Turkey Calls & Calling: Guide to Improving Your Turkey-Talking Skills by Steve Hickoff
Lot of good information for the beginner or for those that are trying new calls. I was rather surprised to find that it talked about trumpets, wing bone, tube and yelper calls which are over looked in just about every other turkey how to book I have seen. Pages are nice thick glossy stock and full of color photographs and a few hand drawn diagrams. Information seems to be solid and what I remember (I had forgotten a lot due to meds I take because of a car accident, so this is a great refresher course) I would suggest this to the beginner for sure and maybe to those that are more experienced that are looking to try some new calls or info on them.
(Though I think most here that are experienced know more than this book will tell you this was a Amazon review)
Safety and hunting tactics is your key. Your calling does not have to be perfect, just the right CADENCE's in your yelps, cuts and clucks can make all the difference in successful hunt. Scouting and having turkeys to hunt helps a lot ... Spending time in the woods is your best learning experience with turkeys . Practice , Practice, practice with your calls, with the right cadence and understand what a turkey is telling you in return. You don't have to be a good caller at all, but you do need a basic understanding of turkey language ... Patience's kills more turkeys ... hard to learn all of this in a book.... You need boots on the ground and time in the field with turkeys .. Can't hunt twice a year and expect to be successful .... Hunt as much as you can ... books are good , but time in the field and first hand experience with turkeys is your answer. Your better off having 3 - 4 good calls instead of 10 bad calls.. If you can afford buying call , looking into getting custom calls regardless if your a beginner or season hunter.. call makers and custom calls can improve you hunt and calling ability ....
Quote from: Greg Massey on September 13, 2018, 12:51:58 AM
Safety and hunting tactics is your key. Your calling does not have to be perfect, just the right CADENCE's in your yelps, cuts and clucks can make all the difference in successful hunt. Scouting and having turkeys to hunt helps a lot ... Spending time in the woods is your best learning experience with turkeys . Practice , Practice, practice with your calls, with the right cadence and understand what a turkey is telling you in return. You don't have to be a good caller at all, but you do need a basic understanding of turkey language ... Patience's kills more turkeys ... hard to learn all of this in a book.... You need boots on the ground and time in the field with turkeys .. Can't hunt twice a year and expect to be successful .... Hunt as much as you can ... books are good , but time in the field and first hand experience with turkeys is your answer. Your better off having 3 - 4 good calls instead of 10 bad calls.. If you can afford buying call , looking into getting custom calls regardless if your a beginner or season hunter.. call makes and custom calls can improve you hunt and calling ability ....
Can't say I disagree, books can be a great place to start though.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on September 13, 2018, 01:23:47 AM
Quote from: Greg Massey on September 13, 2018, 12:51:58 AM
Safety and hunting tactics is your key. Your calling does not have to be perfect, just the right CADENCE's in your yelps, cuts and clucks can make all the difference in successful hunt. Scouting and having turkeys to hunt helps a lot ... Spending time in the woods is your best learning experience with turkeys . Practice , Practice, practice with your calls, with the right cadence and understand what a turkey is telling you in return. You don't have to be a good caller at all, but you do need a basic understanding of turkey language ... Patience's kills more turkeys ... hard to learn all of this in a book.... You need boots on the ground and time in the field with turkeys .. Can't hunt twice a year and expect to be successful .... Hunt as much as you can ... books are good , but time in the field and first hand experience with turkeys is your answer. Your better off having 3 - 4 good calls instead of 10 bad calls.. If you can afford buying call , looking into getting custom calls regardless if your a beginner or season hunter.. call makes and custom calls can improve you hunt and calling ability ....
Can't say I disagree, books can be a great place to start though.
I feel this day and time , the internet and hunting video's and youtube video's are a lot better than some books ....Primos Truth video's are some of the best for a beginner...
Even Primos employees put out books, I guess the experts must know a bit more than you. Have a nice night.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on September 13, 2018, 02:05:51 AM
Even Primos employees put out books, I guess the experts must know a bit more than you. Have a nice night.
