I started with a single shot 12guage, unknown brand(ST. LOUIS on receiver)?
Remington 2 3/4" number 6 shot magnum
A lynch Jet slate and a Penn Woods mouth call. Leroy Braungart 33 sized album for instructions.
Tiger stripe camo for the spring, and some tubes of penn woods face paint.
Lets see it was some woodland youth camo that Wing Supply used to sell for like $20 a set and a "bag" head net in a wwII camo that had deer, bear duck and turkey silhouette printed into the patern. I used a H&R single shot 20 choked full and 3" win #4. My first call was a plastic push pin HS Strut. I remember dad buying me the camo and the call when I was about 9 or 10. Never killed a bird using any of it, and I would love to have that old call back but it's long since been misplaced. Further more I would rather have one of those old headnets.
Remington 870. Win 3" #4s. Camo was treebark then mossy oak and realtree. Loved the treebark w the green leaves. Old lynch box call and primis limb hanger
H&R 10 ga. single shot. Remington #4 magnums. Lohman box and a gobble shaker.Only a knot headed newbie would walk around the woods with a gobble shaker acting like a tom.Lucky I didn't get my own beard shot off.
Remington 870 and whatever shells I could find lol
Winchester Model 12 20 gauge fixed modified choke(still have,belonged to my g'pa)
Remington 2 3/4 #6 shells
ML Lynch foolproof box call(still have)
Quaker Boy single reed diaphragm
Had a set of bibs,shirt,hat,headnet,and gloves in old WWII camo
Killed my first bird with that stuff on my 16th birthday at a distance of 8 yds!
870 REMINGTON with #4 2 3/4" Federal shells. vietnam tiger stripe camo with jungle boots. don't think they made a vest back then but it didn't matter much I only had one call a Ben Lee box call Lee's Champion Gobble Box which i still have.
Killed my first turkey with a Revelation bolt action 410 with my Dad, no idea about the shell, but it was paper. Then killed my first gobbler with a Winchester model 37 20 ga. also with my Dad. Again I have no idea about the shell. First turkey I called up by myself was with a PS Olt scratch box of some type. I guess I left it at the base of the big Live Oak I was sitting at. Never saw it again. I was eight or nine years old at the time and had no idea how to call birds but apparently he was hard up. I was so shook up from the in your face encounter with a strutting Osceola I'm surprised I didn't pee myself. No camo, just jeans and a flannel shirt.
I'd give back every turkey I ever killed to get to go back and relive that one, one more time.
Quote from: guesswho on January 09, 2014, 07:21:54 PM
Killed my first turkey with a Revelation bolt action 410 with my Dad, no idea about the shell, but it was paper. Then killed my first gobbler with a Winchester model 37 20 ga. also with my Dad. Again I have no idea about the shell. First turkey I called up by myself was with a PS Olt scratch box of some type. I guess I left it at the base of the big Live Oak I was sitting at. Never saw it again. I was eight or nine years old at the time and had no idea how to call birds but apparently he was hard up. I was so shook up from the in your face encounter with a strutting Osceola I'm surprised I didn't pee myself. No camo, just jeans and a flannel shirt.
I'd give back every turkey I ever killed to get to go back and relive that one, one more time.
:icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: wouldn't most of us that first bird you ever call in yourself is the one that really hooks you.
When I first started I had revelation single shot 12 with a mod. choke. The shells, I don't remember brands but I remember having 6 and 7.5's high brass. Here is my first call I ever used.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/10/2u6ude7y.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/10/rene8a9u.jpg)
When I started "turkey guns" were not yet defined as they are today. You used the longest barrelled full choke gun that you had. Probably a Model 37 with a 2.75" chamber, pretty much worn out blue and the finish was gone from the wood. WWII camo was all that was available and we frankly knew nothing about what we were doing.
There were no videos back then and I'd never heard of a book about turkey hunting. There were also very few turkeys. Hearing one was a rarity and seeing one was almost unheard of. I hunted for years before I heard or saw one.
I have no real recollection of the shells that I used but they were probably "high brass" Winchesters and probably #4 shot.
We hunted other game and just had some "turkey shells" in case we ran across one. It didn't happen.
Fast forward several years when states and the NWTF began the trap and release programs. I hunted another 3 years before I shot my first turkey. By that time Winchester had a dedicated turkey load but specific guns and chokes were still several years in the future.
That's as much as I recall about the very early years. I should have kept better notes.
