"Fanning" dangers in turkey hunting

I have a friend who is wanting to try this. I have begged him to not do it. Turkey hunting is dangerous enough without dressing like a turkey begging to be shot. If you absolutely have to try it please do it on private land that you are sure has no one else hunting, but remember, there can always be trespassers.

That doesn't sound like the dumbest thing I have read about but is getting close.

I can see where this could be fun, and exciting. The dangers of encountering another hunter are just too great. I'm leary of"run and gun" methods for the same reasons.

I know a guy that does basically the same thing during antelope season using an antelope silhouette. But, it's archery season and private land.

Such hunting methods are very, very old, but I wouldn't attempt them today, way too dangerous.

"Elk don't know how many feet a horse has!"

wgp said:

Still, this sounds a bit like deer hunting with a set of antlers mounted on your hat.

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Exactly.

Captcurt said:

Exactly.

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In brown Carhartts.

It's the same as walking through the woods carrying a turkey decoy. Guy sees a blue and red turkey head weaving through the trees and hears rustles leaves, he may take a shot. It scares the heck out of me even hunting on my own private land. I would not feel comfortable trying the fan stalk method whatsoever. I would not recommend it to anyone. Even on private land, you never know who could be slipping in and hunting without permission.

Olympus said:

It's the same as walking through the woods carrying a turkey decoy. Guy sees a blue and red turkey head weaving through the trees and hears rustles leaves, he may take a shot. It scares the heck out of me even hunting on my own private land. I would not feel comfortable trying the fan stalk method whatsoever. I would not recommend it to anyone. Even on private land, you never know who could be slipping in and hunting without permission.

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We gave a few seminars on turkey hunting when one of my close friends was President of the local NWTF Chapter. One of our main cautions was using blue chalk on your box call. Why a call manufacturer would sell blue round chalk is beyond me. It looks like a turkey head at a distance.

Turkey hunting is dangerous, but I had a friend that was shot when he was mistaken for a squirrel. Long story, but he still has #6 lead shot in his legs and in the butt stock of his Ruger #3.

FWIW, I successfully reaped a 26 lb tom 3 days ago in Iowa- 10.5" beard and 1" spurs. First time I got a turkey this way. It was intense and required a stalk of a bit over 200 yards. Closed the deal at about 20 yards. Used a full size decoy with a real fan attached. Very surprised I pulled it off and can't wait to do it again, "dangerous" or not.

Kansas has been working on prohibiting the method of fanning, so we're very motivated to publish any incident, especially a local Kansas incident, with as much visibility as possible. It's a very hot topic at all our Hunter Education Instructor "orientations." It's not illegal, and many folks fall on either side of the aisle whether it should be or not.

Trespass is always a concern, and the overwhelming majority of the state is private property (continually hear KS is 98% privately held, 2% public owned land), but Kansas especially tries to be cognizant of implementing universal rules which apply to keep hunters safe on any property, public or otherwise.

To the commenters stating the guys shouldn't be shooting at "just a fan," take a closer look at what some of these guys use. I've seen guys use full body decoys as fanning decoys - and through binos in deep grass at 50yrds, it's very difficult to tell the difference. One guy I know even has a full body decoy modified to mount on his HAT, so when he's crawling on the stalk, he can be hands free (shotgunning, then he shoots prone). Another guy I know has a full body decoy which mounts on his shotgun or his bow stabilizer. I've fanned turkey's before, have used deer decoys before, and have even used those silly life sized cow silhouette stalking tools - I have to admit, it works incredibly well. I have a pro-hunter buddy which uses stalking decoy/silhouettes of cow elk and pronghorn in the same method as fanning and does extremely well each season... It all works, just have to be confident in who is around you, and have to be comfortable with the risk of trespasser shooting you.

I refrain from using the word "hunters" here, since trespassers are poachers and poachers aren't hunters, so I'll say it differently: If everyone taking a shot at game were diligent in their target identification, then fanning or other game-species stalking silhouettes wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, that's not the world we live in.