Regardless books are good, but you can get a lot of knowledge from the internet and forums just like this one ..Old Gobbler ... yes i agree the experts know a lot more than you also... you have a good day...
Quote from: Greg Massey on September 13, 2018, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on September 13, 2018, 02:05:51 AM
Even Primos employees put out books, I guess the experts must know a bit more than you. Have a nice night.
Regardless books are good, but you can get a lot of knowledge from the internet and forums just like this one ..Old Gobbler ... yes i agree the experts know a lot more than you also... you have a good day...
I, in all honestly, have gotten far more from this forum which reinforces reading than I have any video I have ever watch. That is why I like it here so much. I even like you though we seem to be butting heads lately.
I'm sure the book would be an interesting read, but with today's calling devices and easily available information sources, turkey calling is the easy part. learning what and how much to say to a turkey,...and when to say it,...is the more difficult aspect of turkey hunting, and that comes mainly from experience under a broad spectrum of hunting conditions and circumstances.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with gleaning as much information as you can from other folks calling methods, but anybody that thinks their success or failure in turkey hunting is based primarily on their calling ability,...unless they are just totally clueless and inept with a call,...is probably focusing their efforts in the wrong place.
Even if you have enough experience and know the fundamentals, each encounter with a gobbler can be different in terms of what is going to "trip their trigger". In any given situation,...and with any given gobbler,... a hunter may be able to do just about anything and have the bird come. On the other hand, there are also birds out there that you can be perfect in terms of your calling, your set-up, and every other element of the hunt, and those birds are going to avoid being killed.
Over time, a "student" of turkey hunting will develop a "feel" for what he needs to do in a given set of circumstances. Dissecting one's successes and failures over many seasons of turkey hunting, and then applying the appropriate tactics and calling in similar situations is the best we can do. After that, success is almost totally a function of being on a gobbler that wants to do his part and cooperate.
The moral of the story: Learn to call and be the best you can be, but don't get "hung up" on the importance of calling. It is much more important to spend time in the woods learning about the birds you are hunting, their interactions, and how they "talk" to each other.
Quote from: GobbleNut on September 13, 2018, 01:41:08 PM
I'm sure the book would be an interesting read, but with today's calling devices and easily available information sources, turkey calling is the easy part. learning what and how much to say to a turkey,...and when to say it,...is the more difficult aspect of turkey hunting, and that comes mainly from experience under a broad spectrum of hunting conditions and circumstances.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with gleaning as much information as you can from other folks calling methods, but anybody that thinks their success or failure in turkey hunting is based primarily on their calling ability,...unless they are just totally clueless and inept with a call,...is probably focusing their efforts in the wrong place.
Even if you have enough experience and know the fundamentals, each encounter with a gobbler can be different in terms of what is going to "trip their trigger". In any given situation,...and with any given gobbler,... a hunter may be able to do just about anything and have the bird come. On the other hand, there are also birds out there that you can be perfect in terms of your calling, your set-up, and every other element of the hunt, and those birds are going to avoid being killed.
Over time, a "student" of turkey hunting will develop a "feel" for what he needs to do in a given set of circumstances. Dissecting one's successes and failures over many seasons of turkey hunting, and then applying the appropriate tactics and calling in similar situations is the best we can do. After that, success is almost totally a function of being on a gobbler that wants to do his part and cooperate.
The moral of the story: Learn to call and be the best you can be, but don't get "hung up" on the importance of calling. It is much more important to spend time in the woods learning about the birds you are hunting, their interactions, and how they "talk" to each other.
Thanks GobbleNut , that what i've been trying to tell him and beginners ....
Quote from: GobbleNut on September 13, 2018, 01:41:08 PM
I'm sure the book would be an interesting read, but with today's calling devices and easily available information sources, turkey calling is the easy part. learning what and how much to say to a turkey,...and when to say it,...is the more difficult aspect of turkey hunting, and that comes mainly from experience under a broad spectrum of hunting conditions and circumstances.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with gleaning as much information as you can from other folks calling methods, but anybody that thinks their success or failure in turkey hunting is based primarily on their calling ability,...unless they are just totally clueless and inept with a call,...is probably focusing their efforts in the wrong place.