Thanks,
Clark
Rem. 1100 3in. with 30 in. full choke, Rem. heavy load #4's. Lynch box call, home made camo, old green army shirt with dabs of black and brown paint on it. And no idea how to hunt turkeys.
A H&R "Topper" 20 ga. choked modified with Win. 3" Mag. #4 shot. The only call I had was a Lynch "World Champion" box call that I got from my parents for christmas in the early 1970's. No turkey vests then and the only camo I had was the old WW II pattern stuff. I started hunting in 1972 and spring gobbler season had only been around a few years(the first season in Pa. was 1968). It did feel weird to hunt in the spring then.
Remington 1100 2 3/4" 1 1/2 oz #5 lead reloads that I hunted ducks with, prior to everything going to Steel. I had an extra full choke on the 1100 and took my first bird at 29 yards. Realtree APG camo. Slate pot call and box call.
Winchester 1/2 hammer 16ga
M. L. Lynchs World Champion box
H.S. Strut mouth call
Belgian Browning 16 gauge "auto", imp cyl., cammo pants , coat , cap with no gloves/mask. Calls were ML Lynch box, Lynch's Jet Slate , home made mouth calls built by local game warden , Don L. Thomas.
First gobbler I called up had a lot of white in it and looked like a ghost ostrich coming at me. I fired in self defense at probably 50-60 yds. with my #4 2 3/4 " magnum Remington green shells. It flew off easily and then I started shaking. Lesson learned and I've never seen one since that was mottled like he was. A true trophy back in early 60's.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Browning A5, 2 3/4 " full barrel. Federal 2 3/4" magnum #4s. Presrton Pitman bouble reed diaphragm call. Woodland camo fatigues and no vest. Sitting on the ground, called up two gobblers and killed the lead bird. He had a 10.5 inch beard and one inch spurs. I've been hooked ever since.
Winchester Model 12 3" Magnum shot gun, full choke barrel and I shot 3" Western SuperX 1 7/8 shot #4's.
Woodland Camo, no head net, hunters specialties camo crème make up instead of a head net.
Lohman single reed diaphragm.
Remington mod 48 12ga in mod barrel
Treebark camo
Hardwoods glass call borrow from a friend.
Birmingham made Lynch Fool Proof and World Champion boxes and Winchester model 50 2 3/4 inch modified choke. I remember using blue Peters shells in #4. Green woodland camo and to my knowledge the turkey vest had not been developed then. I wore a small game vest to carry the calls and my lunch in. Used charcoal to darken my face and backs of my hands. I still have the calls and the shotgun.
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/stcb/lynchboxcalls.jpg)
What Gun? Actually started with my Bow last season, 1st season ever. Bought a Stoeger P350 & used it once.
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/hidkevin/IMG_1983_zps221dac01.jpg)
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/hidkevin/8272b7e1-6b3e-4ac1-86d2-8c48ab6fed8a_zps95b01a4d.jpg)
Calls? Spring Creek Turkey Calls-Long Box-my favorite call/Pappy's Calls-Osage Pot! Got rid of all my other pots, as Pappy RULES! Diaphragm call Custom by Gooserbat Game Calls of OldGObbLer / Faulk's Crow Call - C-50 / Primos's Peacock Call / I do owl calls with my own voice, simple the only way to ride! / Primos Double Gobbler Call / Got a couple custom strikers by guys here on Old Gobbler /
(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/hidkevin/IMG_2457_zps8d88202a.jpg)
Shells? 3.5 Hevi-Shot® HEVI-13 in 5s & 7s
Vests? Russell Outdoors Super Elite 3 Trek Liite SIZE XL-2XL!!
Stevens 311A 12 ga, 30" full choke that belonged to my Dad with 2 3/4 winchester #4's. Green dickey pants, kacki shirt and army BDU jacket. No headnet or gloves. 2 Penswoods mouth calls, Roger Lathram turpin box. Killed 2 with one shot my first time out. Both had 11" beards. Cat got the feet. >:( At that time I thought the beard was the trophy and not the spurs. :TooFunny: The next year was equiped with a brand new Lynch Deluxe World Champion and QB Old Boss Hen & Quaker Boy Special mouth calls and a Treebark vest. You couldn't tell me nothing!!!!!
Those were the days......................................
