• Help Support TNDeer:

How did you learn to turkey hunt?

timberjack86

timberjack86

Well-Known Member
TNDeer Supporter
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
14,776
Reaction score
12,331
Location
Polk County
Noone in my family ever turkey hunted so I was on my own. I have always deer hunted so I wanted to try it. I read every article there was about turkey hunting watched the videos and talked to other hunters. So I set out to try it. 3 season of mistakes and no birds in the bag later I finally made the right mistake. I set up under a bird with a steep ridge sepperating us.I had done watched the same bird gather his hens 3 mornings in a row on top of this ridge so I snuck in at miday. Started calling and by golly got him gobbling. After an hour of sweet talk another gobbler snuck in between us and gobbled. Well mr. dominat bird wouldnt have none of this and charged down the mountain.He stopped at abou 10 yrds from me on top of the ridge and I let him have it. My first bird. The next day I set up under a gobbler in about the same situation and got him right after fly down. Lesson learned its all in the setup :D
 
internet research, youtube, and most of all Tndeer. I did go once with a friend last year and didn't kill any, but this year was more like my first year because I went into it full on my own. Now I'm really learning it, through experience that is. I still know little and every day turkey hunting in the field teaches me something.
 
Someone once said in the school of outdoors there is no graduation day! I couldt agree more.Just when you think you got them turkeys figured out an old gobbler comes along and makes you feel like a preschooler.Thats why I love it no one person will ever know it all :D
 
as others said i am still learning everytime i go, however i got my start from a good friend of mine 13 years ago and I have been hooked ever since. The guy is still the best turkey/duck caller i have ever been around and can use a tube call like no other!

one of my greatest memorys was the past 2 years where the student got to be the guide and was successful both times I got to take him out. On days we can actually hunt together now, birds hardly stand a chance....its crazy when you have a buddy that you just know what he is thinking and he knows what you are thinking...no need to dicuss, we hear a bird and the plan is already in motion.
 
My brother took me 5 years ago and he called up a Tom for me it was exciting to watch the decoy get whooped....every year I get amped to go turkey hunting then I only go once and realize I don't have anywhere to go. I've tried public land to no avail. Maybe this year I can land a spot.
 
Learn something new every year.

CBU93, stretch and cuttincaller taught me enough to get me in trouble though. :)
 
I think learning to hunt mature gobblers is a never ending assignment. I have chased different tempered gobblers and they each offer something to learn. Most of the times, the lessons are learned the hard way, by the mistakes I made.

I honestly think hunters give gobblers more credit for being smart than the bird deserves. Turkeys have something that really gives the edge over other prey we chase... EYESIGHT! My gosh they can spot movement from forever away :-)

The one thing I think of I like about chasing gobblers is the fact that something that worked on one gobbler may not work on the next one... you have to find what works on the next gobbler.

I learned to chase them on my own and still have lots to learn. I think the one thing a hunter can do to help tip the odds in ones favor is SCOUT. Knowing where the gobblers roost, travel, gather hens, strut zones, feeding areas, dust etc are key to hunting mature gobblers.

CANNOT wait until season opens back!
 
Never hunted them until deer hunting in college and had one come through. I didn't even know what that strange thing coming out of his chest was. :blush: Anyway some of my college buddies took me to no avail. We went to my great grandparents farm in Perry county and put one to bed. The next morning while we were getting set up he started gobbling. My buddy started calling to him and within 15 - 20 minutes I was admiring my first bird. That was 1995 and I've been hooked ever since. Just when you think you know what they'll do they fool ya. I tell people if you don't want a new hobby don't ever go. I'm addicted to it and learned most things by trial and error.
 
I was lucky to have a great friend get me started with the basics. Twenty years later I am still learning every season. The one thing that I have learned and apply to every hunt is. Some mornings those gobblers wake up and can be "called in" with anything and other mornings those same birds couldn't be called in by a grand champion caller. Patience and persistance. Plus alot of scouting.
 
hahah graveys start to his post reminded me of my first every kill. I had no idea what i was doing out there but had deer hunted all my life so at least i knew how to shoot a shotgun pretty good. my buddy just kept telling me to shoot when he makes him stick his neck out. Having not ever turkey hunting i just thought i would know what he meant, he made it sound that simple.

well bird came in perfect just like they are suppose to the problem was he had to make a quick set up and ended up to far apart to talk so i just had to make the call myself when to shoot. he cut and the bird gobbled and BOOOOOM shot him in mid gobble. My buddy laughed to no end and just said "well he did have his neck out i guess so you did what i asked" lol. 50 birds later i still laugh to myself when i think about it and how in the world i even hit him in mid gobble hahahah

2nd best (dumb) story is my first time on my own i decided to hit a box call while i was standing in the middle of an open field early in the morning to get one to gobble. I hit the call and he gobbled just on the other side of the woods. Well i didnt know how fast those things can come in so i took my time trying to get my decoys out and sure enough within 2mins the tom comes running out looking for the hen that called and busted me standing in the field with a Decoy in my hand at 10 yds.....you never seen a tom turn and run away so fast hahah.....best part is, dumb me though i could just sit down and call him back to my set up hahahahahahahahah

funny the dumb stuff you do while trying to learn.
 
I was walking down a logging road one time and hit a slate call . A turkey gobbled over a rise and I rushed over the rise to set up I never did figure out where the turkey went lol :D
 
Tough luck, and a lot of time in the woods. I focused on learning the birds, how they communicated, how they move through the woods, types of places they like, how weather and time of day affected them.
 
REN said:
hahah graveys start to his post reminded me of my first every kill. I had no idea what i was doing out there but had deer hunted all my life so at least i knew how to shoot a shotgun pretty good. my buddy just kept telling me to shoot when he makes him stick his neck out. Having not ever turkey hunting i just thought i would know what he meant, he made it sound that simple.

well bird came in perfect just like they are suppose to the problem was he had to make a quick set up and ended up to far apart to talk so i just had to make the call myself when to shoot. he cut and the bird gobbled and BOOOOOM shot him in mid gobble. My buddy laughed to no end and just said "well he did have his neck out i guess so you did what i asked" lol. 50 birds later i still laugh to myself when i think about it and how in the world i even hit him in mid gobble hahahah
Click to expand...

i shot my 1st and only turkey in mid gobble.
 
Every bird is different
What worked on one might not work on the other
I started out hunting with my dad back in the 80's

Most of what I have learned have been through trial and error
 

Latest posts

Back
Top