Even if you have enough experience and know the fundamentals, each encounter with a gobbler can be different in terms of what is going to "trip their trigger". In any given situation,...and with any given gobbler,... a hunter may be able to do just about anything and have the bird come. On the other hand, there are also birds out there that you can be perfect in terms of your calling, your set-up, and every other element of the hunt, and those birds are going to avoid being killed.
Over time, a "student" of turkey hunting will develop a "feel" for what he needs to do in a given set of circumstances. Dissecting one's successes and failures over many seasons of turkey hunting, and then applying the appropriate tactics and calling in similar situations is the best we can do. After that, success is almost totally a function of being on a gobbler that wants to do his part and cooperate.
The moral of the story: Learn to call and be the best you can be, but don't get "hung up" on the importance of calling. It is much more important to spend time in the woods learning about the birds you are hunting, their interactions, and how they "talk" to each other.
I completely agree with you, and I as I said above agreed with Gregg when he said the same. What I am trying to make Gregg understand is that there is much to be learned from books as well, case in point everything you and he have pointed out is talked about in the book, something that I need to relearn because my meds make me forget things and that is part of what I forgot. This book has a chapter that titled "Where, when and why" and this is something I desperately need reinforced as I lost a lot of it because of memory loss. If it can help me then it can help others as well. Perhaps Gregg was thinking it is a how to call book only, and I can looking at it now understand how maybe that is the case by my above review, but you are only allowed so many characters for a review on Amazon and I had to remove a lot of what I posted here already. Here is a picture of the table of contents so maybe it will be more clear that there is much more to the book than just how to run a call.
That said I find it far harder to learn from people on Youtube than I do from a book, I think that is because you are bombarded by tons of people that think their way is the right way and then the next expert will say something completely different. About the only ones I really like is Primos Also watching videos or listening to tapes my mind wonders a lot, part of the ADD/ADHD where a book hold your attention completely because you have to engage the book in order to learn from it.
From the Table of Contents, it looks like a good read for the avid turkey hunter. Hopefully, a few of the participants here will read it and we can have a comprehensive review of the work. I have personally read so many "how to" books on turkey hunting that I have kind-of gotten away from it, but I admire anyone that will put in the time and effort to write a book about it. That takes a great dedication to the craft. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: GobbleNut on September 13, 2018, 05:31:35 PM
From the Table of Contents, it looks like a good read for the avid turkey hunter. Hopefully, a few of the participants here will read it and we can have a comprehensive review of the work. I have personally read so many "how to" books on turkey hunting that I have kind-of gotten away from it, but I admire anyone that will put in the time and effort to write a book about it. That takes a great dedication to the craft. :icon_thumright:
My biggest reason for getting it was the chapter I mentioned about I think it was called "what, when and why" I don't remember when to use what calls, I think you start out with yelps but I don't remember when to use clucks, putts, cackles and so on. I used to know but lost that all because of the meds so I got this to help me. That is one of the things you don't see in the videos, they just do it, they don't tell you why or in what possible situation to use them.
Where the videos help somewhat is with cadence, I have also purchased one of Lovett Williams CD's and intend to buy more, though I was disappointed in the one I have as it does not give the when and where instructions I had hoped for. I do like them for cadence though along with another CD that I like a bit more titled Spittin' Feathers maybe just because I have owned it so long.
I wish I had the attention span to read, but I don't. I think I've read one book my entire life and it was a short one. The only reason I managed to get through it was because a friend of mine wrote it. He was an uncover game warden for years and wrote it after he retired. I had seen a lot of the uncover videos of cases that are in the book so that held my interest for short periods of time. Still took me about 3 months to get through it.
The book you listed looks like it could be informative. If it helps you in any way then it's worth reading. The good thing about turkey hunting is there may be 2 or 3 reactions to a situation that works in your favor, and a hundred that doesn't. And those reactions can swap sides from one bird to another. What worked yesterday may bite you in the rear the next day. Most important thing I've learned is the hunt isn't over just because your initial reaction failed. Don't give up and go on to plan B, then C. I've ran the alphabet and not killed a bird, and I've killed them from A to Z. Glad you enjoyed the book. I hope it helps you on future hunt.
Quote from: guesswho on September 13, 2018, 07:12:06 PM
I wish I had the attention span to read, but I don't. I think I've read one book my entire life and it was a short one. The only reason I managed to get through it was because a friend of mine wrote it. He was an uncover game warden for years and wrote it after he retired. I had seen a lot of the uncover videos of cases that are in the book so that held my interest for short periods of time. Still took me about 3 months to get through it.
The book you listed looks like it could be informative. If it helps you in any way then it's worth reading. The good thing about turkey hunting is there may be 2 or 3 reactions to a situation that works in your favor, and a hundred that doesn't. And those reactions can swap sides from one bird to another. What worked yesterday may bite you in the rear the next day. Most important thing I've learned is the hunt isn't over just because your initial reaction failed. Don't give up and go on to plan B, then C. I've ran the alphabet and not killed a bird, and I've killed them from A to Z. Glad you enjoyed the book. I hope it helps you on future hunt.
Still reading it, but am not into it much yet, I am taking my test to get my trapping license on the twenty second so I am reading that and trying to finish off another book as well. I wish studying was as easy as reading, it is funny because I can read all day long about bow hunting or turkey hunting but when it is something that I HAVE to read it is very very hard for me, they tell me that is part of the above mentioned ADD/ADHD but I think it must be that way for most. I only have 2 chapters left so if the dog will leave me along I should have it (trapping pre-test) finished this weekend and then I will scour through it all week trying to reinforce myself. This is the only outdoor license test that has ever had me worried, I have never had to take one on the medicines that I am on now and I am having a very hard time retaining it.
Quote from: guesswho on September 13, 2018, 07:12:06 PM
I
The good thing about turkey hunting is there may be 2 or 3 reactions to a situation that works in your favor, and a hundred that doesn't. And those reactions can swap sides from one bird to another. What worked yesterday may bite you in the rear the next day. Most important thing I've learned is the hunt isn't over just because your initial reaction failed. Don't give up and go on to plan B, then C. I've ran the alphabet and not killed a bird, and I've killed them from A to Z.
Wise words,...especially from a Goob from Alabama... ;D :toothy12:
To carry that idea and discussion a bit further (from a senile, old fart from New Mexico), one of the "keys to success" (insert picture here, Ronnie) is having enough experience to know how to go through the sequence from A to Z such that you haven't screwed it all up by trying Q too early.
In other words, there may be two or three tactics that will work on a gobbler and a hundred (or more) that won't, but we have to learn to work our way through the mine field of poor tactical choices so we don't blow ourselves up before we hit on the tactic that will work on a particular bird.
Those of us with years/decades of experience have blown ourselves up enough times that we have a pretty good idea of where to step while working a gobbler such that the explosion doesn't happen too early in the encounter. For me, personally, anymore, I can usually get to about K before the mine goes off... ;D
Nothing wrong with this discussion or suggestions on the purpose of reading books or using internet or video's. What it's all about is the passion we have in hunting these birds and helping others. This forum is the best on the internet along with a lot of great people and turkey hunters. We will all have different opinions.. If your a beginner gather as much information as you can and hunt safe and ethical. Boot's on the ground and learning cadence and practice with your calls. Remember you have to have turkeys to hunt turkeys ... that's why it's important to scout and ride and as questions from deer hunters, farmer's, mailman can tell you a lot he or she is on the road everyday but one.... It's just the love of the game and hearing that first gobble at daybreak that get's me excited after that it's game on ... if you spend a lot of time hunting these birds you can tell almost within a few gobbles if your going to kill that bird or not .... some birds are going to die that day regardless ....I didn't read this in a book. I learned this over 35 plus years of hunting these birds and spending time with them in the woods and fields of Tennessee and Missouri ......In Tennessee you can hunt all day and for years i've hunted these birds all day.. Pack a lunch and play the game with them is what i enjoy , kill or not ....it's turkeys being turkeys ..
