Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

    There were no Turkeys on my area of New York State when, I  started to hunt in 1974. I saw my 1st set of Turkey Tracks at age 29 while out hunting Pheasants.  Next year ,I took up Spring Turkey Hunting.
   No Mentor of course and ,I was on my own from the start. The School Of Hard Knocks was rough on me. I made 1001  mistakes and then for good measure,  I  made them all again.
    Finally- near the very end of my 5th Spring ,I  Killed my 1st Spring Turkey. I figure ,I  hunted at least 25 days each May. Took me 125+ Hunting days to Kill my 1st Spring Turkey.  Then as now it was Public Lands. I used to have access to Crowded Gun Club Lands when ,I  was a member
   After that Long + poor start ,I  started to knock them down left + right. Up to 121 Turkeys today which is probably  low compared  to many members here.
   So-- How Long did it take you to Kill your 1st Spring Turkey without a Mentor at your side?

Killed jakes my first two seasons. First long beard I called in myself came in year three, 2007.

Bout 15min. Killed the first turkey I ever heard gobble in the woods . It got more difficult after that .

I remember my first turkey kill, it was just amazing hunting and i was still in the learning stage. I guess you could say i'm still learning. LOL I cared that Jake around in the back of my truck all day showing people. In those day's we were lucky to hear couple gobblers all season. It was my second spring season.

i finally connected my 4th season, spring if 1990, I was 15 and drove 4 hours to meridian ms by myself to go hunt some land I was invited to hunt.  I had asked a couple known turkey hunters in my hometown, who my mom worked with, if they would take me on a hunt to show me the ropes and they turned me down so I had to learn on my own.  heck, the day that I killed my first was the first time one had ever even responded to my calling lol

My fourth year trying before I got my first one.

Nice thread. Never really had a mentor. Nobody wanted to turkey hunt in 1981. I started in PA by myself. First season, they answered me. The last weekend of my first season, I had one coming. The problem was that I answered him every time he called. Next thing I knew was he passed behind me silently, and walked away gobbling. Did lots of reading that off season, and learned it's better to call less, get them curious, let them come. They know exactly where you are. The next season on opening day of PA, I called twice after a bird hit the ground, 5 minutes later I got my first bird. A nice 22 pound Tom with a 9 inch beard. I will never forget that moment. The rest is history, but nothing replaces that memory of that bird strutting over the ridge to 25 yards. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. That's why we all do it. Thx for listening. This thread brought that great memory back as if it was yesterday.....

45 minutes to an hour.  Public land in Florida.  That was a long time ago, late 60's.   

My first one was a Jake in 1982. Had no mentor and hunted for three years and made a thousand mistakes until I finally got one. I'm still making mistakes but just not as many and as often as I used to  Still learning, lol.

 
It was just my young son and I.
It took me to mid season of my 4th year.  10 inch beard with 1-1/8 " spurs.
My thirteen year old out gunned me though. He killed his first bird in our 3rd year....a nice Jake. Needless to say the guys in our club ragged me unmercifully.

GunRunner
:turkey:

Mentor?...What's that?   When I started spring gobbler hunting as a teenager in the mid-1960's, you could probably have counted the number of people who had ever hunted spring gobblers in this entire state on one hand,...and since the spring hunt here had just started, any spring hunting they had done had been somewhere else. 

I knew nothing,...and nobody else I knew that hunted knew anything about spring gobbler hunting.  We all started with a totally blank slate,...except for the occasional article seen in one of the "big three" outdoor magazines at that time. 

I didn't kill my first "called in" gobbler until 1975, although in terms of total number of days hunted from when I started in the 60's, it was probably only around 20.  Our seasons were very short back then, I had limited time to hunt, and I recall a couple of our seasons in those early years getting cancelled altogether due to fire danger in our forests.  And quite honestly, I hadn't caught the "bug" for spring gobbler hunting that came a few years later.

Honestly, I wouldn't give up those futile, "learning curve" years for anything.  We figured it out on our own, and even more importantly, it made us appreciate all the more the successes we have had over the years since those lean, early struggles. 