I started turkey hunting 1980. This was the first season in my county here in North Missouri. I asked around and could not find one person who had hunted turkeys before. There weren't choices in clothing etc. like there are now. Went to the military surplus store and got some used army camo. No vest..there was not such a thing out then. Found a .45 record[do you all even know what I am talking about] from Woods Wise that had turkey sounds on it. Found a "Lynch's World Champion" box call at a garage sale for $5[some of the best money I ever spent I still use that call today]. I used my quail gun...Remington 870 wingmaster. I remember going the first morning...did not have a clue what I was doing. I sat down in a brush pile. A hen came behind me and let out some yelps. I tried to copy her sound and cadence. A gobble came up and I killed him. I was hooked. Hunted every day the next 2 weeks and never called another one in. But that didn't matter. I was still in awe of the whole expierence...still am....Danny
GUN--A S&W pump shotgun than I camo'ed in vinyl tape. I thought it looked so cool. It had a 28 inch barrel with a modified chock. I killed my first spring turkey with this gun and many more after it.
AMMO--My brother gave me a box of Winchester 3 inch magnum lead 4's that had originally been purchased for duck hunting. I killed a lot of turkey out of that box of shells.
CALL-- A Preston Pittman single reed diaphragm.
CAMO---just what ever I already had.
VEST-- No vest. I made a possibles bag out of an old army shoulder bag. I tied the turkeys feet to a stick and toted him out.
A Winchester M-12 3" mag., Lynch box, Lynch Jet slate, and a Sneed's wing bone. a ,mouth call mad out out of a tire patch with a piece of U shaped wire, with latex.
:OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead:
Only been turkey hunting 10 years. First gun was a old sears 20 gauge. It fell apart after in shot and missed my first bird. First turkey call was a Tom Gaskins scratch box.
Remington 1100 with winchester 2 3/4" #6's
H.S Strut push button yelper and lynch world champion box call (still have)
Camo was a combo of realtree mossyoak and tree bark
At the time I only knew a handful of people that hunted turkey's,I was 13 years old and no one in my family turkey hunted, my uncles farm had just a few on it. A lot of tough lessons learned in those early years but they are my fondest hunting memories of all!
Winchester 1300. Any shells I had and my grandfathers old box call
Gun: Winchester Ranger Pump, 20ga, 28" barrel, fixed Modified choke, I think.
Ammo: Federal 3" 6's Duck loads
Call: Perfection mouth call, double reed, I think...It was blue.
Camo: Uninsulated Realtree coveralls and stylish matching cap. :)
Vest: None.
new england firearms 20ga 3in #4s original realtree bibs 2 sizes to big for me, i was 11 daddy did all the calling, spooked several gobblers over the next couple of years because i couldnt sit still, but he kept taking me killed my first bird when i was 13 with the same gun and wearing the same clothes.
I got him to buy me a diaphram to practice with, i yelped on that thing all the time, on the way to and from school, and almost got suspended several times for practicing in the hallway at school. I got good enough with it and a quakerboy slate that i killed my first solo bird in the spring of '95 with a 30" barreled full choked 870 wingmaster left to me by my grandfather that passed the previous summer.
needless to say i was eat up with turkey hunting and its been that way for the last 22 years!
I hunted with my original 870 that Dad got for me when I was 15. I covered it in Trebark camo tape and shot #4 steel because that's what I had for the ducks we hunted. :lol: I wore a new Realtree camo Bug Tamer suit. I had a couple of heavy, hard shell hen dekes. I used a box call and a push pin call that was made by some guy who had a little hunting shop down the street. I had no idea what I was doing! ;D
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/firstturk.jpg)
The next year, I got better camo, better shells and choke, better calls and bagged my first gobbler!! This time I had a HS Strut box call and the "Lip Call", cause I hadn't figured out how to use a diaphragm yet.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/fireturk.jpg)
Mid 1970's, Winchester model 12, 32" full barrel. Winchester Super X #4's. Roger Lathom box and a diaphragm. That first bird changed my life forever.
Killed my 1st in 1994 with a 12guage 870 wingmaster No vest and an ol lynch fool proof box that I still have
870 express w/remington extended turkey choke, $20 vest, 3" #5s. Killed a good number of birds w/it before going to blackpowder.
I killed my first turkey with my Dad's Ithaca Model 37 pump. We had no three inch shells and turkey vests had not yet been invented. My Mom would sew inside pockets into our hunting coats to put calls and a water bottle in. Also , there were no plastic water bottles. We used 1 pint whiskey bottles. We also had no headnets and only wore gloves when it was cold.
I started with a Mossberg 535 with a stock Mossberg turkey choke, and number 4 Remington Nitros.
I used a primos slate pot call to call in my first long beard (gave that call to a good friend who gave us access to prime turkey land). I wasn't very good, and was probably just very lucky. I may have done just enough right to have success.
