As I find myself 3 days in with several miles under my boots and relatively nothing to show for it I already am beginning to wonder if I'm taking this year way too seriously. All that's on my mind is daydreaming of when and where I'm gonna pull that trigger. I have a bad habit of taking hunting to a nearly unhealthy obsession almost to the point where the continuous failing starts to really get to me and make me question my knowledge and my skill. I get jealous of the guys who I see on my Facebook and Instagram who have gotten one to play the game and have been successful in doing so while I myself have not. I greatly enjoy being outdoors and hunting these stubborn birds but I often wonder if I sometimes take it too far in my quest to become a true turkey killer. Now all this being said in no way have ever taken it to the point where I just hated it, however I can really let it get under my skin at times. I have deer hunted a whole lot more than I've turkey hunted and never really seemed to have this kinda feeling about deer hunting. How many of you have gone through phases like this?
I have been known to feel that way during deer season. I've come to realize I'm not going to kill a trophy deer every year and accept it though.Turkey hunting is different for myself. I enjoy the awesome weather and Sun rises in the mornings. I've been known to take some naps when things are slow and relax. Hunting is a retreat from everyday stress and phone calls and I treat it that way. Sounds like you might need to just relax and be grateful to be able to get out in the outdoors. Things seem to fall in place when you relax and put things in the good lords hands. If I had to kill a bird on video for a show I would indefinitely feel the pressure and stress.
Don't feel alone. I am a twenty year old college student and for 4-5 months out of the year these birds rule my life. I miss weeks of class at a time and can't find a way to let it bother me. I will do anything to spend as much time as I can after them. I make it a point to have zero responsibilities in my life during March, April, and May. I try not to be jealous of others that I see on social media who are having success, but it does start to get to me when I am not able to be out chasing them and I see the others who are pounding on them. I am just too obsessed with it to miss any opportunity to be out after them. I am still really early into my season and already have well over a grand wrapped up in chasing them... luckily the early season southern states are much more proud of their tags and licenses than the late season western states I hunt! Haha. I sleep easy, though, knowing that this is my passion and I work all year long to make it possible for myself. Good Luck to you for the rest of your season as well!
There are times that I've began to get mad chasing ducks, turkeys and deer. I've felt the same. I thank if everyone is honest, they will admit they've been jealous. And then I stop and think that I've been blessed enough to be able to chase the magnificent creation that the God almighty put before me, and I've felt ashamed. If it gets to the point that you are as bad as I've been, it's time to do some soul searching. Hunting is my life. And there have been times in my life that I have put it before God and family. At the end of the day, that's not what's it's about. Man sit back and just thank the good lord for letting you do what you do. Killin one will come you'll do it. Good luck
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Yes... You are taking this way too seriously. Good news is, you're beginning to recognize it.
There are several phases in the life of a hunter; initially it's the quest to succeed. You're determined to kill something, anything, as long as it's legal, you just want to fill that tag. Next phase; you want to kill as many as legally possible, the "tagged out" phase. Usually following the tagged out phase, is the "trophy" phase. Now you want to kill the largest game available to you - a trophy buck, a big mature gobbler with a paint brush beard and nice long hooks. Sometimes the trophy phase gets mixed in with the tagging out phase, where you want to fill all your tags with trophy animals. Any one of these phases can lead to obsession and sometimes jealousy and envy of others.
Eventually comes the final phase of "contentment". You appreciate the hunt for all things; the sunrise, the sights, the smells, the opportunity to match wits with your intended game animal. When you get to this phase, the details of the hunt itself become just as, if not more so, important than the size of the animal you kill. You go out on each hunt to enjoy the hunt, pulling the trigger or releasing that arrow is a bonus. You can be happy for friends and family that are successful, and not feel pressure to show them your "grip & grin" picture of the one you killed. Often, you become more interested in helping others succeed before you get the chance to kill. You still want to kill, and that's why you carry a weapon - but it doesn't define your success.
Some hunters go through all these phases, some get stuck in one or the other. Sometimes hunters go forward and backward through the phases. No single phase is the "right" one... That is a personal decision, be it conscious or subconscious.
All this to say: you're normal. Don't let it get to you too much, and don't let it misguide you. Some obsessions are healthy, some not. Hunt safe, hunt hard, have fun!! :camohat:
Focus less on being a 'true turkey killer' and more on being a great woodsman and turkey hunter.
Don't worry about other guys that are posting grip and grin shots - that may come down to better skills or just a better location.
There seems to be a rush to get a turkey tipped over - be thankful you get to spend some additional time in the woods instead of resentful.
Slow down, enjoy the experience and the journey.