My 1st year on an out of state hunt. My state didn't have a open season in my area. Self taught for those reasons. Fall is how I learned to hunt turkeys.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I spent a couple years hunting where there weren't any turkeys. That didn't stop me from trying though. Once i started hunting where there were turkeys it took about 3 hours. I am still waiting to kill my first turkey with a mentor but I have an add out so fingers crossed.....

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

First started in KY in 1983. I laugh thinking how little I knew then. Called up a long beard in '85 after I had moved to Mississippi. I was so excited that while I didn't miss that bird, I unfortunately hit him. He flew and I heard him splash down probably 75 yds away in a swamp up to my waist. I searched and searched to no avail. I was truly sick over the whole deal as I knew that bird sank.!987 finally got it done by myself and alone. I literally cried. I had taken a couple of birds with the help of a mentor earlier. It never gets old being in the turkey woods!

That's the long story.

Short story is 5 Springs.

Guess I'd have to say the 4th season. The first year was a learning year. The next few, my hunts were limited and hunting locations were not great. Then I finally talked a friend into trying it at some spots they had access to. It worked out great. I called 3 of the 4, that we took, in last year.

Killed a jake my first hunt, solo. No clue how to hunt these birds, just got lucky to find a lone hot "super jake. It weighed 18 pounds and had a 5" beard and a 90% full fan. Next year I learned how to call a little bit and got a nice tom on May 20th, 9th hunt of the year. I killed birds every year after, but didny truly learn how to call and hunt them properly till my buddy Joe took me under his wing, so to speak. Teaching my wife and kids how to hunt turkeys is my greatest joy outside of being a dad. Al Baker

Called in a double on my very first turkey hunt. My buddy shot his, and for good measure I shot it again..in the breast. Didn't have a clue. Next year I killed a Jake. No mentors, just Walter, Wilbur, and Eddie... maybe Bill Jerdin too... but it got easier and harder each trip. I was blessed with great land to hunt in turkey Valhalla, but that sure didn't make it easier. Oh the memories..

I didn't start turkey hunting until I was in my late 40's so I guess I got a late start. Never had a mentor. My hunting buddy kept after me to go with him so I finally gave in. Neither one of us had ever did any turkey hunting before. I would go & just sit in the woods quietly & would occasionally call with an old made in Birmingham Lynch Jet Slate my daddy bought probably back in the sixties. I would also sometimes use a push button call. Finally killed my first jake with that old Jet Slate on the last day of turkey season in 2005. It was 3 seasons later before I killed a longbeard.

It took me three seasons or years, which was exactly 9 days.

I'm like several others, I had no mentor. It has been, however; one of my greatest joys to have been the mentor to several other guys. One of the very best experiences in turkey hunting is being with a mentee when they bag their very first gobbler.

I wrote about this in my story thread, here:
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,100082.msg989823.html#msg989823

You know I think that what I should do is write a story on all my follies, or start a thread of my dumbest stunts while learning to turkey hunt.

Killed my first the second year I hunted them, no clue what I was doing other than chasing gobbles. 5th and last day on a public land draw hunt.  Had a new girlfriend at the time, she took the 3hr ride with me the night before and camped out.

We heard the birds gobbling from the tent and she heard me shoot!  She is sitting next to me as I type this!!!

1st season I hunted on my own I killed a gobbler.
It took me all season, and I finally tagged out on Memorial Day of that year.
I killed another one the next season, got cocky, then got schooled for the next 4 seasons, eating full helpings of humble pie to follow my tag soup.
It has gotten easier as I have learned and grown as a hunter, but those 4 seasons taught me more than any of the other seasons I hunted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Took me till my second year of actual hunting turkey here in Mn. I had to travel 200 miles south to find such a thing as a turkey. No such thing as a turkey back then up around me, just Ruff Grouse. Got turkeys up here now though. Also, when I first started you were put in a draw for tags and we would get drawn about every other year. Slows the learning curve way down when when you have to travel so far and only get tags every other year!

