Reaping

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ICDEDTURKES
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Reaping

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

We had a 15 page debate on our Michigan forum last year on the legality of fanning/reaping.

We had in the regs only wind driven decoys staked to the ground was legal. No mechanical decoys. It raised the question what is "mechanical" defined as.

I posted
While I am not a fan of reaping and would support it being illegal. If I were ticketed for it without this thread bringing the legality up, I would be totally pissed. The law needs to be clarified in next year's regs.

Well our dnr obviously took notice to the grey area an cleared it up. This year's regs. I commend them on looking at this issue as it would not effect me either way

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Hoobilly
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Re: Reaping

Post by Hoobilly »

They settled that debate lol
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Hognutz
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Re: Reaping

Post by Hognutz »

Is it deemed illegal because it’s dangerous to the turkey OR the turkey hunter?
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Re: Reaping

Post by swampchicken »

Looks like dnr cleared that up hope they do that in all states.
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Re: Reaping

Post by fountain »

Still legal in GA. I'm using my fan every chance I get when the situation is suitable for jt
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howl
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Re: Reaping

Post by howl »

Reaping is ghey, but it should be legal so because to hell with government outlawing anything else. If somebody wants to get shot playing with turkey toys, I'm all for them. Ghey people have rights, too.
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Re: Reaping

Post by Grumpy »

Part of turkey hunting for me is to see the bird at a distance, maybe 100-200 yards at get him to come to me or be able to call and coax the bird out of his roosting tree and fly down to me or close to me so he can be called in closer for a sure kill shot. Crawling behind a fan or a decoy to get close enough for a shot just doesn't do a thing for me, sounds like work and I am retired and still to young and pretty to commit suicide under the ass end of a turkey.
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OLE RASPY
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Re: Reaping

Post by OLE RASPY »

I’ve done a time or 2. Sure is fun. I don’t have to all the time though. There’s a time and purpose for it. I like calling them in to but if it don’t work I’ll fan one. I don’t call it reaping. That’s stupid name for it. Anyway Indians prolly used same meathod. Nothing new.
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Re: Reaping

Post by Hognutz »

I’ve never done it (reaping.. and it is a stupid name!) and I probably never will but my question remains. Are they trying to save hunters lives or turkey lives?
I was never a fan (pun intended) of being told that I need to wear a helmet while riding my Harley, whether it was for my own good or not. Same with seat belts. My decision, not theirs!
Last edited by Hognutz on January 7th, 2018, 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
I am the man from Nantucket.
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When attacked by a group of clowns...Go for the Juggler!!
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OLE RASPY
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Re: Reaping

Post by OLE RASPY »

Hognutz wrote: January 7th, 2018, 7:54 pm I’ve never done it (reaping.. and it is a stupid name!) and I probably never will but my question remains. Are they trying to save hunters lives or turkey lives?
I was never fan (pun intended) of being told that I need to wear a helmet while riding my Harley, whether it was for my own good or not. Same with seat belts. My decision, not theirs!
RIGHT.
ID say it’s for hunter lives. It ought to be for the Turks life but don’t think it is. Lol.
But your right I don’t want them telling me either. But whatever. Is what it is.
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OLE RASPY
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Re: Reaping

Post by OLE RASPY »

People still gonna do it regardless of it being illegal or not. To me it’s just another tactic that works.
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Reaping

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Hognutz wrote: January 7th, 2018, 7:54 pm I’ve never done it (reaping.. and it is a stupid name!) and I probably never will but my question remains. Are they trying to save hunters lives or turkey lives?
I was never fan (pun intended) of being told that I need to wear a helmet while riding my Harley, whether it was for my own good or not. Same with seat belts. My decision, not theirs!
In said thread someone received an email back saying something to the effect there always trying to make hunting safer and the issue would be discussed.