Spend time honing your woodcraft. Leave your gun home sometime and focus on helping someone else get their bird - it changes your focus. I have 2 hunters to help get their birds before I worry about mine - it is a very rewarding experience for me.
Good luck, grasshopper.
Wow,...some really great responses here. Well done all.
It's called "turkey hate". Learn that woodsmanship and patience trump's everything except dumb luck. Sure calling, cool guns and fashionable camo are nice but knowing when to call, how, when and where to shoot, and when to sit tight are what makes the killers stand out.
Quote from: spaightlabs on April 05, 2016, 08:32:51 AM
Focus less on being a 'true turkey killer' and more on being a great woodsman and turkey hunter.
Slow down, enjoy the experience and the journey.
Spend time honing your woodcraft. Leave your gun home sometime and focus on helping someone else get their bird - it changes your focus. I have 2 hunters to help get their birds before I worry about mine - it is a very rewarding experience for me.
Good luck, grasshopper.
This is good stuff^^^^^
Quote from: GobbleNut on April 05, 2016, 09:23:45 AM
Wow,...some really great responses here. Well done all.
Agreed! :)
Turkey hunting or hunting in general should never be a competition with other hunters. Its you vs your quarry. I understand the desire to be as good at the game as you can possibly be, I have the same desire. However I could care less about being compared to any other hunters. It's really all subjective when it comes to comparing who is better than who and does it really matter? Not in my book. Appreciate the journey and be the best hunter you can be. Appreciate the success, learn from the failure and above all else enjoy it. The only person putting pressure on you is yourself. The more you force things the more frustrated you become and it turns into more mistakes. As the sun rises on your next hunt I would encourage you to take a minute to thank the good Lord that you get to experience another morning pursuing these birds, clear your mind and just play the cards your dealt to the best of your ability and what happens happens. Whether you kill a bird or not it beats the heck out of work.
Just this morning, I had two birds come in. I thought it was a done deal. I shot, and I missed. This is my third season that I, so far, have not killed a bird. I have gone through the same phases as steelerfan said. But, the good news is, I learned something new from this mornings experience. Just because you do not hear a bird does not mean he is not there. It takes patience, which I am sorely lacking on. But, I keep at it. I get caught up sometimes in the latest and greatest "fads", but in the end, it comes down to turkey psychology. Be where he wants to be, and sound like what he wants to hear, and good things will happen. Don't give up or get frustrated. Just know that you have the ability to do what you do. Some of the other folks here have mentioned the Lord and His blessings. Be thankful that you have the opportunity and ability to simply get out of bed every morning under your own power and can go and hunt these great birds.
[quote Learn that woodsmanship and patience trump's everything except dumb luck.
[/quote]
Very well said.
Good stuff about "stages." Every turkey hunter, at every stage, will have times they just feel beat up. I've killed a whole lot of turkeys, and I've called in at least as many for others, and I'll still feel flat beat up every now and then. It gets under your skin.
That said, strive to reach a point where you realize you had a great hunt even when the turkey wins. I'm not talking about the days when the woods are just dead. Those are, at best, just a day spent in the spring woods, and that's not all bad either. I'm talking about the days you and a turkey play the game and he comes out ahead. Appreciate the great hunt you had and just understand it's part of the game.
Hunt enough, and you'll have stretches where you can seem to do no wrong. I've had whole seasons where it was like I never took a step out of place and every decision worked out right. Those were usually followed by a season with a long and frustrating dry spell. They humble us all at times.
Thanks fellas. I took this morning to sleep in and slow my roll a little bit. I have really enjoyed reading all your responses this morning. Glad to know I'm not the only one who can get a little carried away at times (and that it's somewhat normal haha). I definitely lack in being thankful that I get to do this sometimes, it is something I need to take some time and work on. As well as patience. I often times feel as much land as have around me to hunt (a little private, a whole lot public) that I should be able to go until I find a bird that wants to do something but that has not been the case yet, so that is something I also need to work on.
As my son said....................
Josh Becnel at Kisatchie National Forest.
April 3 at 3:49pm · Instagram ·
Didn't kill anything, but what a beautiful place! I'll definitely be back for deer season! ?#?kisatchie?
It's not about the kill but the journey
Heard three this morning, all in different directions and way off. My thighs were not up to the task. On the other hand the woods were and are full of a multitude of songbirds. Good day.
I think for myself, I get caught up it more when I'm trying to get someone else the bird. I'm more laid back for myself and tend to let things happen. And if not so be it. I love the spring woods. I've definitely grown to be more patient and love sharing my journey with new hunters.