Third year, 1979, here in Missouri. Two week season back then, noon closure. I owned a small business then, so could go every morning, but s lot of days had to be back to town by 8:00. The next year I tagged out with 2 birds. I was sure I was a genuine expert turkey hunter.

Some of my most enjoyable, and frustrating, time in the woods. I kinda feel sorry for all the present day newcomers to the sport who can learn more about turkey hunting from watching a couple of YouTube videos than I learned my whole first year chasing gobblers. There's something to be said for learning some things the hard way.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Third season, but looking back really the first time I was on good birds. I called on one side of a small lip and heard an answer from the other side. Call sounded horrible to the point I thought it was another person. I crest the hill and there's two jakes running hard straight at me with two long beards in tow. They see me and bugger. Figured I'd blew it but I made a mental note of which direction they went and slowly worked my way in a big circle over the next three or four hours. Was sitting on a log eating my lunch and happened to call and get an answer. I set up and those two jakes go racing by me cutting wide open. They pass within five yards and keep on trucking. I sit silent. A few minutes later I see the two long beards working slow wide left. I call a few times and the two jakes come running back. When the jakes get close the long beards work over and I shot the strutter at about ten yards behind me. A lot of good lessons learned that morning.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Two days so about 11 hours. At least 2 hrs of non stop gobbling trying to get him in close. Maybe 25 yards. Heard no less than 20 gobblers.
But I cheated. Borrowed a 33 record album,  Leroy Braungardt from Moscow Mills Missouri. Tips on calling, patterning and turkey habits. A borrowed single shot 12 gauge full choke with 2 3/4" shells (all i had an was a improved cylinder 20). Penn Woods mouth call and a lunch jet slate. Woodland camo pants and shirt.

Second morning.  Early in my turkey hunting I went into the woods 10 times and brought back 7 dead turkeys.  Took a few seasons as we have a one bird limit.  Then I traveled and added a few. 
But locally I was hunting turkeys that had never been hunted.  I felt invincible for those first few years. 

2nd or 3rd hunt I believe.  Had a jake half strut in towards my decoy, had several other turkeys with it that I thought were hens.  When I shot the jake, the rest shock gobbled, so they musta been jakes too.  I feel like it took me a few years to get a longbeard, the early years were filled with frustration and an occasional jake getting it.  Kinda similar to these days I guess.

Never had a Turkey Hunting Mentor... Dad taught me hunting but here in WI never had turkeys when I was a kid.

Taught myself with some "help" from our farm birds. I called in a tom for my buddy 1st year, 2nd year I did not draw a tag, but dad did and I called his in, then the next year filled my first tag on a jake, year after gobbler, this was the start of this 30 years ago.


