| Author | Message | ||
| astie |
I first saw Wild Turkeys when I was a youth deer hunting. They were a lot more interesting than the deer that i was not seeing. bought a tape, watched it once, went out and killed a jake. was hooked and made it a priority over spring fishing. That was a transition, believe me. They now blend together very well. The first couple of diaphram calls I bought I couldnt blow, took em back to walmart and got my money back. Found out later that I was the one defective....he he. your thoughts? thanks. | ||
| s.grubbs |
Same here astie. I was deer hunting in greensville co. Va back in 1989 when I first saw a real wild turkey. I heard of folks hunting turkeys but never knew what it was all about so when I got married my wife gave me my first turkey call for christmas in 1992 and I started hunting the spring of 1993. NC was still low in turkey numbers and I heard only 2 turkeys gobble the first 2 seasons hunting on gamelands in NC. In 1995 I got to hunt on a farm in southampton co. VA and I heard 12 different turkeys gobble my first morning hunting the farm. I got my first turkey the next week and he is still my best bird to date with 1 1/2 spurs and a 11 in. beard. I got him at 11:50 am. I was hooked. I enjoy turkey hunting more than any other type of sport or hobby I can think of.We should all thank God each day for Jesus Christ our savior and for turkey hunting. | ||
| shopson |
Back in about 1990, a friend I fished with got the hair brained idea we go hunt turkeys. Neither of us had a clue what was going on. Thank goodness for hair brained ideas! | ||
| TScottW99
|
I grew up with a Dad who was possessed/addicted to turkey hunting. Unforutantly I was addicted to whitetails and didn't get into as much as he did. The bug finally hit me but now that I look back on it I wish I had been as serious about turkeys back then instead of deer. I don't think he appreciated my thinking on turkey hunting  One time when I was about 5 we were hunting for turkeys (well I was tagging along) and while he was calling I got bored. I guess it overcame me and I let out a big ol' G-O-B-B-L-E!!! His hunting buddy though it was hiliarous, Dad did not | ||
| Tom Nansel
|
In the spring of 1998 I got a call from a gentleman named Dr. George Dykes. Dr. Dykes was a retired veterinarian from Alabama. A neighbor of his just happened to go to High School with me in Forsyth, MT and suggested that our ranch may have some Merriam's turkeys for him to hunt. We spent 2 days hunting and a third day just visiting about what turkey hunting was all about. His guidance is why we have the program we have today. I don't actually go out and hunt the birds myself, but I will hang around an occasion and watch. And I always love to hear the stories and see the photos. Since my visit with Dr. Dykes, I have had many quality hunters come and enjoy the property and the beautiful Merriam's Turkeys, none more enjoyable to me than the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of meeting from the great state of Virginia. (And Hody, Freddy and VaKnight are three of the best!) | ||
| GN |
the veterans here have read thisbefore. In the 60's (1960's not 1860's) I was in school in Va..the state hadabout the only spring turky seasons in hte south a t the time(maybe alabama too?)..anyway, I had read enough Charlie Elliot and Col Dave Harbour stories in the magazines to thin k it might be fun. Tried it > After a couple of years I heard a turkey in the spring, Then I finall y killed one and they came prett y quick and much easier afte that...when the state fish and game people got them going all over the country and particularly the applachian area, it was some kind of good in the early eighties, and for those for you who were not around in the wood s then , you may have missed the best it will ever be, imo, as there was ZERO hunting pressure compared to what they get today. For the first fiftenn years I was hunting them(or more) I never saw a video, had no mentor, read a lot, listened to some tapes that had what people said were turkey calls, heard some hens, mimicked them. Got my butt kicked pretty good i n the early years, but again there were not any turkeys. If you found one you stayed with him for a season. I saw my first Primos video after the first Truth release Isaid, man, that would have been somethingto have had ...it would have cut fifteen yearsof the learning curve, Max is very lucky to have had somebody (uncles too I think) who took him back in those days. The first real turkey hunter I evergot in the woods with was after I had killed some birds and he was from west va , living inTenn, and his family had hunted spring birds for years too ,and I tripld what I thought I knew in about four hours with Dan....aLL DOWNHILL SINCE THE EARLY YEARS | ||
| Yelper55
|
Back in 1982 a friend of mine who hunted spring gobblers said to me...."As much as you love to hunt why don't you come hunt spring gobblers with me". Well I went. We hunted all morning and did not have any luck. I told him I knew of a place where I had seen turkeys that deer season....When we got there it was 10:30 am. I left my gun in the truck to just walk in and show him the spot. Well, He hit his Lynch box and I thought I heard a gobble...He told me to make a call...I pulled out the only turkey call I owned at the time....A Tiny Coiner peg and slate. I made a call and GOOOOBBBBBLLLLLEEEEE. Right there. He was comming! Well my friend handed me HIS gun. And said here you go. He sat down behind me. I made one more call and he answered. I put the gun on my knee and here he comes in full strut. Boom, My first spring gobbler. Time.....10:50 am. I have been hunting them hard every since. My friends name was Bobby McCabe. One of the greatest turkey hunters I know. Not to mention deer too. Thank the lord for friends like him. | ||