Wow! I suppose it is possible somebody could get such a lifelike decoy that somebody might think it is real at a distance but I have trouble imagining anybody with even half a brain not knowing it was a decoy by the time it is in shooting range. No matter how lifelike it looks it, it won't move right and it won't sound right. Yes, I know that really big birds seem to come in without a sound but they walk around alternating between pecking the ground and looking around. No decoy is going to move like that. And while I'm a meat hunter, half the fun is seeing if I can get that bird within 10 yards. As for shooting something moving in the woods, that person needs to learn target identification. As I recall, rule #3 is know your target and what is around and beyond it. Sorry if I seem kind of grouchy but it seems like such a stupid mistake that we should be outraged by it.

Been thinking about this in terms of Sunday's hunt. I had a couple of birds come within 30 yards, one gobbled and fanned. I could see about a 5" beard and guessed the weight to be in the low 20's. It wouldn't come any closer and I wanted something bigger so it walked. As the afternoon wore on I was able to call in a couple of hens. And by call in, they got within 10 yards and were totally unconcerned by my occasional calls. At least one tom answered during the day but a second "tom" answered. When I first heard it, I thought, "That's an interesting gobble. It is just a little high pitched." Our exchange went on for over an hour, with "it" calling me way more that me calling "it". (I call once very 15 to 20 minutes.) It seemed like the "bird" was stuck about 200 yards out, just out of sight. During this exchange a hen walked in; again totally unfazed by my call or "it's" gobbles. The hen walked on, away from the calling "tom". By the end of the hour, I started wondering if it was another hunter. If it was, the call was very good but just a little high pitched. I stopped calling completely and waited. I never laid eyes on "it". I've had toms hang up but have been able to get them come in to 50 yards before they lure any hens to them and walk away. My gut tells me it was another hunter, probably a trespasser who got close enough in the woods to see my blind across the meadow. My point is, if I had questions about the reality of a "bird" by its sound I just can't imagine someone getting a decoy with 50 yards of me and me mistaking it for a real tom. I don't mean this as bragging, just the realization that imitating a real bird's sound and movements so as to mislead a thinking human being at 50 yards seems impossible. I hate to call somebody taking that shot an idiot but you just don't shoot at something unless you are absolutely sure of what it is.

This practice is VERY dangerous to me. The only way I could see doing it is if you own the land and control who has access and even then it's risky. As for people being idiots to shoot at someone that's using this method...I pretty much agree but then I don't know all the details.

Game wardens in my state catch countless poachers by setting out deer decoys and waiting until someone with a spotlight shoots at them. The world is full of idiots! And some of them hunt...

Olympus said:

Game wardens in my state catch countless poachers by setting out deer decoys and waiting until someone with a spotlight shoots at them. The world is full of idiots! And some of them hunt...

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That is pretty amazing. You would think the word would be out about that among the poachers. I know the decoys are realistic and the heads move and all, but I don't think they have one that can actually take a step. Yet.

FL-NC said:

That is pretty amazing. You would think the word would be out about that among the poachers. I know the decoys are realistic and the heads move and all, but I don't think they have one that can actually take a step. Yet.

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I guess when you hit them with a spotlight, they don't usually take any steps.

Some of the guys in my family have fanned turkeys successfully and I'm using last year's toms to create some fans for this year. In this and other areas, I would ask the state to leave me the hell alone and let me worry about my own safety. Because one guy makes a horrible mistake is no reason to punish the rest of us. Using that kind of logic, we would ban gun ownership because someone misuses a firearm. Where have we heard this kind of argument? Sound familiar?

Based on conversations I've had with "hunters", I wouldn't do it. Had one guy tell me he didn't see a deer, but took a "sound shot". I asked what's that, he said he heard something in the woods, so he "threw a shot at it".

I mentioned it was possible it might be another hunter, his reply was he didn't care, it was private land and they shouldn't be there. I found out it wasn't even his land.

Speedo66 said:

Based on conversations I've had with "hunters", I wouldn't do it. Had one guy tell me he didn't see a deer, but took a "sound shot". I asked what's that, he said he heard something in the woods, so he "threw a shot at it".

I mentioned it was possible it might be another hunter, his reply was he didn't care, it was private land and they shouldn't be there. I found out it wasn't even his land.

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Do us a favor, let us know where that guy hunts. So we can be in another state when he takes a 'sound shot'.