MK M GOBL

 Killed my first bird last spring, 2nd day of the season.  I didn't really start to turkey hunt until 2015.  I had deer,turkey and hog hunted with my dad and grandpa as a kid in the 70s but I never caught the fever like I did for fishing.
Then I discovered girls and the outdoors fell to the wayside.  I joined the Navy and travelled around the world for 4 years and landed in the ATL.  I lived in Pinhoti Dave's part of the world, Acworth, GA.  Deer hunted and fished but never turkey hunted.  Then my life fell apart.  I got divorced and became a single dad of 2 and eventually moved back to my hometown to raise my kids in the same environment I was raised in. 
Fastforward to 2014, my kids are grown and gone, and I'm getting bored.  I love to fish but I started feeling this desire to start hunting again.  I don't know why but the desire continued to grow and I decided what the hell, I'm going to turkey hunt this spring instead of fish.  Borrowed a shotgun and some calls from my dad, I only had an fixed choke IC shotgun.
Didn't know the first thing about how to call to a turkey.  Dad showed me a few things, by this time he was too old and broke down to hunt, and I was off.  The 2015 season was my first spring turkey season since 1981, when I was 14 years old.  I hunt in the mountains and it took me a while to get my ears tuned to hear where the gobbles are coming from.  That first year I didn't even come close to a bird.  2016 I had surgery and missed the spring season, in 2017 Dad got sick and I missed the season taking care of him, he passed away later in 2017.  Work prevented me from hunting in 2018 but I was back at it in 2019 with a mentor.  One of my dads friends was a great turkey hunter.  I had known Pee Wee my whole life and I would run into him in the mountains while I hunting and he became my mentor.  Pee Wee died last Jan from cancer.  He didn't get to be there when I bagged my first bird but I know he was looking down on me,  grinning like a jackass eating sawbriars when I killed that jake last year.
I had completed my early morning hunt and decided to take a drive to see if I could prospect me a gobbler.  I drove up on top of the ridge and just held my call out of the truck window and called.  One responded, then 2 responded.  I backed my truck up to the curve in the road, grabbed my shotgun, 1 shell, my call and headed into the woods.  I made my way along the ridge top and setup.  I called again and both birds immediately responded.  1 min later I hear something walking in the leaves coming up the ridge.  Over the crest of the ridge comes Mr Jake.  As soon as he got into the clear I dropped him in his tracks with No 6 Longbeard XR from my Winchester 1300.  I was on top of the world.  Best feeling I can remember since discovering girls, if you know what I mean!. 
Now I can't wait for this season.  I have been putting in my time this off season learning my WMA, it's close to 300K acres and getting into better shape.  It's hard on a fat old man hunting in the mountains.

Took 2 years to kill my first one. I was a teenager in 1983. Didn't hunt much the first year. Wasn't a big fan of getting up that early. Lol. Boy how things change when you actually do call one in and seal the deal. Killed it with my grandpa's old model 12 Winchester. Pure luck I'll admit but it started something.

A addiction with no cure for me.
Absolutely love it.

Quote from: perrytrails on February 17, 2021, 06:21:17 AM
Took 2 years to kill my first one. I was a teenager in 1983. Didn't hunt much the first year. Wasn't a big fan of getting up that early. Lol. Boy how things change when you actually do call one in and seal the deal. Killed it with my grandpa's old model 12 Winchester. Pure luck I'll admit but it started something.

A addiction with no cure for me.
Absolutely love it.

Hope you get a chance to use grandpas Model 12 again. Great gun, great memory....

I hunted 7 seasons to kill my first gobbler. Tagged out that year (last year). Other than a few hunts with my older brothers I was solo. My list of things of not to do kept getting longer. I made some resolutions and tried to educate myself as much as possible and listened to my brothers advice. It paid off. Still, luck played a huge part. This year the i'm hunting a new area and a new state, it's gonna be tough to find birds to hunt being public land..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Killed a two year old gobbler with a borrowed call, borrowed gun, and borrowed Camo on my first try.  It did take 4 years to kill the second bird (a jake).

First time out, opening day. Took all of about 30 minutes. Didn't kill the next one for 2 seasons lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

About 2 weeks, but my first several birds were bushwhacked private land field birds. Just crawling or ambushing. Anyone with access and patience could have killed them. The first bird I successfully called to gun was near the end of my second season. Mid-day field bird at the same spot. But the fact that one actually came in, looking for ME, changed me for life!

Shot my first turkey in 2009 with a college buddy who is the best turkey hunter I personally know.  He pretty much got me into turkey hunting as my dad and I never really did it growing up, except for a couple times.  Dad and I mainly hunted waterfowl and pheasants together.  The birds I shot between 2009-2012 were with other people who I would say were better turkey hunters than I was at the time.  I finally shot my first solo bird in 2012, but it was a spot and stalk.  In 2014 I finally called one in by myself and I can still remember it vividly to this day.  I know I've only been hunting turkeys for a drop in the bucket compared to others, but I am fully addicted! 

I spent my first turkey season bumbling around the woods calling. The few turkeys I did see were running the other way. :lol:
My second season I managed to call in a jake and shoot him.
My 3rd season I called in and killed my first mature gobbler on a super exciting hunt. :icon_thumright:
The rest is history. :fud: :turkey: :turkey: :turkey:

Only a few days of hunting I guess... but this was back when I was on a place that was absolutely loaded (miss that place), and no one else even tried to turkey hunt it. 

