Originally posted by Semper Fi
I couldn't agree more. Try hunting a five year old Tom in the Spring and you'll soon learn who is Boss of the Woods. Might as well try to hunt a ghost. 
Apparently the post by Kis, "How bout them cubs" had no affect so the debate continues. Hopefully, we can keep it free of insults and personal attacks.
Look, guys. I'm not trying to start a fight here. But, you can't confuse excellent eyesight, wariness, cunning ,alertness ,experience (in the case of the 5 year old Tom)and great ability to adapt to the surroundings, with intelligence. Just because an animal is hard to hunt doesn't necessarily mean it's exceptionally intelligent. The turkey is a tall bird well adapted for walking, running and flying. Makes him hard to kill. You guys act like you're the only ones who ever hunted anything. Although I don't hunt any more, I'm 57 yrs old and you would be hard pressed to name any game animal on this continent (and several others) that I haven't killed. Please stop treating everyone like city slickers, while portraying yourselves as the wise woodsman who know whereof they speak.
BTW, To return the compliment, anyone who thinks a turkey is smart has never been anywhere that they were being raised (and please don't tell me that wild turkeys are smarter than domestic turkeys. The only difference is color. The domestic ones simply never have the opportunity to develop their natural insticts. Without those natural instincts, developed in the wild, they are dumb as dirt).
I applaud the programs that have brought the wild turkey back to acceptable population levels, just as I applaud the reintroduction of the wolf, the attempts to save the condor . But, just because Ben Franklin liked'em doesn't make'em any more "valuable" than possums, racoons or any other wild animals. That's a value judgement that you have made, which simply makes it your opinion. I think ALL these animals are important. You seem to select the ones you *personally* prefer.
It was mentioned that no one hunts the racoon for it fur anymore. Would you like it better if the fur was more valuable? Then you wouldn't have to kill them because they turned over your garbage can, you could kill them as the buffalo hunters killed their prey, by the thousands (millions) or the hunters of the sea otter. Into extinction. You rave about the restoration of the wild turkey, but it seems that you would like to destroy racoons and possums. Am I wrong here? Would you like to see them all gone because they are such a pain in the ass? How many other species are on your list of "undesirables". And please, don't call me a tree hugger, because that would make you full of what Yvsa's shoveler is shoveling.
What it boils down to is, I object to the wholesale slaughter of animals because you consider them vermin. You'll do what you want, regardless, but I'll say what I want about your actions, regardless.
:barf:
