Goosemaster
Well-known member
I want to add something about turkey hunting, it really helps if you can get an older guy to mentor you.
2024 Spring Turkey Hunt
- Thread starter gim
- Start date
Buddy its your job to help him get ready. Use light target loads, show him how to reposition keeping his off shoulder pointed toward the bird when he can. You pattern the gun with turkey loads and make sure poa match poi. Roost a bird the night before so youre in the game first light. Sneak in early and if possible bring a blind. I helps hide wiggling kids. As long as youre early enough you can quietly open a blind in dark. No flashlights. Put open blind over your head so theres no zipper noise
Hmmm ive been at it since early 80s. Back when no one told you anything. A different world today. Yes you can shortcut your learning curve. The fellow Jared I taught has been at it about 10 years now. We have 5 doubles together. His second year he killed 5 birds only 1 a jake. Hes got some good spots but even to this day more often than not I can tell him something new to consider.
Another young fellow from my club hunted with me last year. First day here killed a bird. In new england first day he missed his half of a double. Missed 3-4 more birds but last day there he killed 2. Everytime I talk with him he says I tell him something he never heard anyone say. I tell him to only consider what I tell him though its good info, he cant get better than me doing exactly what I do. Want him to keep his mind open to see things and figure a solution if that makes sense.
Your job as a mentor imo is not only to guide the mentee to a kill. Its to help them understand how/why it happened and how to repeat that without you
Goosemaster
Well-known member
When I first started in '92, there was no internet or YouTube videos to watch I just learned by trial and error mostly because nobody really told me anything. I didn't even see a gobbler my first four years of hunting. I did shoot a hand in my first year, yep that was my first turkey.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I haven't used my blind and a lot of years I think I'll probably I do have a good rest to take him to, so that helps. I'm not going to have the opportunity to take him out and shoot because we don't live in the same town. It's going to be sort of a camp then hunt. I'm sure I will only have one day to hunt with them maybe two. It just depends upon his parents. My other nephew I was able to get him a bird when he was 15, but he shot it out of a tree in the early morning but it was a nice bird I never did tell him it was unethical until he was around 25 years old.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
He Arkansawed a turkey!
Bob Peters
Well-known member
Here's my mistakes turkey hunting when I was a greenhorn. I suppose I've been at it now for 12 years?
1. First ever turkey hunt a buddy said he'd come with and call for me. We set up a blind at sunrise and there were turkeys all 'round. Looking back he called way to much and the toms never came in. I got out of the blind after our set and he handed me my 870 with the muzzle pointing right at my face, I never hunted with him again, but we're still good buddies.
2. It was prime time (10-2) and I was making my way through a willow thicket, hit a call and there was a response gobble. Instead of sitting down I called again he responded and then a third time. No doubt that turkey saw me and scooted away. Lesson there if you hear one gobble to your call sit down quick, even if there isn't an ideal position.
3. Early season on an Indian reservation we scouted a spot with birds. I was in a good place the next morning and two toms with a large gaggle of hens came cruising through, hot walking. I tried to call them in, but it wasn't that type of deal going on, very early season and cold, I should have just popped a tom. I had the idea every turkey you ever shoot comes strutting right in.
4. A roosted lone tom up in a tree on public land in MN early AM. I called only once or twice, he flew down and was walking past in cut ag field, not strutting at all. I took a shot but went over his head.
5. I saw a tom locked in strut not moving with a hen on a small rise. I tried army crawling to him but the hen saw me and it was game over.
6. I had a big tom come in on a rope to my setup, two of them actually. He was as a statue in front of my decoy, 15 yards away. I missed twice, then he took off running and missed a 3rd time. I damn near quit hunting then. Googled everything under the sun on "why did I miss the turkey?" Went back two days later and the same turkey came in once the hens left. I kept my cheek glued on the stock this time and hit him as hard as any turkey I ever shot. Redemption.
7. After sitting in a blind one morning for 3 hours I left to go get a snack, take a leak, etc. At my truck I looked down in front of my blind and there went a big tom and his harem of hens 30 yards in front of my blind. I went back the next day, heard a strange noise, no not a noise a vibration. Could feel it more than hear it. Pffft! Vvvvoooooooommmmm. Then a second time. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Here came a boss Tom that would make an ostrich feel self conscious for lack of size. I peeped and moved too much in the blind and he got cold feet, I took a crack off hand and missed, away he ran. I did shoot a tom later that day who came and took a nap behind my blind, but not nearly as big.
I told a buddy the other day, "My turkey hunting spot is so good, do you think I should hunt somewhere else for more of a challenge?" He told me "absolutely not, you go to your best spot." I'm glad he talked some sense into me. There is definitely a learning curve to turkey hunting.
1. First ever turkey hunt a buddy said he'd come with and call for me. We set up a blind at sunrise and there were turkeys all 'round. Looking back he called way to much and the toms never came in. I got out of the blind after our set and he handed me my 870 with the muzzle pointing right at my face, I never hunted with him again, but we're still good buddies.
2. It was prime time (10-2) and I was making my way through a willow thicket, hit a call and there was a response gobble. Instead of sitting down I called again he responded and then a third time. No doubt that turkey saw me and scooted away. Lesson there if you hear one gobble to your call sit down quick, even if there isn't an ideal position.
3. Early season on an Indian reservation we scouted a spot with birds. I was in a good place the next morning and two toms with a large gaggle of hens came cruising through, hot walking. I tried to call them in, but it wasn't that type of deal going on, very early season and cold, I should have just popped a tom. I had the idea every turkey you ever shoot comes strutting right in.
