THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

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quavers16
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THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by quavers16 »

For sure, past a certain point- all of us are more or less equal in terms of calling a gobbler up to the gun. Once a Spring turkey hunter calls in roughly 40 gobblers for a close shot-- that person has probably seen and heard it all and is without a doubt a very good Spring turkey hunter. And high numbers of turkeys taken and many States hunted in each Spring make no difference. I probably have more respect for the Spring turkey hunter who makes a go of it for 25 days in 1 State and finally bags that gobbler.That person is a very good Spring turkey hunter.
There are great turkey hunters as well- some well known- others are known to you. They are gone now... Read Jim Casada's book-- REMEMBERING THE GREATS. Enjoy each Spring...
decoykrvr
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by decoykrvr »

I started turkey hunting 37 years ago, back in the days when there were not many turkeys and we got excited over T and T (tracks and turds). There are a lot more turkeys today and in areas I wouldn't have imagined holding turkeys just a few years ago. With that said, I hunt as much as possible during turkey season, usually about 30+ days, and what I love and crave about "the disease" is that I learn something from every hunt and that no two hunts are ever the same. The only person I judge and gauge my season by is ME, and sometimes I don't think I know what I'm doing. I stretch out my season as much as possible by killing only mature gobblers which I earn and letting birds walk, those I didn't earn and those which would end my season too soon. Over the years, I have refined my guns and ammunition to maximize my chances for clean kills and shoot and pattern proven guns and loads excessively as an adherent to the maxim that "Practice makes Perfect". I've carved custom duck and goose decoys for over 40 years, hunted all over North America for waterfowl and big game, but if I could only hunt one species, it would be turkeys. I never knew Spring, until I started turkey hunting, and I start every turkey season asking myself, "How many more Springs do I have ?", and try to maximize each and every one. I still judge my turkey season, not by the numbers of gobblers I kill, but by how little I screw up. My favorite part of a gobbler is the heart and liver. When I clean a turkey there is no meat left on the carcass and everything possible is utilized ie; wing bones, feathers, heads (for taxidermist trade), spurs. I respect and revere the wild turkey and have no use for pseudo hunters who view them only as targets of opportunity. As a seasoned turkey hunter, I think it is imperative to educate non-hunters and to mentor young hunters to be their "Best".
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GobbleNut
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by GobbleNut »

Wow,...Great response, decoykrvr. I could not agree more on your ideology. Also agree with quaver's premise that once a turkey hunter has had enough experience learning the "ABC's" on how to do it, success (or failure) is often just a matter of opportunity, time, perseverance, and choosing the right gobbler.
forkedlighting
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by forkedlighting »

I think you become a turkey Hunter when you pick out bird that's really hard to kill an then only take that bird I have done that for along time we can only kill 2 birds ,so I try to stretch the season out since I hunt every day it's something about killing a bird that takes a couple of weeks I had some that I just couldn't kill the only problem when I killed one of them I regret it like losing a old friend saddens you these news guys kill want ever comes in these in pick a wise an so how many you pull the trigger on

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crenshawco
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by crenshawco »

25 days to kill 1? If I don't kill 5 in 25 days I'm disappointed.
forkedlighting
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by forkedlighting »

Maybe you need to hunt smarter turkeys

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forkedlighting
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by forkedlighting »

forkedlighting wrote:Maybe you need to hunt smarter turkeys

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If you read the post you would have understood what I meant l could tag out in a couple of days I hunt a large farm an I am the only one hunting it so its no problem to fill my 2 tags I just don't care to sit at the house the whole turkey season

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crenshawco
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by crenshawco »

Forkedlightning, my comments weren't directed at you. Put the bottle down, and enjoy hunting your unpressured virgin birds. Heck just take a camera to capture your qtma experiences
forkedlighting
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by forkedlighting »

Crenshawco just because I.am the only one hunting them don't mean they are easy to killthey are still wild turkeys just like the one you are hunting l hunted public land for years also an private land birds are just as hard to kill you just have to put up other people screwing you up but it an it no cake walk

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Meleagris
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Meleagris »

Excellent posts quavers16! Also decoykrvr. Been chasing them 37 years myself also. Through different hunting camps and sportsman shows I have met "The Best Spring Turkey Hunter" several times. And if there are any title holders reading this I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate them. For me it's about enjoying each sunrise, the thrill of the gobble, the beauty of the prettiest scene in nature( a strutting gobbler), the challenge of fair chase(win or lose), and of course the great table fare. I've hunted many game birds and animals in several countries but nothing thrills me like a turkey. I can hear gobbles from my back steps most spring mornings these days. But it hasn't been too many years ago that I had to travel hours to hear them. A lot of hard work went into that success. I have a lot of respect for that and I respect the birds. When it becomes a numbers game for someone to build a resume or sell a product that really turns me off. Most of my birds are only shared with my family and a few close friends. I know how to kill a turkey but don't feel the need claim a title.
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Frankinthelaurels
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Frankinthelaurels »