After finding the OG, I learned so much about calls, and chokes and loads. I am a much better hunter now after finding this place.
Killed my first bird in 1979 with a H&R 10 gauge using a Perfection mouth call. It was my third year of turkey hunting. I think I was using Remington #4's. At that time, the 3 1/2 inch shells only had 3 inch wad cups. Dedicated turkey loads and guns were unheard of. My first call was a Ben Rogers Lee box, which I still own, and, to this day, have never called in a turkey with. :)
As others have mentioned, learning to turkey hunt in those early years unless you were fortunate to have a mentor, was largely a trial and error situation as there were no instructional videos to view, or message boards to ask questions on. I do recall watching a program called, I think, "Ozark Outdoors" which was produced by the MDC in probably the late 60's or early 70's, which had a segment on turkey hunting which was open in only a few counties in the state at that time. It was so poorly done, I really never could figure out what in the heck was going on, and left me with no desire whatsoever to try chasing turkeys. :)
Turkey calls were almost impossible to find locally. This was before Johnny Morris opened his first Bass Pro in Springfield. Camo was more common, as bowhunting was starting to gain popularity, but the available patterns were few in number for several years.
Neil is right , it was hard to learn if you did not have a mentor. I was lucky , my Daddy loved turkey hunting just as much as I do today. He was also pretty darn good at it.
I lived in Memphis growing up and we had a good population around the Mississippi River bottoms and the bluffs nearby. We also had a very good place to hunt on private land. Nothing will make you a better turkey hunter than interaction with the turkeys. They will teach you what you are doing wrong.
As for calls , I had a Lynch box that Daddy gave me when I was about 12 or 13. Those old boxes had a sound you just cannot find today. Reading up on and listening to Ben Lee was a major influence on me in the 70's. Also , listening to Jack Dudley call with his natural voice. That is how I learned to purr and still use my natural voice today.
I sure miss some of those times , especially with my Daddy. One thing is for sure , I'll see him again one day and we will have a lot of turkeys to talk about.
I killed my first bird in 2001. I was 14. Had a mossberg 835 I bought with money I'd earned bucking hay bales the summer before loaded with federal 3.5 in 4's. I had been playing cat and mouse with a big gobbler out in a pasture and was about 100 yds away when a jake walked out. After nearly 2 seasons of bumbling around and messing up countless opportunities I opted for the bird in hand and dumped the jake. Weighed 16 lbs and had a thick 5in beard.
Remington 870 Express w/28" barrel and a Stardot choke.
Winchester 3" #5's.
Bucklick Creek vest.
My first calls were a Lynch Foolproof box and an Old Yeller slate call.
For my second year I picked up some HS Strut mouth calls.
I learned to turkey hunt by trial and error, mostly error. I read a lot of books and tried to absorb everything I could about the pursuit. I called in several birds for others to take before I killed my first.
I started with an Ithaca 37 21 ga. with 2 & 3/4 inch shells and I don't believe turkey vests had been invented yet.
I used an old Lynch box call, though I forget what model. I broke it one day in 1982 when I was crossing the river. I slipped and fell on some moss covered rocks and it was between my backside and the rocks. I tried other calls after that but it was a while before I found one with a sound the turkeys liked as well as I did.
My camo was Vietnam military surplus and a Jones style cap, though I had some of those early green camo mesh gloves and a half face net that barely wrapped around to my ears. I can remember sitting there as still as I could be watching mosquitoes eating up the backs of my hands through those gloves.
I killed my first gobbler with a Stevens single shot hunting with 3 inch Federal #5 shot.
Jim
Winchester 20 gauge pump , with high brass 3 inch # 4's , and a hand made box call my father made me and I still have to this day - turkey vests weren't invented yet I guess - woodland army camo was all everybody used , until Jim Crumbley invented treebark some years later
There weren't that many turkey hunters in those days , you got your education from the woods, other turkey hunters , or if you were lucky to find some books on the subject of wild turkeys
Mossberg 500 3 inch winchester lead shot no vest glass call and a box was tough start till met guy from Pa that showed me some things
My first gun was what I hunted everything with because that was all I had. It was an Ithaca model 37 12 gauge pump with a cylinder bore and rifle sights. The gun was intended to shoot slugs and it did that very well. Any shell with pellets was another story. I used Winchester 2-3/4" magnum shells with #6 shot, a Lynch's Fool-Proof one sided box call and an amalgamation of woodland camo. I generally gussied up using watercolor paints on my face and hands. As far as a vest or bag - nothing. Basically, if it didn't fit in the cargo pockets of my BDU pants, I didn't need it and I didn't tote it.
