in and set up on you?

He has every right to scare off birds...on his property. Anyway, hope things turn out 4 the better. Likely, those guys are twice-a-spring hunters anyway.

[rme hunter]

It is not cutting someone off if you call the birds away from them. It is cutting them of if you get between the caller and the birds. If a bird is at point X and I begin to call the bird from 100 yards away due south and someone else calls the same bird from 100 yards away due east he is not cutting me off. We may or may not be on the same property but we have an equal right to the bird.

I am not saying that I would intentionally call against another hunter. I would walk away and let him try the bird. But if the bird was not responding to him and I called it to me I did not cut him off. All I can say is PRACTICE!

[buckfever]

He has every right to scare off birds...on his property. Anyway, hope things turn out 4 the better. Likely, those guys are twice-a-spring hunters anyway.

Actually, he doesn't. Landowners don't own the turkeys or deer or ducks on their property. As written, the law simply says you cannot disturb somebody else's lawful hunt. It doesn't matter where you are.

This came up a few years ago with a very wealthy tree-hugger who owned a big farm on the Ohio River. She was getting up very early and standing on the bank of a feeder creek (on her property) where some guys were set up. She banged pots and pans together for about an hour trying to spook the ducks. The hunters were legally hunting the river. I guess she figured if she did it enough, the hunters would stop hunting "her" ducks. I don't know whether she was convicted, but I know she got cited under this same statute.

[turk2di]

Actually, he doesn't. Landowners don't own the turkeys or deer or ducks on their property. As written, the law simply says you cannot disturb somebody else's lawful hunt. It doesn't matter where you are.

This came up a few years ago with a very wealthy tree-hugger who owned a big farm on the Ohio River. She was getting up very early and standing on the bank of a feeder creek (on her property) where some guys were set up. She banged pots and pans together for about an hour trying to spook the ducks. The hunters were legally hunting the river. I guess she figured if she did it enough, the hunters would stop hunting "her" ducks. I don't know whether she was convicted, but I know she got cited under this same statute.

My bad, im just a Lil ole turkey hunter. Never practiced law & evidently its a good thing. Its too bad many hunters out there don't practice consideration for others. Some of my best feelings turkey hunting have been giving a thumbs up to a hunter i bumped into workin a turkey, leaving him with my best wishes!

[buckfever]

My bad, im just a Lil ole turkey hunter. Never practiced law & evidently its a good thing. Its too bad many hunters out there don't practice consideration for others. Some of my best feelings turkey hunting have been giving a thumbs up to a hunter i bumped into workin a turkey, leaving him with my best wishes!

I'm not too sure I wouldn't have done the same thing myself! :);)

[notimlmit]

I'm like most responces I think those guys whether they had perm or not they showed a big lack of resect and unsportsmanship by going just below you - now let me ask you if they had gotten to their spot first and done the same by telling you where they were what would you have done - it's almost like duck hunting to an extint first come first serve - no dought these guys knew where the birds were roosting and probably would have shot across the fence and that is probably the only thing you could get them for - I'm like you I would of been pissed but legally there is nothing I know that could be done - every year this case happens to someone deer hunting - it's not right in my eyes but obviously the bird liked their location and calling better - you guys may need to spread out farther apart and get between these guys let them call the bird to you

[mudhole crossing]

i just finsihed reading these replys and im surprised at some of them. yes, they probably were legal, but if someone deliberately cut me or any of you guys off the way these people did, u would be pissed too! when i accidently run up on someone, i go the other way. just what these guys shouldve done. i would have ran the turks off too:p

[raven_over_easy]

It is frustrating to have a hunt "spoiled." We live in such a fast paced society and most have only the weekends to enjoy the outdoor activities we all so dearly cherish. However, you have to take some things with a grain of salt especially in regards to having permission to hunt a piece of property. If you guys cant work it out amongst your selves and you get the land owner involved and create "problems" for him, you could loose your permission to hunt that piece of property. So what if they killed the turkeys. As the old saying goes, two wrongs does'nt make it right. As, I see it, you ruined each others hunts.

[WildmanWilson]

They do sound like a couple of classless guys. This has always been the thing that gets under my skin about turkey hunting. The #1 rule in turkey hunting should be know your target. #2 should be have respect for the other hunter. It get really bad on public land where many guys think they have as much right to a bird as anyone....even if it means running over someone and ruining their hunt. Most times both sides lose when this happens.

I'm not sure I would have done the same thing you did but I can see where someone would. Just keep at it and at least hold yourself to a higher standard even if the other guy will not. Good luck.

[Scott7m]

stand in the other guys shoes, by the way it seem,s he was fairly worked up that they were getting in there late, don't think that the hunter here was in the best mood when he talked to them, and the guys across the fence didn't set up between the birds, they moved on down the line.. they may have done that out of spite, if i had permission to hunt a peice of property, and the guys on the next property said, ummm you can't hunt here, we have 4 guys down the fence row here, i'm not sure how i'd take that you know.. who is jo mo to tell me i can't hunt the land i have permission to hunt because he is hunting the land next to it? i donnoooo about this one

[mountain grouser]

always remember stay away from fence lines that seperate farms . you will always run the risk of other hunters. and really there is nothing you can do about it.

