Does shooting affect turkeys?

UpATree

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I have 70 acres in Chatham County where I hunt and target shoot. If I go out to the land now, and target shoot, will that affect the turkeys? Or should I avoid shooting on the land until after turkey season?
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
lave it alone till after sason that is vry small pice as far as turkeys go and your best hope is to not use it unless have to
 

genesis27:3

Old Mossy Horns
As said above, absolutely! Which is my worry. My little piece of land close to the house has a neighbor blasting away every few days within a couple hundred yards of where they were favoring.
Aw well, his property. It is what it is!
 

Frostcat

Twelve Pointer
I live and hunt about a mile from the Cold Mountain Gun Range. Turkey or deer do not pay any attention to it.
 
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Greg

Old Mossy Horns
^ I think it's all a matter of what they are used to.

Many years ago I was visiting an in-law in, of all places, New Jersey. They had a trap range, and I kid you not, they threw out old rolls and some deer came running. Those deer ate while people fired shotguns right over their heads. Dangdest thing I ever saw.
 
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Frostcat

Twelve Pointer
I'm sure the deer and turkeys are not standing on the gun range.

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Well, actually you would be wrong.:) I myself have seen 2 deer on the range while shooting was going on. One was a 4-point that walked across the burn and the other was a doe standing about 25 yards away staring at us. And yes, there was shooting going on at the time. Then there was the incident of a guy killing a deer out-of-season on the range as it walked across the shooting lanes. He tried to claim it was an accident but they didn't buy that and he was charged. I have killed both deer and turkey with the shooting range booming in the background.
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
Well, actually you would be wrong.:) I myself have seen 2 deer on the range while shooting was going on. One was a 4-point that walked across the burn and the other was a doe standing about 25 yards away staring at us. And yes, there was shooting going on at the time. Then there was the incident of a guy killing a deer out-of-season on the range as it walked across the shooting lanes. He tried to claim it was an accident but they didn't buy that and he was charged. I have killed both deer and turkey with the shooting range booming in the background.
I stand corrected, but if I only had 75 acres to hunt turkeys on I would not do anything to convince them to leave. Prolonged pressure of any kind will push turkeys out of an area.

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jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have hunted places where gun shots will make turkeys shut up for a few hours and I have hunted places where the turkeys gobble at gunshots. Depends on what the birds are use to. Up where I hunt in Rockingham county, there is someone shooting EVERY Saturday rain or shine nearby.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
We have had to stop shooting due to deer and in one case a bear on the range.

One time we were shooting cannons when the deer walked out.

I think it has to do with how much and when. If you shoot say one time a week they will get to the point they really dont care. If you never shoot then before turkey season spend several days to pattern or shoot in guns..... for the most part you can give it up.
 

Frostcat

Twelve Pointer
I stand corrected, but if I only had 75 acres to hunt turkeys on I would not do anything to convince them to leave. Prolonged pressure of any kind will push turkeys out of an area.

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I agree with that. If I only had a small place to hunt I would feel the same way. The shooting range has been here several years now and someone is usually shooting up there every day it's open. I guess the wildlife is like me and you just get accustomed to it and don't pay it any attention anymore.
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
I agree with that. If I only had a small place to hunt I would feel the same way. The shooting range has been here several years now and someone is usually shooting up there every day it's open. I guess the wildlife is like me and you just get accustomed to it and don't pay it any attention anymore.
I agree. I hunted in the Ocala national forest in Florida. One particular unit had miles and miles of off road vehicle trails. There was no way to get further than a quarter mile from any trail. The wildlife heard atv's utv's and dirt bikes all day every day. They paid them no mind unless one stopped. Other places I've hunted as soon as atv's started running the turkeys shut down.

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bshobbs

Old Mossy Horns
They get use to the norm in an area. If it is normally quiet or normally loud would dictate.

Back in the day while skeet shooting on FT BRAGG, the deer would cone out at the back of the range while we shot. Seen several nice bucks feed under a oak tree at the back of the range.
 
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oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
deer are really really stupid. ^

let's not consider that turkeys are even dumber. it'll make the butt whuppins they give easier to handle.

to the OP - without you saying how often you plan to shoot and how long you will shoot and where within the property you will shoot from, it's a coin toss on it's impact.
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
And probably you walking around, setting up and taking down targets, etc ... will have more of an impact than the shooting itself.
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
And probably you walking around, setting up and taking down targets, etc ... will have more of an impact than the shooting itself.
I agree with this. Turkeys don't know those loud noises are gun shots. They do react negatively to human presence.

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hawkman

Eight Pointer
I pulled my shooting bench from under the tobacco barn lean-to, set up my targets, and had been shooting my 10-22 for some time. I was taking my time and not continuously shooting. After awhile I turned back to the targets and out there in the field are a group of hens making their way along, maybe 400 yards away. I started to shoot later on after they were passed but they seemed unphased.

The smart-aleck remark to "Does shooting affect turkeys?" is "Depends on whether you hit them".
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
just watched an amazing sequence on an old knight and hale turkey vid.

jim casada shoots at one point blank range, misses and the turkey never breaks strut.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
And probably you walking around, setting up and taking down targets, etc ... will have more of an impact than the shooting itself.

And I have neighbor on camera doing her daily walk about my land owner's property.
 

manybeards

Ten Pointer
Twice in the 30 years I've been Turkey hunting, I've killed birds sitting under the same tree on two consecutive days.
 

n.d.woods

Eight Pointer
I'd say yes, most the time when I shoot near them they fall over and start flipping all around and end up in my fryer and on my table. Ha, in all honesty, I've shot at birds and missed and killed them within yards of same spot or in same spot soon there after. They aren't smart enough to associate it with human hunting pressure but at the same time, constant target shooting probably wouldn't call them close either.
 
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