Been chasing spring gobblers for 50+ years in 17 different states. I've harvested more than my fair share and view each hunt these days in a very different light. It was for about 25 years that only the kill matters and nothing more mattered, then you enter into the period of taking your kids out and teaching them, I really enjoyed that 15 year period but my favorite has been the last 5 years,teaching my grandsons the sport, I rarely even take a gun these days and enjoy sitting off to the side listening to them get after them...it has been extremely rewarding time and I'm surprised at how much I've changed from killing to watching and using my cameras..guess I've gone full circle over 50 years...it's been an amazing journey
decoykrvr
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by decoykrvr »

I go out some days with no intention of shooting a turkey, and do the same deer hunting unless a real trophy presents itself. My wife will asked, "Have you been turkey/deer watching today?" It amazes me how much more enjoyable a hunt can be when there is absolutely no pressure or desire to harvest an animal, but to simply be in their world. I was hunting a new property this spring, which I had not had the opportunity to fully scout, had two gobblers respond to my owl vocalizations ( I think I sound less like a barred owl now, than I did years ago, but the gobblers can't stand it, and if a gobbler is within ear shot, he will usually gobble) and climbed a high ridge in the dark and got a little above one of the gobblers at about 80 yards. The trees were fully leaved and I began to soft yelp and cluck. The gobbler responded to my every call, hit the ground, and came in strutting to put on a show at 35 yards. I decided to let him walk, since I had a friend who had not hunted much this year or killed a gobbler, and I figured i'd save the gobbler for him. Well. my friend could not get away to hunt, so I decided to get the gobbler myself. Four hunts later, after one of the three mature gobblers I had identified on the property, I had learned a lot about the gobblers and their habits, but was afraid they they were also learning a lot about me. A couple of days later, after I had changed out pot calls and my box, I got on two of the gobblers. I went after the most vocal bird, who had responded to my calling, at 6:15 I set up for the first time. I watched the gobbler strut and walk up and down a large creek which he wouldn't cross for almost two hours. I moved and set up closer to his strut zone when I saw the three hens which he was courting on the far side of the creek. I slipped into the creek into waist deep water when my movement was noticed by one of the hens. I stood motionless in the water for about ten minutes until the three hens settled down and moved towards the strutting gobbler down creek about seventy yards away. My legs were numb, but I hunkered down and semi-crawled up the creek bank. I calmed down and began to call softly w/ a few Kee-Kees thrown in. The hens responded and began to slowly work my way, gobbler in tow, going in and out of strut. At 35 yards I had my gun on the gobbler, but the hens were moving around in front and behind him, precluding a clean shot. The birds moved off and I repositioned myself and after about fifteen minutes the inquisitive Boss hen came back to my soft calling followed by the gobbler. I killed the four year old, hooked spur, gobbler at 9:45, and was somewhat remorseful at the conclusion of a very memorable hunt. I was tagged out, but was back in the woods for the remainder of the season and for two weeks later, not hunting, but not ready to let the Spring go. It is, after all, a "Disease"!
trkykilr
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by trkykilr »

There is a lot of good in this thread, and there are some things that I feel need some context.

Yes, there is a lot of the younger generation of hunters, and people in general that are all about "look at me". Way too much in my opinion.

Now, with that said, I think it is great that those of you that have been at it a long time find so much joy in taking others, harvesting specific birds, teaching younger generations, passing up birds, etc. I have been at it a shorter period of time (25 years for me), and I enjoy everything I listed in the previous sentence. I did, however, need to go through a period where I killed the fire out of them to get to that point. Most hunters do. It is part of one's hunting cycle. I'm guessing that most of you went through it, and needed to. To criticize those that are currently in that phase seems a little disingenuous to me. As for me, I have sought the advice of many of the best hunters I know personally, and plenty on forums. I try to make opportunities to hunt with those people. The overwhelming consensus is that the best way to get good at killing turkeys is to kill turkeys.

You can't genuinely offer assistance or tutelage to another hunter until you genuinely would prefer that he kill the bird, or the bird get away, than you kill the bird. For me, that took a lot of time and pelts on the wall. I only hunt alone one day per year now, but I couldn't have done that 10 years ago. If I could have, I wouldn't have enjoyed it.