Well I was mentored from an early age. My dad took me religiously since I was 6yr old. When I had turned 11yrs old dad set me by a tree in the dark and said he would be back later to get me and said that I had practiced enough to call one in by myself. As daylight came birds started to wake up. I heard birds gobbling on roost waited till they flew down then let out a yelp on a slate call. The bird gobbled immediately about 200yds away. Called again and the bird gobbled louder. A few more yelps and gobbles later 2 toms came into 20yds BOOM. I had called in my first long beard by myself (had killed around a half dozen already always with my dad) I ran to that bird and stood on his head like I had been taught to do. Didn't take long for my dad to show up and he seen that me and the gobbler were at the tree he left me. That was over 30 years ago and many dead turkeys later and I still remember like it was yesterday! That hunt alone started my addiction to calling in these birds.

It was not until my forth season that I called one in on my own. Had 5 gobblers come in to 20 yards and I just picked out the biggest one. Ironically ,it was opening day of Alabamas spring season which was technically my first out of state hunt too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

7 years to kill my first one, typically only hunted 1 or 2 days each season and had no idea what I was doing. killed one on my own and was hooked, next season I met a mentor that taught me alot and the passion grew from there.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

4th hunt of my first season hunting on my own.

I think I had five years of glorious screw-ups.

I had 3 different mentors and hunted 2 states for 4 years before my first kill. I got busted more times then I can remember.  At least 10 times I had birds within 75 yards, there was even a couple within 25 I didnt even know where there until I stood up. Didnt hear a thing lol.

It took me a long time to kill a bird.  Years. Started when I was 12 and killed my first at 16 I think.   I hunted most days of the 45 day season and eventually learned how to hunt after 4-5 years of mistakes and learning experiences.   Killing a bird just made me like turkey hunting even more.  I was stoked about it when I wasn't killing squat.  Lol. 

Almost five seasons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

4 seasons I guess. Started hunting at 12 and first turkey was a double at 16 years old. Turkeys were ghosts and haints in the woods for the first few years but after those first kills things began to click a bit better.

When I was 14 I saw a group fly up to roost from the deer stand. It was fall gun season and I went and got close to them before daylight. They flew down in my lap and I killed a hen.

i took a Lynch box call out that spring and called one up close enough to see him but not in range of my 20 gauge. Dad drove me out 3-4 mornings (dad didn't turkey hunt)

The next year I called up three jakes strutting and gobbling and killed my first one @ 16.

I learned to use a mouth call over the summer. Got proficient with it

Called up a gobbler on the opener the following year and killed it with old Winchester lead #6
Then killed another gobbler three days later

Was hooked after that. Started traveling the next year @ 18 yrs old....to Missouri first then all around the country.

Day 1, heard a gobble after I hit my Primos double slate over glass call and automatically assumed it was another hunter, My curve was steep. It took me years and I choose not to think about the actual number. 

1979, first time really hunting spring birds and have been hooked since..I laugh at how clueless I was back then! BUT it never gets old,,,cant wait for 21 season!

I got into turkey hunting about 10 years ago in went in to blind didn't know much just found a place set up and called sometime I would get on to gobble I would hammer back but never seen a turkey about 2 years after that a meet a guy that killed them every year I went went with him a time are two but no luck so I started watching Jason cruis on you tube I've pickup a lot from him. I started hunting hunting like him ive killed 1 are 2 turkeys every year. THANKS JASON...

Might be relevant to add that there wasn't much readily available in the way of how to call and hunt turkeys 40 years ago. Just some threadbare magazine articles and a few cassette tapes. Maybe a book or two but not readily available. Fast forward to internet days and plenty of great info is a google click away. Point is, learning curve is much better these days compared to back then with or without a mentor.