| vabirdhunter
|
I started back in 97,not that long ago. I work for the Gov. and every year there is a Uited Way Drive, I saw the NWTF listed in the book , I started donating to them . Then I found out there was a local Chapter where I live, got involved with that and I've been hooked every since. | ||
| WVBOY |
My dad started me when I was about 8 tagging along with him.. He called in my first when I was 10.. I called in my own when I was 15.. and was hooked for life.. it's been in my bloodline for years.. My dad got the fever from his Uncle who was a pretty good Turkey Hunter so I'm told, only used a wing bone. Also my Great Grandad on my Father's side was said to be a good Turkey hunter as well and would call them in with a blade of grass is what I'm told, he passed on when dad was pretty young so his uncle took dad under his wing. Also my Granddad on my mom's side was an addict as well, I can remember him always going and playing with his calls when I was young, but I never got the chance to go with him. I recently looked through some old photo albums of his and he has more pictures of Turkeys killed than I think he does of his family .. Anyway it's in my blood and I hope to pass it on to my son. | ||
| gn |
wvboy, you sure do have it in the blood...would love to see copies of those old pictures...I have see n some old timers down here who use a piece of grass, held tightly between the second and third joints of your thumbs as a sounding vibrater to make a cluck or yelp...you get one call per piece of grasss the way I have tried it..hahhaha...course if a bird ain't heard the ten million calls out today(diaphragm, box, sale, egg, lohman pump, :>) ) then he might just march in to a yelp off a piece of grass.... | ||
| WVBOY |
gn, yea I love hearing those old stories, and my dad is happy to share them with me. Seems like every time we go to a new place for me to hunt he has a story about it from his own hunting or has heard a story about it passed down and will share it with me. I thought he was joking me the first time he told me that his granddad used to call them in with a blade of grass, but soon realized that he was not.. He says that he would not even go out in the spring till the grass was knee high so he could get the right blade. I will ask my Grandma if maybe I can borrow some of those old photos and get them scanned in next time I'm down there.. | ||
| GN |
yep, you want a1/2 to 3/4 in wide piece of grass...one of these smart alecks on here is going to soon tell us to stop talking about grass on here .. | ||
| Dale
|
Go ahead and prepare yourself for a good laugh. My dad didn't hunt. Nobody in my family hunted. I guess it was just in my blood. Started hunting on my own, reading everything I could put my hands on. When I turned 17 many, many moons ago, I was now mobile enough to actually hunt given that I had a driver's license. I bought a Penn Woods single reed diaphram call that came with a tape in December. All spring, I drove my family nuts with my poor immitations of a turkey. At that point in my life, I had never even seen a live wild turkey. The season opener happened on April 16, 1983, my 17th birthday. I had not scouted at all. I simply went to a patch of woods that I liked and setup off a logging road looking down a hollow. No gobbles at daylight. I started calling lightly. I thought I heard something fly down. I got ready. Here comes the dark bird walking down across the hollow straight towards me. It crosses the bottom and walks right by me at 15 yards. I see no beard. It doesn't strut. It makes no sound other than the sound of its feet in the dry leaves. The bird walks by me, up the logging road behind me and then, you guessed it, "GOBBBBBLLLEEEE". Holy cow, I saw my first turkey, had him in gun range and didn't even know it was a turkey. The bird worked out into a power line right of way and gobbled his fool head off. I started calling and he was cutting me off. I moved to get in a better position. No more gobbles. I'm sure that I spooked the bird. Heck, I've been hooked ever since. I hunted many more moons before I pulled the trigger on my first spring gobbler. | ||
| WVBOY |
Dale, It doesn't matter if it was in your ancestors blood or not.. you've got it in your blood now.. | ||
| Bird Dog |
I probably killed my first10 or so turkeys in the fall, my Dad hunted some not alot though. Ever since i could walk , i wanted to be Daniel Boone though! All of the turkey hunters i knew then were fall hunters only, did'nt BELIEVE in hunting them in spring. Met guys in college that spring hunted, heard a few gobblers, then when like yelper 55 , that first bird answered my tiny coiner slate at close range high on the mountain. I stood there in disbelief for the next 2 gobbles, i'd never heard any thing that loud . then i tried to get set up but saw that gobbler about the time he saw me and flushed. I stood up , caught my breath, and said MAN , I've got to do this again! I have'nt lost that feeling yet and hope i never do. | ||
| gobbstopper1946 |
My first turkey hunting was in Va. We lived with my grandparents in the community of Beech Grove. I hunted with my grand dad and uncles when they would let me go. Turkey hunting was serious hunting to them and they didn't want some clumsy kid tagging along spooking everything. But I did get my share of hunting. There was a lot of leg work especially when the turkeys were using in Kelly Flat or the old Sis Campbell place (across the road from Wintergreen Ski Res.) Even at the age of 13 I got tired carring the old 12ga. long tom. I never did get to shoot one but I was with my uncle once when he did and it was great! They used wing bone calls and were very proficient. They would't hunt in the spring nor let me . Said it was their breeding time and to leave them alone. I really started when I was in high school (1963-64). I would go by myself and if I just heard one gobble it was a treat eventhough I didn't know exactly what to do. It was several years before I killed my first tom. I think it was because of two reasons, there weren't many turkeys and I just didn't know what to do. But I enjoyed every minute and wouldn't those memories for anything. As the years went by and the turkey population increased I learned from my mistakes and started harvesting more toms. I actually hunt harder now than I did back then but it's also a lot more fun now. GS... | ||
| Rhino |
I have my Dad to thank for addicting me to this sport. Started when I was 7, I have written down somewhere when I took my first bird (in the fall) - had to have been 11 or 12. Finally got him to take me spring gobbler hunting a few years later when I proved I could sit still long enough to suit him. He's said it and so will I - I've hunted a lot of game in a lot of different places, from Virginia all the way to Alaska, and if I had to give it all up for only one, spring gobbler season it would be. I hooked my best friend several years ago and he's plumb eat up with it now. Says he just as soon skip deer season & turkey hunt. I look forward to passing it along to my children some day. BB | ||
| Diablo |
I wish I had a warm and fuzzy story to tell you about how my dad or my grandad took me under their wing - fact is...they didn't. As a kid (and to this day) I love to play chess. I remember reading a turkey hunting article by Gene Nunnery in the late 70's or early 80's (in either Outdoor Life or Field & Stream) that really caught my attention. Nunnery's article made spring gobbler hunting sound like a live version of chess - only more difficult. I'd say that article hooked my curiosity, but because of playing baseball all through high school and college, I never got a chance to gobbler hunt until the mid 80's. From the time I read that first article to my first hunt, I must say the biggest positive influences on my interest to gobbler hunt were Joe Messinger and Gene Blackshire. Joe's father has been written about several times by the NWTF as he was the individual that pioneered the mouth diaphragm call in the early 1930's. Blackshire is a call manufacturer from Charleston, WV and never hesitated to answer each and every one of my questions. How'd I get started in Wild Turkey Hunting??? Just LUCKY I guess. JD | ||
| Limbhanger |
It was simple...THANKS DAD!! -Eric | ||
| Diablo |
Eric, I was LUCKY.....you were BLESSED! JD | ||
| Tburt |
I started in '92 I think hunting VA spring gobbler with a man in King George, JL. I owe it all to him. I can't imagine his patience! I always had it in me, he just threw gasoline on the fire! Thanks John! | ||
| FlatLand Gobbler
|
Back in the 80's in college, I had a Navy Commander tell me how Turkey Hunting was the best hunting you could possibly do. The way he spoke about it and the look of pure joy he had in his eyes peaked my interest. About a two years ago, I started working at the Hospital here and met a few guys in Maintenance that loved to hunt,Deer mostly, but some Turkey. One of the guys, David, loaned me some North American Hunt Club Videos to watch, and a Book by the same on Turkey Hunting. At about the same time I found out a Brother from Church Turkey Hunted. He has a Tom in full strutt on a table in his den, it blew my mind, it was the first Wild Turkey I had ever sen up close! The colors were the most beautiful I had ever seen on ANY bird. Randy gave me a copy of an HS Strutt teaching tape on calling, and a Will Primos tape to watch, on calling, with some hunts thrown in, I was imnthrawled. Then I found this board, I was amazed by the fount of knowledge here. The rest, as they say, is history. This was my second season, found another newby to share some hunts with here. I still have no Turkey, but you guys keep me fired up, and in the woods!!! Thanks guys, you are THE BEST!!!!! Ron | ||
| RaspyD
|
I was pretty fortunate to have grown up a turkey hunter. It helped that I had two of the best teachers in the country in Jim Clay and Tom Duvall and a turkey call business being run out of the basement of my house. I learned from the best. | ||
| SHANNON CARBAUGH |
MY DAD STARTED ME WHEN I WAS AROUND 7 YEARS OLD, TAKING ME FALL TURKEY HUNTING EVERY YEAR HERE IN MD, KILLED MY FIRST GOBBLER IN THE FALL OF 83, A JAKE, WHEN I WAS 11, MY DAD ALSO CALLED IN MY SECOND BIRD IN 86 A SPRING JAKE WHEN I WAS 14, THEN IN 88, I WAS 16, AND CALLED IN MY FIRST BIRD WITH A PERFECTION MOUTH CALL, A NICE LONGBEARD, I WAS THEN HOOKED, AND STILL AM TODAY. I CANT GET ENOUGH OF IT, THIS YEAR I HUNTED OVER 40 DAYS IN 5 STATES. |