The bravado that is referenced in this thread is absolutely essential to being a great turkey hunter. Some do a much better job of masking it, but when a good turkey hunter sits at the base of a tree to work a turkey, he best be thinking he is a bad son of a gun. Now, the hunt is about the bird and bragging about killing turkeys is a little unsavory, but the underlying confidence is essential, in my opinion. I remind myself daily in the woods of the tough birds I've killed and nurture that confidence in my ability. Ironically, I greatly enjoy getting my ass whipped by one.

I don't want to butcher it, but Col Tom Kelly has a quote about the marker in a bloodsport being the death of the beast. At some point, you become a bird watcher, and there is no season regulating bird watching. There needs to be something on the line for both the hunter and the bird.

I completely understand the more experienced hunters being turned off by some of the BS pulled by younger hunters. Television shows and anonimity on message boards are a huge contributing factor. There are still a lot of younger guys that do it the right way, but please don't forget the process you went through to get to the stage where you are now.
boone5252
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by boone5252 »

Sincerely enjoyed the above posts. Some of you express yourselves pretty good.
I certainly agree that most or all of us go thru a series of stages as we get older and more experienced in our hunting careers.
I remember when I was real young and got my first BB gun--A Daisy model 25--- that I had to shoot a certain number of song birds to prove to myself that I was "good" shooter and could get the job done given a reasonable opportunity. From there I graduated to shooting woodchucks in Pennsylvania with my 6mm---again shooting 50 chucks in a summer several years in a row to prove "I was good enough" to myself.
I think what we are talking about is confidence but not to a point of being "cocky"----but a quiet confidence within our self. Then once we KNOW we could of done it, we get great joy out of letting someone else shoot the bird we have just called up.
quavers16
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by quavers16 »

Really great replys here for this post. I think what helped me the most before I even took my first gobbler was my scouting and woodsmanship. I was just constantly in the woods trying to teach myself--no mentor and just crowded gun club lands and public land to learn on.
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Grumpy
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Grumpy »

I got to admit, I mythed a nice one this spring but our fall turkey season opens Sept. 1 - Jan. 1, 4 months so my plan is to get a big one to come by and I plan to not myth him this time.
I was not his father but he was my son,,MAK IV, 10-15-1993 - 4-22-2007
"Rest in Peace my Little Buddy"
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Turkinator
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Turkinator »

crenshawco wrote: July 19th, 2017, 9:43 pm 25 days to kill 1? If I don't kill 5 in 25 days I'm disappointed.
I hunt Alabama every spring. I think the turkeys there have a special spooky gene!
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Jaybird
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Jaybird »

For years I had one weeks vacation to fill a couple of tags, and very little Private to hunt. I use to be envious of those that could hunt so many days, and on Private land to boot. However, hunting Public, and some Private land no one else would hunt, actually made a better Turkey hunter out of me. I learned to really scout various Public land hard before opening season, and pick a top 3 to hunt. I eventually picked up some decent Private, and more time to hunt multiple states, but some of my fonder memories is scoring on those crappy Public hands I use to hunt. It was definitely a challenge.
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Bigspurs68
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Bigspurs68 »

In the process of calling up 40 gobblers, a person has definitely NOT seen it all....
Momma said "kill that turkey"
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GobbleNut
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by GobbleNut »

Bigspurs68 wrote: August 1st, 2017, 7:44 am In the process of calling up 40 gobblers, a person has definitely NOT seen it all....
Agreed, but the question then becomes "at what point has someone had enough experience to say they have seen it all"? Is that 40 gobblers,...or is it 400? I have personally hunted with friends that started turkey hunting at roughly the same time I did (fifty years ago), one of which still hasn't got a clue, while some of the others are quite competent. There are individuals who are intuitively better hunters than others, and in addition are just more serious about it. Thus, I think it is pretty difficult to establish a number of gobblers called as an indicator of good, better, or best, although I totally agree that more gobblers called is generally a good indicator of skill,...when everything else is equal.

I also personally go by the theory that a turkey hunter is often only as good as the next gobbler's willingness to cooperate. No matter how many each of us has called in, the next one is perfectly capable of showing us that we have "not seen it all". :)
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Toddmann
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Re: THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

Post by Toddmann »

One of the best threads I have come across in a while. Everyone has their on definition/opinion of who is or what makes a great turkey hunter. These type discussions usually turn into a pissing contest unfortunately. After 30+ years of chasing these unpredictable birds I have learned that I can never get enough of it. It's truly my worst addiction. I now make the shells I shoot and the calls I use. It seems at the moment I am cycling thru the I need to make the game a little harder for me phase. Of course if things get too hard I'll probably drop that phase and move to another.
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