Very good comments from GobbleNut an Gregg, experience will always be the best teach for sure, you just have to be smart enough to let it teach you, that's another lesson we have all had to learn in life.
Books are great and I will not knock them but experience trumps it all in my opinion. You can understand the basics of turkey language but until you work birds and begin to understand the nuances of their responses I don't think you start to really get it. It is a constant game of learning and getting a feel for it. Picking up on a toms mood and calling accordingly will go a long way. Still sounding like the most sexy hen on the planet won't help much if your in the wrong location. I am far from a master but working birds and even calling in hens has taught me more than books have. Heck I still get in wrong sometimes but that is what I love about it. You can practice your whole life and not be good. It's not until you have played a few games that it starts to come together and make sense.
Quote from: Happy on September 17, 2018, 08:32:09 PM
Books are great and I will not knock them but experience trumps it all in my opinion. You can understand the basics of turkey language but until you work birds and begin to understand the nuances of their responses I don't think you start to really get it. It is a constant game of learning and getting a feel for it. Picking up on a toms mood and calling accordingly will go a long way. Still sounding like the most sexy hen on the planet won't help much if your in the wrong location. I am far from a master but working birds and even calling in hens has taught me more than books have. Heck I still get in wrong sometimes but that is what I love about it. You can practice your whole life and not be good. It's not until you have played a few games that it starts to come together and make sense.
Can't say that I disagree, but a book can also make you try things you may not have otherwise.
At a stage in life where I realize how much I do not know, the more I learn the more I realize how much more I need to learn. All source of knowledge are good but applying that knowledge in the field is the acid test. Each year I think I have made every mistake in turkey hunting that is possible and I manager to discover a new mistake. The learning process is a big reason why I go back each year, well there are several other reasons but for this discussion the learning is the big one.
Quote from: NCL on September 18, 2018, 09:11:47 AM
At a stage in life where I realize how much I do not know, the more I learn the more I realize how much more I need to learn. All source of knowledge are good but applying that knowledge in the field is the acid test. Each year I think I have made every mistake in turkey hunting that is possible and I manager to discover a new mistake. The learning process is a big reason why I go back each year, well there are several other reasons but for this discussion the learning is the big one.
I agree. I've hunted Turkey's for a long time. Im still learning all these years later. It's the hard ones to kill that keeps me at it..
I didnt have a mentor to help me in the beginning so I read alot of books on Turkey's especially in the beginning. Hickoffs fall turkey hunting book is a good read also.Other than books the Turkey's taught me what worked or what didn't. I still like a good turkey hunting book if I can 3ver find the time to read them. I have probably a couple hundred of them. It was another passion of mine turkey hunting book collecting.
I have only been hunting them for forty-five years. Once one learns to find them, set up on them and hide properly and then learns to perform those actions naturally, calling is everything.
Getting my hands on and reading everything I could about hunting turkeys when I first started definitely helped me learn the game early on as there was no internet or videos, but it really takes going to turkey school in the woods to help get dialed in. Before the season starts every year, I like to go find wild turkeys someplace where they aren't hunted, get as close as I can, and listen to their conversation to get tuned up for the season. A few days of listening and absorbing the rhythm, volume, and frequency of turkeys calling can really get me dialed in on what to say and when to say it better than anything in print. Books are fantastic for learning the rules, or finding what brought success to other hunters, but it takes real world experience and making your own mistakes to learn what the turkeys want and and expect to hear. A thousand books can't teach what several days spent in the turkey woods can. I learned more from my own screw ups than all of the stories & how to's I read ever taught me. The hardest learned lessons are the easiest ones to remember.
Someone could could have all the normal turkey calling sounds down, but until one hears what calling sequences to use and when from live birds, you're limiting yourself and your ability to become a better turkey hunter. You can get by without being a competition caller (I'm living proof) though if you start making the wrong calls at the wrong cadence from the wrong location, it's game over.