 I took up Turkey hunting later in life. I studied, read tons of books, watched videos, talked to local hunters and walked the land. Opening day I got set up and called lightly, sun barely coming up, he roared out a gobble!
I was all by myself and I hear a voice in my head, it was my late grandfather, "be patient...wait for him"!
Took my first bird and have been hooked ever since. One of my best memories!

Never had a mentor. Killed a longbeard my first season, which was 1983. My buddy and I, (who was equally as clueless as myself) had actually given up hunting for the day, it was around 2 p.m. and was fishing in a pond. I noticed I could barely hear a tom gobbling about 3/4 of a mile from us in the river bottom. I asked my friend if he could hear it, we grabbed our shotguns and headed that direction. I set up probably 150-200 yards from where I thought the bird was and yelped three times on my Lynch box, and about 4-5 minutes later I could see him walking my direction. Have hunted them every spring since.

I set out, turkey hunting on my own when I was 17 (1993) and called in 2 Jakes for my Cousin and I. We doubled on those birds (first birds for both of us) and that was it for the season.
The following year, I successfully called in and killed 2 toms by myself.

First spring I had my driver's license so the way my birthday falls I would have been 17. Got really lucky and called in a jake off the roost with a quaker boy push call and shot him with a #5 federal from the gold box. I almost choked on my skoal.

Took me i think 7 seasons.  But in seasons 5 and 6 I somehow missed a bird both of those years.  All of those years was self taught.  1st couple seasons I'm not sure if ever even setup on a bird.  But I was a pro at making them gobble on the limb until 9 oclock

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

Took me 5 days, i never had mentor or anyone to teach me how to hunt turkey, so i taught myself. I killed my first tom in the last day of our 5 day season ( season is now 7 days) i had giving up on the season, when my dad wanted to go look at my uncle's new horse. Pulled into his driveway just as 5 toms crossed the road a couple hundred yards away. My uncle told me to go after them, i grabbed my shotgun and took off across the road. Went in about a 100 yards at down, called once, they gobbled and came running in, first one i got a clear shot on i killed. Took less than 5 minutes and 20 minutes before the close of the season.

  I have read all the replys. Alot of Hunters here have struggled  like me. 3 years ,4 years ,5 ,6, + 7 years.
    Too bad you can't  walk them up like a frozen Pheasant. It seems plenty here have had a long Learning curve like me.

3 seasons for me. I had an almost moment in my first season that really got under my skin...probably why it became such a "thing" after all these seasons.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Also started later in life at age 50. I think it took 16 years to kill one but I had chances on Jakes but do not shoot them. Also missed one at a ridiculously close distance, still can not figure out why. Never really had a mentor, per se,  but did hunt a couple of times with more experienced guys if that counts.  So most of my experience is from trial and error and mistakes of which there are a bunch.

First day with my mentor.  He warned me it almost never happens like that, but I was hooked.

Last day I could hunt of my second season hunting alone it finally happened after I had stumbled around in the woods learning from my mistakes.  It was on a well populated private lease I was in.  So many close calls and mess ups.

My son-in-law had a better mentor.  ::)  His second hunt alone.  My daughter was so mad at me from him trying to master a mouth call for an entire summer.  He would call me on the cell and make these sounds that I can best describe as a raped rabbit.  I would just say "Keep working on it".  He finally mastered it after getting a pot call and I said make it sound like that! 

Killed one the first time I ever went with a good friend who did serve as a mentor.  Spent the rest of that season trying, unsuccessfully by myself.  Killed one alone the following season and rolled on from there.  I'll never forget the first with him or the first on my own.  I can still see and hear them.

Killed a gobbler the first 2 seasons I hunted.... Nothing to this I thought.... hunted hard the next 5 seasons before I got number 3.

Central Virginia, 13 years ago as a 12 year old. On my 4th hunt I called in and killed a gobbler by myself. I didn't kill another for 6 years! But man the Good Lord taught me a bunch of hard lessons in those 6 bridless years!