[BadDuck]

I guess I'm missing something. You're set up on a property line, someone hunting the other property has birds coming to them, you scare the birds off... And you're pissed at the other hunters:confused:

If they have permission, What makes them Poachers???


sounds to me like the guys on the other property are the guys that should be ready to get you, they were on their side of the fence, it's not their fault they out called you and had the tom coming to them......

you information on the fence is sketchy, but from what i can gather, they were in the right, at least they were on their side, just close to where you were. as long as they didn't shoot across the fence, or cross the fence, they did nothing wrong


Illegal? No. Unsportsmanlike? Yes. I dont care how you spin it, calling a bird off of someone else that is already working it and had been doing so long before you show up is very unsportsmanlike.

I take it neither one of you hunt ducks.

[treedog]

i think all of us hunters need to lighten up,i know that everone wants to kill a turkey when they go hunting but hey it's not the end of the world if you don't get a turkey and i should know because i have hunted six days and have not got a gobbler to answer my call yet.i know all about other hunters messing up a hunt because the only place i have to hunt is on public land and sometimes other hunter come in on me and yes i have messed other hunters and the only thing you can do is go and try to find another brid.i have hunted turkeys for 15 years and have taken my share of them and now i am just happy to be out there in the woods and like i said six days and no turkey but i have still had fun i have found some mushrooms and found two deer antlers so the way i see it i am having a good season so just get out there and hunt and stop thinking you have to kill a turkey to enjoy the hunt.

[KYhunter79]

You were both hunting property lines. So because he wasn't there before daylight he doesn't have the right to hunt that property that he has permission on? I don't agree. If he shot over the line that would be a different story, but you can't make assumptions.

I understand what you guys are saying about cutting people off and I agree. But, I think that mostly applies to WMA's. It's common courtesy not to cut people off. I absolutely would not do that. Or if I showed up to a place that more than one person has permission to hunt and someone beat me there I wouldn't hunt. I would go ahead and find somewhere else to hunt. But, I'm not going to not hunt on a piece of property that I have permission to because the neighbors are already hunting.

Flame me all you want, I don't care.

[bowhunter269]

It's been said before.........
If they had permission to be on their side of the fence, they didn't really do anything wrong other than set up and compete with you for the same turkey. They have more to complain about than you since you spooked the bird. All they did was hunt close to you. If they were able to pull the birds on their side of the fence and killed one, more power to them.
You would have been better suited to stand up, gather your buddies (spooking the birds) and moved elsewhere. What you did in your original post sounds far worse than what the neighbors did.
My opinion only.......

[WildmanWilson]

I think a person who knowingly starts trying to work a bird away from someone else is no better than someone who would shoot a bird off the roost. Public or private ground shouldnt matter. Its a safety factor for one but unethical also. Anyone who's hunted should have enough respect to not do this. It shouldnt matter if property lines are involved or not. As long as the are not tresspassing then leave them alone. I've been turkey hunting for 25 years and this was the law of the land. Maybe some don't think so but most hunters do.

I was almost shot at Peabody once by a guy who came in behind me and set up to work the bird I was on (and yes he knew I was there). It turned out to be a jake so I let it walk but the guy behind me shot and the lead blasted all around me. Only thing that saved me was the big tree I was setting behind.

[deadaim]

i think all of us hunters need to lighten up,i know that everone wants to kill a turkey when they go hunting but hey it's not the end of the world if you don't get a turkey and i should know because i have hunted six days and have not got a gobbler to answer my call yet.i know all about other hunters messing up a hunt because the only place i have to hunt is on public land and sometimes other hunter come in on me and yes i have messed other hunters and the only thing you can do is go and try to find another brid.i have hunted turkeys for 15 years and have taken my share of them and now i am just happy to be out there in the woods and like i said six days and no turkey but i have still had fun i have found some mushrooms and found two deer antlers so the way i see it i am having a good season so just get out there and hunt and stop thinking you have to kill a turkey to enjoy the hunt.

That is the attitude of a mature hunter its not about the size of the beard or the antlers. No deer or turkey is worth taking someones life or taking risks that will get someone hurt or killed. Faced with your same situation I would have just tried to work the bird and if it didnt work out and the other guy got him Id say congradulations who cares there are other turkeys out there.....................:rolleyes:

[browninggoldhunter1]

I had the same thing happen to me opening morning. I worked a bird in from half a mile up river and had him about 100 yards away on the opposite side in a thicket when somebody decided they wanted that turkey worse than me. I never saw the guy or the turkey but he never made a call and he got the turkey.

For anybody that does this not only is it unethical its dangerous. Cutting somebody off means you are between hunter and turkey which is a very bad place. If you can't call eithr learn, find somebody to call for you, or stay at home but don't cut somebody off.