Reading and watching videos about turkey hunting are great tools which helps feed my addiction in the off season, but neither one is a good substitute for being in the woods around wild turkeys. By all means absorb what you can from literature, though live turkeys will end up proving to be far more educational in the long run.
A buddy of mine is not a good caller at all, though he's a good hunter and has some great land where he can hunt. He does quite well by setting up in the right kinds of places and calling sparingly on a push pin caller. He could probably do better with more/better calling skills, but his experience has taught him well enough by knowing what calls to use and where to set up.
Jim
Completely agree.
Quote from: silvestris on October 15, 2018, 02:17:52 PM
Once one learns to find them, set up on them and hide properly and then learns to perform those actions naturally, calling is everything.
I agree.
Time in the field is the greatest teacher. This will be my 51st season and I learn something new every time I am in the field.
Quote from: bobk on December 11, 2018, 01:12:00 PM
Quote from: silvestris on October 15, 2018, 02:17:52 PM
Once one learns to find them, set up on them and hide properly and then learns to perform those actions naturally, calling is everything.
I agree.
Time in the field is the greatest teacher. This will be my 51st season and I learn something new every time I am in the field.
All other things being equal,...that is, your set-up, positioning, mind-set of the bird (or birds) you are talking to,...then, yes, I agree that "calling is everything". The problem with that simple, three-word statement is that a lot of turkey hunters do not have the experience to understand what we mean when making that statement.
It seems a lot of hunters interpret that to mean that they need to sound like the championship-level callers they see in contests and on the internet. That interpretation is entirely off-base. While it's true that one needs to sound like a "real" turkey, the fact is that the spectrum of what "real" turkeys sound like is all over the chart.
"Calling is everything" means that a hunter needs to understand when, what, and how to say something to a gobbler more-so than meeting some fictional standard of calling prowess. Yell at a gobbler when he wants you to whisper to him (or vice-versa), no matter how realistic your yelling sounds, and he is likely to shut the hell up and say "adios".
Coaxing a gobbler to you, in many cases, requires interpreting his state-of-mind and then talking to him in the manner that he thinks he should be talked to. As bobk and other have inferred, that mainly comes from experience,...not necessarily calling ability.
Quote from: GobbleNut on December 12, 2018, 11:27:57 AM
Quote from: bobk on December 11, 2018, 01:12:00 PM
Quote from: silvestris on October 15, 2018, 02:17:52 PM
Once one learns to find them, set up on them and hide properly and then learns to perform those actions naturally, calling is everything.
I agree.
Time in the field is the greatest teacher. This will be my 51st season and I learn something new every time I am in the field.
All other things being equal,...that is, your set-up, positioning, mind-set of the bird (or birds) you are talking to,...then, yes, I agree that "calling is everything". The problem with that simple, three-word statement is that a lot of turkey hunters do not have the experience to understand what we mean when making that statement.
It seems a lot of hunters interpret that to mean that they need to sound like the championship-level callers they see in contests and on the internet. That interpretation is entirely off-base. While it's true that one needs to sound like a "real" turkey, the fact is that the spectrum of what "real" turkeys sound like is all over the chart.
"Calling is everything" means that a hunter needs to understand when, what, and how to say something to a gobbler more-so than meeting some fictional standard of calling prowess. Yell at a gobbler when he wants you to whisper to him (or vice-versa), no matter how realistic your yelling sounds, and he is likely to shut the hell up and say "adios".
Coaxing a gobbler to you, in many cases, requires interpreting his state-of-mind and then talking to him in the manner that he thinks he should be talked to. As bobk and other have inferred, that mainly comes from experience,...not necessarily calling ability.
You are saying what I have been trying to say but better than I was saying it, especially your third paragraph. I used to know when to call in a certain way, I have had as many as three right up on me touching my blind and or the backpack that was a foot or so outside my blind. Problem was it was the Spring after my last accident and my back was so bad I could not get the front end of the gun up enough to shoot one of them and one could not have been more than 15 feet from me when he stood there and presented a perfect shot. But I have forgotten a lot of that stuff and books seem to help me a lot with trying to remember the when and where to use things as well as video's from reputable companies/people, I love anything from Primos, I would love to hunt with Will Primos one day, that will never happen though.
Great thread!
Learn however you can. read,join forums, find a mentor, watch videos,facebook, listen to sound bites etc. but.....get in the woods. When an Ol'Sage taught me how to ease quietly into and out of the woods using the terrain to my advantage I started seeing and hearing a lot more Turkeys ( and that includes other game species as well).
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on January 27, 2019, 01:16:08 AM
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
I am beginning to enjoy the ones where they are sharing memories more than the how to's lately. I had gotten a hold of a book from Amazon called "Somewhere Along The Way" It was a short book, only 124 pages but the man wrote so well it was like you were there with him. He was not a blow hard for this brand or that brand and did not tell you how to do things, he just shared his love and memories of the sport and made you want hear him telling you about them.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 27, 2019, 09:00:39 PM
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on January 27, 2019, 01:16:08 AM
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
I am beginning to enjoy the ones where they are sharing memories more than the how to's lately. I had gotten a hold of a book from Amazon called "Somewhere Along The Way" It was a short book, only 124 pages but the man wrote so well it was like you were there with him. He was not a blow hard for this brand or that brand and did not tell you how to do things, he just shared his love and memories of the sport and made you want hear him telling you about them.
If you like stories, I would recommend Bad Birds by Jim Spencer.
Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
Quote from: tomstopper on January 28, 2019, 02:55:59 AM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 27, 2019, 09:00:39 PM
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on January 27, 2019, 01:16:08 AM
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
I am beginning to enjoy the ones where they are sharing memories more than the how to's lately. I had gotten a hold of a book from Amazon called "Somewhere Along The Way" It was a short book, only 124 pages but the man wrote so well it was like you were there with him. He was not a blow hard for this brand or that brand and did not tell you how to do things, he just shared his love and memories of the sport and made you want hear him telling you about them.
If you like stories, I would recommend Bad Birds by Jim Spencer.
Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
No joke, when I first read this I thought it said Big Bird and I was wondering if Mr. Snuffleupagus was in there too? I will look that up, thanks. Edit: I thought it sounded familiar, it is already in my list but thank you, the more people suggest the same book the more I become interested in it.
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 28, 2019, 01:07:11 PM
Quote from: tomstopper on January 28, 2019, 02:55:59 AM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 27, 2019, 09:00:39 PM
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on January 27, 2019, 01:16:08 AM
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
I am beginning to enjoy the ones where they are sharing memories more than the how to's lately. I had gotten a hold of a book from Amazon called "Somewhere Along The Way" It was a short book, only 124 pages but the man wrote so well it was like you were there with him. He was not a blow hard for this brand or that brand and did not tell you how to do things, he just shared his love and memories of the sport and made you want hear him telling you about them.
If you like stories, I would recommend Bad Birds by Jim Spencer.
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No joke, when I first read this I thought it said Big Bird and I was wondering if Mr. Snuffleupagus was in there too? I will look that up, thanks. Edit: I thought it sounded familiar, it is already in my list but thank you, the more people suggest the same book the more I become interested in it.
Lol. You will enjoy it
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Experience trumps all... But, for the inexperienced a good book with a good video or two can help make those initial experiences more valuable.
I started turkey hunting in my 20's from scratch... I did not even understand that you really need to shoot them in the head. I was amazed they could fly so well.
I wish I could remember the name of the book I first read, but it discussed shot placement, how to detect turkey sign, and how to read it (i.e. telling tom footprints and poop from hens), and discussed bird behavior, food sources, and habitat... No doubt but that this book gave me a head start and increased my learning curve.
I took the advice of the book and started with a box call, and by the end of the season was using a mouth-call... Took me a while to learn that making them gobble with a call is not always the best choice.