I have gone through highs and lows like everyone else. This year is turning out to be especially rough, but I have killed 1 bird on 17 hunts. The past 3-4 years have been really good and it is human nature to expect every year to be better but it cant. I like to think of it as an exercise program, with the benefit of occasionally getting to work a turkey. I have lost 5 pounds and fit in my clothes better than a month ago! Keep in mind that in some places turkeys are MUCH easier to kill than others.
Quote from: C.Kimzey95 on April 05, 2016, 12:19:35 AM
As I find myself 3 days in with several miles under my boots and relatively nothing to show for it I already am beginning to wonder if I'm taking this year way too seriously. All that's on my mind is daydreaming of when and where I'm gonna pull that trigger. I have a bad habit of taking hunting to a nearly unhealthy obsession almost to the point where the continuous failing starts to really get to me and make me question my knowledge and my skill. I get jealous of the guys who I see on my Facebook and Instagram who have gotten one to play the game and have been successful in doing so while I myself have not. I greatly enjoy being outdoors and hunting these stubborn birds but I often wonder if I sometimes take it too far in my quest to become a true turkey killer. Now all this being said in no way have ever taken it to the point where I just hated it, however I can really let it get under my skin at times. I have deer hunted a whole lot more than I've turkey hunted and never really seemed to have this kinda feeling about deer hunting. How many of you have gone through phases like this?
i remember when i started some 13 years ago i was like this. i will say you need to drop the "true turkey killer" mentality just slow down and enjoy the hunt and being outdoors dont let it bother you if someone else is taking birds and your not. you will connect but you need to let it happen.
Good posts all around so far.
For me, if nice Spring sunrises and chirping cardinals were enough, I'd be a birdwatcher instead of a turkey hunter. Fact of the matter is we get up at 4:30 am and tromp into the woods with a $500 shotgun and $7 a piece shells not because we want to watch the sun come up, but because we want to kill turkeys. I find that after I get my first one of the year, yeah, I can relax a little bit and spend some more time looking at wildflowers and admiring nature generally, but up until that point it's like I'm secretly afraid that all my previous turkeys have been luck, that I dont know what Im doing, and that I'll never get another one. Getting those texts from friends and family with birds they've killed is exciting in that it proves the birds are active, and I am genuinely happy for them, but I won't deny it still stings a little bit.
Maybe the best part of the whole thing is how quickly you can go from zero to hero though. You're sitting there cussing yourself for forgetting the wet wipes one minute, and the next you're huffing and puffing, hauling out a dead bird and frantically checking for cell service so you can text your buddies.
I love it except for when I dont.
I can get a little stressed deer hunting, trying to kill a respectable buck with a bow in the areas I hunt is tough and I just don't have it figured out yet i guess. Turkey hunting is just about having fun, but I'm a whole lot more successful turkey hunting.
A true turkey hunter once told me, "All the nice guns, coolest new camo, most expensive calls won't do a single thing to help you kill a turkey, if you don't HAVE turkeys where your hunting". Seems elementary, but it's the gospel truth. I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of acres to chase turkeys on. One tract was my go to several years ago after it was clear cut, burned and replanted. I have walked and walked and walked this piece and nothing. Well, the layout has changed and the turkeys have moved off this tract to an adjacent tract. Let me tell you, I was frustrated on an all new level. But I was trying to put turkeys there caused I liked hunting there.
So I told myself I was done there for two weeks and moved a few miles down the road and BAM! Killed one the next morning and have 2 more staring certain death in the face.
My point, if you've been miles with nothing at all to keep you excited, it's time to move. I realize that's easier for some people, but everyone can go hunt public somewhere.
The one thing that keeps me going back, day after day is this...
Every single day of the year, at daylight or close to it, a turkey is going to fly down to the ground and walk around all day. No migrating, no nocturnal, no bedding down. Does that mean I'll even see him, no. But there's always a chance if I'm there.
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Loving all your answers guys. I hope to go into tomorrow morning with a fresher perspective.
I dont know why but turkey hunting is a very different experience for me,and always has been. When duck hunting I want to kill quick limits and be back at the house, gun deer hunting the same shoot one and have breakfast. There has been several times I have killed a turkey in the first few minutes of the first day and I felt cheated. Here in Illinois the permit system is kinda screwy and I'm forgetful so there are more years than not that I only have one tag. I enjoy turkey "hunting" ,not the bird watching aspect but the experience of it all. Being there and outwitting him cause lets be honest if it were about eating a turkey its easier to go to Piggly Wiggly and get one. I personally think that pulling the trigger on a turkey is kinda anticlimactic,getting him at the end of the barrel is the exciting part.