The truth be told, I really don't miss those old days. These are the good times now.
Cheers :icon_thumright:
FullChoke
Remington 1100, imp cyl., win 6's, killed a bird first time i ever went, actually spooked 2 toms out of the tree walking in at daylight, i walked in the direction they flew, one gobbled,( i believe he thought i was another turkey walking in the dry leaves), sat down when i got close, heard one drumming, thought to myself, what the heck is that sound?, a second later one strutted into view about 25 yds. away, shot him, thought to myself, there ain't nothing to this turkey huntin.... that's the fun part to me, one day you think you're the greatest turkey killer in the woods, next day they'll send you home with your tail between your legs...
I had a Mossberg 835, used a HS Strut Raspy Old hen to call him in. I had some old leather workbooks that soaked my feet, Old Advantage camp from walmart, and no vest.
I had a Remington special purpose 12 gauge. No vest. I used a fanny pack. The camo was regular green camo with these pin-on leaves that Dad bought. My first calls were an "old boss hen" diaphragm and a Neil cost box dad bought for me from Greenwood Supply. I carried that box for years in the rain and sunshine. Then one day I went to a nwtf banquet and a similar box call auctioned off for over $1,000. I had no idea I had been carrying around a nice box call. All this was in the 80's.
3 1/2 number 4s out of a Mossberg 835, I thought bigger was better
Quote from: jblackburn on January 14, 2014, 08:21:39 PM
I had a Mossberg 835, used a HS Strut Raspy Old hen to call him in. I had some old leather workbooks that soaked my feet, Old Advantage camp from walmart, and no vest.
I got to thinking about this, and this set up is what I called in and killed my first bird with.
I actually started the year before with my great uncle's Iver Johnson single shot 12 gauge with a full choke. No idea about shells, probably something high brass we had, likely 4s. Camo was probably the same, and the call was dad's old Roger Latham box call. I had a bird gobble at me using it and that hooked me for life!
The first year there was a turkey
season on my property 95' non camo 835 that I put a camo sock on ( couldn't even cycle another shell ) I can't remember the name of the shells but they were 3" with a 3.5" load ( all the local shop had over 2.75 ) the ugliest knit camo outfit ever made and a hs strut double slate over glass that I learned to work sitting there with the instructions out laying on my leg , called in and shot a jake ( first turkey I ever seen )
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I started with a Rem 870 Wingmaster, 28 in modified vent rib. #6 high brass squirrel loads. Lynch box. Woodland camo pattern. Face paint. Screwed up and killed a bird first trip out. Ruint for life!
Gun: Mossberg 500 12 ga 3" with 28" barrel and Mossberg X-full choke. After a couple of years dragging the long barrel through the woods I switched to a 20" barrel. Did a camo job with CamoClad stickers and used it like that for nearly 20 years.
I needed another Mossberg for a slug gun project and while I was shopping for it I ran across this:
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e166/nat_mann/Mossbergturkeysmall.jpg) (http://s39.photobucket.com/user/nat_mann/media/Mossbergturkeysmall.jpg.html)
Short, light, powerful, fiber optic sights. Pretty much the same gun, but with factory camo. Perfect for the way I hunt.
Shells: I took my first turkey with a Remington turkey shell, but shortly thereafter I found some 3" 2oz lead #4 winchester turkey loads. I've since taken 27 turkeys in a row with one shot each. I suppose that if I used HTL and some load development I could come up with a load that would shoot farther, but within 40 yards this load is as deadly as anything else.
Clothing: I started out with surplus Woodland camo and a butt pad, but I soon got a full set of Realtree Xtra Brown, including a generic Cabelas vest. RTXB is an excellent pattern, and while there have been some improvements in photorealism over the years, I've had a hen walk around me close enough for me to kick and once had a squirrel jump onto my hat. I've decided the old camo is adequate to the task.
My winchester 1300, which i still use. Primos power crystal and a lynch fool proof box call.