I still like to read a good article on turkey hunting from someone with more or different experiences than I have had. I suppose if I ever really figure it out, I'll lose interest....
Quote from: Marc on January 28, 2019, 10:28:58 PM
Experience trumps all... But, for the inexperienced a good book with a good video or two can help make those initial experiences more valuable.
I started turkey hunting in my 20's from scratch... I did not even understand that you really need to shoot them in the head. I was amazed they could fly so well.
I wish I could remember the name of the book I first read, but it discussed shot placement, how to detect turkey sign, and how to read it (i.e. telling tom footprints and poop from hens), and discussed bird behavior, food sources, and habitat... No doubt but that this book gave me a head start and increased my learning curve.
I took the advice of the book and started with a box call, and by the end of the season was using a mouth-call... Took me a while to learn that making them gobble with a call is not always the best choice.
I still like to read a good article on turkey hunting from someone with more or different experiences than I have had. I suppose if I ever really figure it out, I'll lose interest....
\
Sounds a lot like this book by Lovett E. Williams, Jr. that I am reading right now, Book of the Wild Turkey.
Quote from: tomstopper on January 28, 2019, 01:55:32 PM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 28, 2019, 01:07:11 PM
Quote from: tomstopper on January 28, 2019, 02:55:59 AM
Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 27, 2019, 09:00:39 PM
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on January 27, 2019, 01:16:08 AM
I learned alot in the beginnings years ago through reading books which started another addiction of collecting them. Lots of ways to learn,but nothing wrong with a good book if you have the time. Not all are how to's and can also make you a better turkey hunter.
I am beginning to enjoy the ones where they are sharing memories more than the how to's lately. I had gotten a hold of a book from Amazon called "Somewhere Along The Way" It was a short book, only 124 pages but the man wrote so well it was like you were there with him. He was not a blow hard for this brand or that brand and did not tell you how to do things, he just shared his love and memories of the sport and made you want hear him telling you about them.
If you like stories, I would recommend Bad Birds by Jim Spencer.
Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk
No joke, when I first read this I thought it said Big Bird and I was wondering if Mr. Snuffleupagus was in there too? I will look that up, thanks. Edit: I thought it sounded familiar, it is already in my list but thank you, the more people suggest the same book the more I become interested in it.
Lol. You will enjoy it
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I just picked it up on ebay.
Hope you enjoy man.
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Quote from: tomstopper on February 01, 2019, 02:07:10 AM
Hope you enjoy man.
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Me too, thanks.
Best way to learn to call like a turkey is to listen to Real live turkeys. Next best thing is Lovett Williams cds of recorded real turkeys with lovetts explanation of each call and its meaning.
Quote from: LaLongbeard on February 01, 2019, 10:28:29 AM
Best way to learn to call like a turkey is to listen to Real live turkeys. Next best thing is Lovett Williams cds of recorded real turkeys with lovetts explanation of each call and its meaning.
I have one of Lovett's CD's, I am going to get one more but if it is like the one I have now I am sorry to say I like the Spittin Feathers ones better. But that is based on only one of his CD's mind you, I may get the other and fall in love. lol I do agree that experience is the best teacher but books can help open you to trying things you may not have thought of before.
Edit: The one I have already from Lovett is Real Turkeys III
There are several good CD's out there, but Spitting Feathers is one of the best.
Some of the older dvd/videos provide lots of good info and some great turkey talk. The ones by Denny Gulvas, Paul Butski, Dick Kirby, Pimos and others from back in the day....before the current line of BS infomercials.
Quote from: randy6471 on February 02, 2019, 07:04:04 PM
There are several good CD's out there, but Spitting Feathers is one of the best.
Some of the older dvd/videos provide lots of good info and some great turkey talk. The ones by Denny Gulvas, Paul Butski, Dick Kirby, Pimos and others from back in the day....before the current line of BS infomercials.
So long as it is Dick Kirby and not his son, got to meet him at an NWTF event on Batavia NY back in 98 and he was one of the most arrogant self involved jerks I have ever met in my life. He is one of the reason I stopped buying their calls as a matter of fact.