I would think the reason as we're a one bird state decking in turkey hunters, I don't feel our turkeys are in jeopardy of being killed off.
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devastator
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Re: Reaping

Post by devastator »

So if i come out there this spring i can't pin a tail fan to your hooks hat???lololl
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Hognutz
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Re: Reaping

Post by Hognutz »

[/quote]
In said thread someone received an email back saying something to the effect there always trying to make hunting safer and the issue would be discussed.

I would think the reason as we're a one bird state decking in turkey hunters, I don't feel our turkeys are in jeopardy of being killed off.
[/quote]

I get the safety part but how many people got shot in Mi. last year while reaping?
Starting to sound like a solution for a non existent problem.
Next they’ll have you wearing blaze orange instead of camo so you don’t get blasted out of your turkey lounger. What’s this world coming to? :lol:
May I assume you're not here to inquire about the alcohol or the tobacco?
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Hoobilly
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Re: Reaping

Post by Hoobilly »

OLE RASPY wrote: January 7th, 2018, 7:27 pm I’ve done a time or 2. Sure is fun. I don’t have to all the time though. There’s a time and purpose for it. I like calling them in to but if it don’t work I’ll fan one. I don’t call it reaping. That’s stupid name for it. Anyway Indians prolly used same meathod. Nothing new.
I can see where it could be useful

Reaping is a stupid term and one I can't stomach either.
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Fatmo
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Re: Reaping

Post by Fatmo »

Fanning / Reaping is 100% illegal in Pennsylvania. I don't do it in any other state also.
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Re: Reaping

Post by Sloppy_Snood »

Reap. Get shot. Future Darwin Award winners.

Are people really this damn dumb?
.
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Re: Reaping

Post by 2Shooter »

Well I haven't tried reaping/fanning, and probably never will!!! But, I'm not going to tell some other turkey hunter how he or she should hunt. I would say the dumb one is the one shooting at turkey tails, and not waiting to see their heads!!! I say if you don't like fanning don't do it, and leave the other hunters alone!!! Hunters have had these kind of fight for a long time between bow hunters because of the type bows they use, and muzzleloader hunters because of the type muzzleloader they use!!! The anti- hunters love hunters, because they will cut each others throat!!! Hunt the way you want too, and let other hunters hunt the way they want too as long as it's legal!!! Steve :old_glory: FREEDOM
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hookedspur
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Re: Reaping

Post by hookedspur »

Here we go again :(
So tired of this .
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Reaping

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

hookedspur wrote: January 8th, 2018, 7:48 am Here we go again :(
So tired of this .
I didn't start this post as to start an argument over reaping, but to actually commend our DNR on clarifying a grey area in our laws and making it black and white.

We literally had folks from all over the state asking COs and getting conflicting answers.
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Re: Reaping

Post by GobbleNut »

First of all, I, too, am against the term "reaping". In summary, it sucks. Whoever started it should be "reaped" themselves. :mrgreen: Whether we agree that stalking turkeys with a fan/decoy is a crappy and dangerous way to hunt gobblers, we need to adopt better nomenclature when defining stuff in the future.

Regarding the practice of using a fan while hunting, there is a wide spectrum of uses to be discussed. Those range from the no-holds-barred method of using a visual imitation of a strutting gobbler and doing nothing but moving toward a gobbler until he/they see it and instinctively come to challenge the intruder,...to other, more subtle uses of a fan combined with calling and strategic movement to convince a wary gobbler that you are the real thing.

Full disclosure: I carry a folded fan while hunting. I don't use it to "reap" a gobbler, unless someone classifies having a turkey fan in your possession while hunting to be reaping. If you do, then you are basically stating that anybody that uses a gobbler decoy or staked fan in any way, shape, or form is also a "reaper". Some folks will say that,...and that is fine. I just do not agree with that assessment.