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
H&r 12 ga it was a 3 1/2 in gun and I shot 2 of them in it then give the rest of the box away and bought some 3 in Winchester that I could handle....hunted everyday I could my first season and finally killed a long beard on the last day still one of the best birds I have killed and that was 14 years ago..call hs slate call and still use it from time to time
Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2
NEF 10ga with factory Mossy Oak Bottomland camo pattern... Fed #4 turkey loads... Mossy Oak Longbeard turkey vest and a Grahms Mountainside combo call... and a chapman lowboy turkey seat
My first season was spent wandering around in the rain with a Weatherby 12 ga. that I had applied camo tap to. I don't remember what calls I used and I'm sure I used whatever camo I had for duck and deer hunting. I don't remember what ammo I carried. The most exciting event happened before season on a scouting trip. I had never seen wild turkeys other than when I had run up on them while trail riding a dirt bike, so it was that area that I started looking in. My first time out in early March resulted in a big tom strutting by me with five or six hens. I was hooked from that point on.
Before the next season I purchased a full outfit of the original Realtree, an All Purpose Realtree vest, a plain Remington 12 ga. 870 Turkey Special w/ 21" barrel that would shoot 3" shells instead of just 2 ¾", a couple boxes of 3" Winchester XX Mag #5 turkey loads (in the grey Trebark box), and several calls that I still have. I had a Lynch Jet Slate, a Ray Eye single sided box call, an HS slate call, a couple diaphragm mouth calls that I know included an HS Cutt'n 2.5, a Quaker Boy crow call, and a K&H owl call. I lost the K&H owl hooter not too many years ago. I also listened to a cassette tape over and over by HS that I believe was call Eye On The Wild Turkey that included Ray Eye and Walter Parrott giving instruction on how to call a bird in (wish I still had that) since my father or I neither one had any experience hunting turkeys.
On the second or third day I could hunt that season I was using the Lynch Jet Slate when a jake slipped in behind me without making a sound. I was more than happy to swing around and let him have it with a load of #5's. I can still picture that first sight of that jake when I peeked around behind me. My first tom came the following year using the same equipment but the HS slate instead of the Lynch.
I started with a Mossberg 500 shooting 3/2/4 Remington premier and Federal loads.
My camo was either my father's old army camo or I had a 10x coverall on the original realtree brown leaf.
I don't think I had a vest until I was in high school.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
i started with a Winchester 1300 and still have 2 of them,i don't carry them in the turkey woods anymore but they are still my favorite slug guns for deer hunting and make great backup turkey rigs....
I started sometime in the late 80's. ...around 12 yr old. But I didn't have a clue to what I was doing until about 10 years later. Even then I only would hunt each spring maybe 2-4 times. I actually killed my first gobber while deer hunting on new years eve with #1 buckshot when I was about 17 yr old.
Then about 6 years ago I stared to get super serious about spring turkey hunting.... hunt 3-4 days each week during spring season now.
Started with a Stevens single barrel 20ga, probably #4 ... Lohman slate call.
Wilkes County, GA April, 1978. Vietnam surplus Tigger Stripe camo..
Grandpa's old Model 12 Heavy Duck model. WW Super X 1.5 oz #6s.....Same shells we duck hunted with.
Lynch Fool Proof. Still have it. Lots of notches on her...
I don't know who was more surprised.. Me or him. Either way, we both rode home in the 'Cuda.. :toothy12:
I started out when I was 12 with my dad. I used a 870 20 gauge an old school HS vest a few cheap primos mouth calls and an antique lynch box call that was my papaws and some old jungle fatigue camo that was way to big for me. Killed my first two birds the spring following that an haven't looked back since. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Forgot to mention the Winchester supreme 3'' #5's that knocked down my first strutter at 43 yards through a stock x-full choke.
I started off with a ben lee ribbed pro mouth call. Army surplus camo and a model 1300 winchester shotgun. No vest
Started with a Winchester 1200 and a Winchoke X-Full tube, Federal 2 3/4" magnums #2 shot, a tube call I made out of a 35mm film can, a rubber surgical glove and some black electrician's tape.
Nobody had ever even heard or THOUGHT of a turkey vest yet.
Moss 835 I sold it got a rem 870 sm and never looked back. Both are good turkey guns
Started with an A5 Browning 2 3/4 30inch full choke shotgun, an ML Lynch World Champion box call and Woodland camo.
Mossberg 5500 mkii I'm bottom land camo (still a turkey killer ) factory full and federal 3" #5. Lil duece slate call.
It now sports a kicks 660, limbsaver sights, and Hevi magblends when I carry it.
12 gauge, 870 Rem. Pump, DD Adams Slate, old fanny pack with a "hot seat".
Now: 12 gauge,scoped, pistol grip, auto, Benelli, Carlson choke, Topps or Quaker Boy mouth calls/MAD glass & slate & Primos vest.
I got a little better job since I was 18.