Ilbucksndux, I very much agree with that and really meant something more along those lines. Playing the game with one is the most enjoyable part
When I was younger it was all about killing birds. Not that I didn't enjoy the hunt, but that was the bottom line. When I learned to slow down and not look at it like it was life and death, I started to get more out of turkey hunting. I know guys that get so wound up over killing birds that it doesn't even seem like they have any fun. Relax and enjoy your time outdoors and the rest will take care of itself. :z-twocents:
Bob
I've killed my share of the devils and every season, at one point or another, I think, "Man, you must be the worst turkey hunter on the face of the planet!" They won't answer. They walk away. They ignore me like the head cheerleader in high school!
THEN, one day, the sun shines on me. The heavens open and I hear that deep gobble. Everything I say to him he loves. He's smitten! He loves me like my high school sweetheart! BOOM! "Man,you're the best turkey hunter on the face of the planet!"
I guess it's in our nature to want to succeed. We strive in everything we do. We continually hope for success with every attempt. Truth of the matter, without failure, success loses it's shine. It's those failures that make the successes so great, so rewarding...
So relish those "failures" and while you're "failing", look around at that glorious day. The greens and the blue sky and the bird songs...One day you'll be too old to get out there...One day there will be someone else sitting at your spot. Someone younger... Someone stronger...Someone with those same dreams and frustrations that you have now...It's your turn...Don't waste it...
Every time I'm having a bad year or a dry spell I remind myself that I'm doing this for fun. I don't need to hunt, I have plenty of beef in the pasture! And for the money I spend on all kinds of hunting, if I'm not enjoying myself then I might as well quit and find another hobby! I always obsessed about hunting to the point that the fun was gone until one day my wife said "why do you do it if it makes you miserable? Aren't you supposed to be having fun?" I did some reevaluating and decided that if I couldn't have fun then I wasn't doing it. Make mistake, I still get frustrated at times and feel like kicking myself when I know I messed up. But I also leave all that in the woods and worry about other stuff when I'm not hunting. I have learned that as much as I love it, turkey hunting falls way below family and friends. There are lots of people out there that would love it if getting a turkey was their biggest problem!
Sometimes I do think it can be unhealthy... There are times when I go hunting, and it is more of a compulsion than a means of enjoyment.
And, on those years that success has evaded me, I find that it really rattles me. I probably would have in fact killed a bird, if I just sat back and let myself enjoy the hunt, rather than hunt with the single goal of being successful...
Turkeys and women have something in common... The more desperate we are to get one, the more difficult it is to lay one down....
Yep, sometimes I have to remind myself that I am out there to have fun, and enjoy the whole experience...
Sounds like you have the right drive, but the wrong attitude. You aren't "continually failing" but rather are continually learning. Hunt smart, but don't overthink it. If you hear a bird start gobbling good in the distance, do whatever to get close to him without walking up on him. Set up and yelp a few times and wait. If he answers back, Yelp some more and shut up. If he doesn't, wait half an hour anyways, might come in silent. There's not much to it, just a matter of finding the right bird and paying attention to the woods and the critters behavior. Good luck
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Thanks to all who responded. Check my latest post!
Relax and enjoy the journey.
It's hunting. Your family won't love you less if you don't get a bird.
Work on redefining your definition of hunting success. It's not just about the kill.
This has been the most enjoyable thread to follow on here in some time.
All the responses have been heartfelt and genuine.
I think at some point in time we've all felt what the OP conveyed.
I'll have to remember some of this during the upcoming season.
Greg
Just found out Monday I was losing my primary hole. Trials cut and three 4 year old Longbeards waiting on me Saturday morning. These birds were leftovers from last year and have been waiting on me and my stepson all year.
I told him this afternoon we will hunt and we will have a great time somewhere.
Dead turkey or not, we will get the pleasure of awakening and walking thru the woods to enjoy God's creatures come to life.
I'm so thankful and blessed for what I have accomplished and will get to experience, opening day Saturday morning with my Stepson.
dont sweat it,when i first started years ago i was like that,while i love killing them,the more seasons that you get beneath your belt you come to a time to where you just simply love being out there chasing them weather you kill them or not.one thing is for sure,the guys who have all the best hot spots and tag out on a couple hot 2 year olds in the first couple days then their season is over,will not be the hunter you will be down the road when their hot spots are gone.every day you are out there you will learn something new,weather you see it or not.you learn from your mistakes,become a better woodsman.their has been seasons when i have lost 10 pounds and didnt get my second one untill 5 in the evening on the last day of the season.those seasons taught me alot.now i never even think weather i will kill one or not and just get out there.if i do i do,but i enjoy every minute of it.since i have came to this mind set it also seems easier to kill them,and each year god seems to bless with all my tags filled.