The fella that got me started was very kind and took me along every time he went for years. We had a deal where one day I got to take the first shot and the next day it was him. Still hunt together most of the time and still have the same deal. I had been at it for a good while before it came together on one of the days I hunted alone. Its much like the first one, Ill always remember it . Last year was the first year that I was able to take a bird and he didnt, not that I believe Im even close to equalling him at this game yet. The one bird he had a good read on he allowed his stepson to take. Thats the kind of fella he is though and he didnt have one complaint.

23 years.

First bird was a public land bird in California.  I drew a hunt on public ground.  Walked to the top of the hill, about a two mile walk in the dark.  Heard a bird down a ridge about sunrise. Snuck in close??? 100 yards or so.  Sat next to a tree...books say you should do that.  Put on my reall cool head net face mask...couldn't see anything. Took that off.  Replaced with my duck hunting type 1/2 mask.  Got out my slate call.  Dropped the striker into the wet grass.  Went thru vest to get a new striker. The entire time the bird is hammering.  Finally get a set of yelps out of the slate.  He answered...I'm amazed. Within a very short time I see him come over the rise about 75 yards in front of me. My gun is crossways on my lap.  I'm frozen still...he's walking directly at me the foam decoy I'd stuck in the ground 10 yards in front of me.  I watched him full strut in to the decoy, and in full strut when was at the decoy, when he turned away, I raised the gun.  He never saw me. I shot him with a 3 1/2" at 10 yards.  Aimed at the base of his neck.  I didn't miss. Two year old. This turkey hunting stuff was easy, so I thought. That by far, was the easiest bird I've killed. That was 2006.

10 years

I called in 3 longbearded turkeys my first time in the woods.  (got real lucky).
I had Dad's Model 12 with me.  (I forgot to load a shell in the chamber, I was just a little excited)
It was 5 years before I bought my Super Mag 870 and FINALLY bagged my first gobbler.
I learned a lot in those 5 years.

My second season.  Took a vacation day, got up early on a Wednesday and drove 2 1/2 hours to a piece of public ground.  It rained liked pouring you-know-what out of a boot.  It was a miracle I didn't get stuck on the muddy roads.  After a while the rain stopped and the skies cleared.  I think I may have had that entire 16,000 acre tract to myself that day.  Mid-afternoon I was able to kill a jake who was following a hen.  It was only a jake but I will never forget that day.

First season maybe 4-5 hunts I called and killed my first gobbler. I was 14 and soon to be 36 so 22 springs under my belt and only two of those were tag soup. Have only killed three turkeys that someone else called for me.

This is a good question.  When I have more time,  I want to read other responses.  In the meantime,  I had "heard" some turkeys in the early 80s in West Virginia (where I grew up).  I don't honestly remember when I first heard one or when I first saw one.   I started college in 1985,  and a friend who shot at a local bow club who was probably 10 years older than I offered to take me spring turkey hunting; provided,  I taught him to be a better archer. 

I don't even remember his name,  but as soon as 1986 rolled around we scouted for turkeys darn near every morning from the first of January until season in April.   I vividly remember being around Stone Coal Lake on February 14, 1986 at daylight.   We heard 13 different gobblers than morning listening at daylight.   That part of the State had a lot of birds back then. 

I killed my first gobbler with him that year,  and I don't recall the exact length of the spurs but they were a legit 1 and 6/8th long.   I had no idea at the time that I would probably never kill a bird again with spurs like that.  I don't even have the spurs now.   They were thrown out - by my mother I think. 

But,  back to your question.  I killed a bird on my own the very next season.  I did it because he spent an inordinate amount of time with me during January to April in 1985 teaching me.   I will say he was into turkey hunting more than any other person I have ever met.   I also did it because,  in my opinion gobblers were easier to kill back then than today.    Long response for your to read,  but a great few minutes remembering years gone by. 

I tried on Oklahoma public land for 4 or 5 seasons with zero luck and not even a gobble. I didn't quite understand the appeal of this turkey hunting thing. With ducks the action was immediate  quickly gratifying. Finally I hunted a piece of private land and when those gobblers answered my call and came in from the neighboring property,  I started to get it. I killed a turkey on that property finally. Life will never be the same.