Some will say, "well, how to you use a fan such that it does not meet the definition of reaping"? Again, if your stance is that if someone carries a fan then he is a reaper, I probably can't justify how I use one,...but I will try. As I said, I carry a real fan from a gobbler. I clean the tail base such that it will fold and unfold easily,...that way I can fold it up and put it in one of the cargo pockets on my leg. As far as my hunting style goes, I hunt in the "traditional" style,...locate gobblers on the roost, try to call them, and then try to find a responsive gobbler at other times during the day. Calling is always my primary method of hunting.

On roosted gobblers, I use the fan like other hunters use a turkey wing or their cap/coat to imitate fly-downs. A fan does a great fly-down imitation. If a gobbler gets on the ground but does commit to approaching my calling, I will "flash" the fan,...that is, raise it an lower it quickly. I will also drag it in leaves/on the ground to imitate hen or strutting gobbler sounds. Often, those noises will make the turkeys start looking for the source more seriously. If they get where they can see the fan,...and hear my calling,...well, often the "gig is up". They are often going to come take a look. The same thing applies to turkeys in encounters outside of those roost-hunting times. ...Some people swear by "scratching in the leaves" as their killer tactic. Really, is that so much different?

The point is, I never use the fan exclusively to try to approach a gobbler. I use it strictly as a visual/sound aid in conjunction with my calling when I need it. I also only use it when I am completely confident that there are no safety issues involved in its use.

As far as regulations go, I don't know how my methods of using a fan as a visual aid fit in. Would it be considered illegal? From the wording, it might be,...but it also might not be, depending on how things were interpreted. Regardless, the issue is a very slippery slope in terms of where it might lead. Are scratching in the leaves, decoys, pop-up blinds, and food plots the next targets to outlaw?
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Re: Reaping

Post by timbrhuntr »

Sloppy_Snood wrote: January 7th, 2018, 10:51 pm Reap. Get shot. Future Darwin Award winners.

Are people really this damn dumb?
I been doing it for years haven't been shot yet so catch me if ya can Mr. Smrt Guy !!! :bootyshake:
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Re: Reaping

Post by HunterGKS »

hookedspur wrote: January 8th, 2018, 7:48 am Here we go again :(
So tired of this .
Exactly.
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Re: Reaping

Post by howl »

Decoys are ghey, too. But, you know, if you need some little Chinese woman to make you a turkey doll to bring your birds in for you, why not?!

I just thought of a use for reaping. Pass protection against prosecution for anyone fooled into shooting a reaper. That way if our daughters take up with any young punks we don't like, we can "take them hunting" like they used to do in the old days.
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Re: Reaping

Post by GobbleNut »

I agree that this topic has been aired-out enough to be tiresome to a lot of folks. However, it is one of the most pertinent topics in turkey hunting in the last few years. Until the issue of using visual gobbler imitations is resolved by regulation, there is still some level of merit in these discussions,...and especially by those of us that have extensive turkey hunting backgrounds.

To preface my next comments, I am in no way trying to start a bickering match,...just pointing out another perspective some folks have. Personally, I view the discussion on the use of a turkey fan to be on the same level as discussion about the use of TSS (or for that matter, any load that has a tendency to make turkey hunters think they can shoot at gobblers farther away than they probably should). Some folks do all they can to extend their lethal shooting range to a degree that is, in some other folks eyes, questionable. Yet, some of those same folks condemn the use of a method that will often bring gobblers that are hung up at sixty yards to a sure killing distance of thirty yards or less.

Is the guy that uses a fan to break a hung-up bird at 60-70 yards to bring him to 10-20 yards any less of a turkey hunter than the guy that uses TSS to plaster that same gobbler at 60-70? It is all just a matter of perspective.

Now, don't get me wrong. Except for the price, I love TSS. Tommy (shooter) sent me some a few years back and I was amazed at the performance. However, I still prefer having up close and personal encounters with gobblers,...even if I have to use a fan once in a while to do it,...over bowling-over gobblers at ranges I know I probably should not be shooting,...and a spare turkey fan is a lot cheaper... :P

At the end of the day, it is all in the "eyes of the beholder"... :D
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