4. A roosted lone tom up in a tree on public land in MN early AM. I called only once or twice, he flew down and was walking past in cut ag field, not strutting at all. I took a shot but went over his head.
5. I saw a tom locked in strut not moving with a hen on a small rise. I tried army crawling to him but the hen saw me and it was game over.
6. I had a big tom come in on a rope to my setup, two of them actually. He was as a statue in front of my decoy, 15 yards away. I missed twice, then he took off running and missed a 3rd time. I damn near quit hunting then. Googled everything under the sun on "why did I miss the turkey?" Went back two days later and the same turkey came in once the hens left. I kept my cheek glued on the stock this time and hit him as hard as any turkey I ever shot. Redemption.
7. After sitting in a blind one morning for 3 hours I left to go get a snack, take a leak, etc. At my truck I looked down in front of my blind and there went a big tom and his harem of hens 30 yards in front of my blind. I went back the next day, heard a strange noise, no not a noise a vibration. Could feel it more than hear it. Pffft! Vvvvoooooooommmmm. Then a second time. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Here came a boss Tom that would make an ostrich feel self conscious for lack of size. I peeped and moved too much in the blind and he got cold feet, I took a crack off hand and missed, away he ran. I did shoot a tom later that day who came and took a nap behind my blind, but not nearly as big.
I told a buddy the other day, "My turkey hunting spot is so good, do you think I should hunt somewhere else for more of a challenge?" He told me "absolutely not, you go to your best spot." I'm glad he talked some sense into me. There is definitely a learning curve to turkey hunting.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Yeah I told him to do it, I really wanted him to get a bird because he wrote a bus a long ways to meet me out in Montana.
Cody are about the only factory calls I’ll use and I still have one. Can’t get rid of that call. Cody woodsman slate. It was the call i used for my daughters first hunt and they doubled. Great memory but Cody made solid calls.
Wanna address the “calling too much”. This is something you’ll hear over and over so it must be the truth. Its not. Many birds arent called at enough. Give you one example. Jared n I had a flock fly down n start away. He had the new stoned aluminum call do he wanted to cutt at em on it. I let him. They stopped, gobbled, look back. He put the call down. They started walking off. I grabbed the call started cutting hard at em. They turned around and that was our first double. The only one on a pot matter of fact. I use scratchers more
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Best of luck, hope you get one. Pattern that gun n make sure it throw the shot you will be using straight. If not get sights. Williams Fire Sights bolt to the rib and could be a fairly easy option
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Thanks for the advice, I'm really going to be winging it I think as far as the shotgun because I don't really have anything that fits him. This little Ithaca side by side is light, and it doesn't have a recoil pad. I use it for pheasant hunting occasionally because it's so light and I can shoot it well. I hope I can get him a shot, in the last 10 years I've become a very good turkey on her and I've gotten lots of good gobblers. I had to learn from making mistakes, and just being out there a lot helps. I think this will be my 34th year of turkey hunting. Getting a young kid a turkey is not easy but if a jake comes in I'm not going to let him pass on that. It took me 5 years or 4 years before I killed a gobbler. I have some good private ranches I can hang on, and some good public spots. I don't pay anybody anything.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
That is a good point I hope I get a chance for him to practice shooting.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I think I've missed twice in 30 years of hunting. I've always been good with a shotgun. With archery, I missed a 20 yd shot last year, and the year before that I missed a 6-yard shot!! That one really pissed me off but it can happen. I don't use a blind, I'm kind of a run and gun type but I will set up in a spot and lay and wait. It's hard to draw your bow, without the turkey seeing you. My nephew is a good kid, and he's a good athlete, he's the only athlete to come in into our family since me. I was a good basketball player, baseball player, and golfer. My nephew plays soccer and wrestles, but I think he could be a good football player I just need to get him to go out for football. I'm pretty sure he's going to be a varsity athlete. I just hope I can get him into hunting, because his parents are extremely religious and I'm not sure how much hunting they are going to let him do. I have a nephew who just turned 31, and he is a lawyer now, and I got him into hunting when he was 12 years old, and actually got him a gobbler on his first turkey hunt when he was 15. That bird was over 20 lb and he couldn't even pack it out of there I had to carry it for him. He was a really really small kid at 15. I bought him a youth model 870 when he was 13 years old or 14. You can't even buy those anymore brand new. Unfortunately.
A5 Sweet 16
Well-known member
An act that also requires penance in northern Saskatchewan. Obviously.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I waited 10 years before I told him that that was not an ethical hunt. It isn't as bad as shooting a young rooster.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Somebody mentioned calling too much, and spooking turkeys, well I call a lot all the time, and I don't think it does spook them. I called one in one time that was across the road and all the way up on another hillside, any turnaround and came all the way to me and I hid behind a tree, and rubbed him out. That was a big 20 lb turkey. My opinion is if you get one answering you keep calling, don't stop.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
Wrong. Depends on the situation.
gim
Well-known member
I used to hunt late season years ago when there was a lottery. When I didn't draw season A or B, I'd have to hunt E or beyond. I actually did harvest a couple of birds hunting later in the season.
But I would rather be fishing once that season opens so that's primarily why I prefer to turkey hunt before May.
I have been on a lot of turkey hunts where I don't call at all. I can tell immediately that calling is detrimental. I've also seen them hang up just outside of range due to decoys, so I removed those too. Quite often it just turns into a type of hunting I refer to as "deer hunting for turkeys" where I just wait for one to come along on a daily travel route within range. Its not as exciting as using a call/decoy but its what has to be done sometimes when they are call/decoy shy.