An earlier conversation had me thinking about this while I mowed this evening. I can't really say a had an actual mentor but two gentlemen did take some time to help keep a fire that was already burning lit. The first fellow was named Richard. I met him when I was probably 6 or so. I was fascinated by turkey hunting which was weird since no one in my family is into it. He would answer all my questions at church and tell me some tales. For my birthday he bought me a quaker boy boss hen mouth call and I would practice along side of him. He was big into competition calling and that was back in the day that Ray Eye was the man as far as turkey hunting went. Rich lost the maryland state championship by one point. Finally he took me on a hunt one morning before school. I don't think I slept at all the night before. I was certain I was gonna finally kill a bird. We went that morn and never heard a bird. Still I continued to keep in touch with him and when I was in my teens he gave me about 4 sets of his hunting clothes that he had gotten a little to thick to wear anymore. I have given some away but I still have one set. Have never worn them hunting until this year but I have decided that this year is the year I get some blood on them again. They have had about a twenty year vacation. So tomorrow that's what I will be wearing.
Neat. Can't really say that I have one either. My dads not into it so i kinda started on my own and learned along with another couple buddies that had just started turkey hunting as well. That and a man named Jeff who got me into duck hunting has helped out a lot. Always told me stories and given me advice on it. The rest has been through reading videos and self observations. I hope to be able to pass it along some day.
My uncle introduced me to the sport. I never hunted turkey and he had already killed one that season but there was a gobbler hammering everyday close to our house. He asked me if I wanted to kill a turkey...I thought, heck why not. Long story short, we went in that morning, he called a big old Tom a few jakes and some hens right into our laps. I had no idea what I was doing and killed the Jake by mistake! Very last day of season and my first turkey hunt....instantly hooked! Funny thing was he was watching the Tom and I was watching the Jake. When he told me to shoot, I did and dropped it but he thought I missed and said keep shooting....well I killed that Jake on the first shot but shot it 2 more times because he said keep shooting!
Glen Ray Whetstone of Woodville, Mississippi and Ken Morgan of Jackson, Louisiana. Quite an education.
My father was my mentor for all things outdoors early on. Started my turkey "career" in the late 70's hunting fall turkey in WV. Missed my 1st attempt at a bird on a beautiful fall day in Sleepy Creek WMA. Killed several fall birds the following years... For reasons unknown, my father was never into spring gobbler hunting?
He passed away early in '85 when I was in college. By then, I had discovered the addiction of birds gobbling in the spring! Skipped class on more occasions than I care to admit, killing a bird for myself and taking as many of my buddies as possible to get them a bird - most all of which hunted, but not spring gobblers.
It's a habit I haven't been able (or tried, really) to quit! Regrettably, I never did get the chance to share a spring hunt with my father; although I feel certain he has shared many with me. :icon_thumright:
p.s. JK Spurs - LOL!!
My twin brother
My friend Gerald Lovell, taught me everything about turkey hunting. He made my first gourd call with a cedar corn cob striker. He taught me the different sounds of a turkey and how to hunt and enjoy the sport of chasing these birds.
In all seriousness, the bird himself. We didn't have birds where I grew up deer hunting at the time, though nearly 30 years later they're plentiful in those same areas. I was limited to public areas I'd never been to or invites from folks who had birds. I did get to spend the better part of one season with a friend who was a few years older and had access to an area a couple of hours away with a decent popolation of birds, but that was as close of a mentor in the traditional sense as I had. I killed my first one all by myself, and though I was hooked well before that, that first one I called to the gun and killed sealed the deal forever.
On the flip side, while my Dad was my mentor for deer and everything else I grew up hunting, he didn't start turkey hunting until he was in his early 50's and I've gotten to be his mentor. I'll have to say my best hunts have been with him and I've enjoyed watching him turn into a turkey killer in his own right.
Good stuff
Honestly all the people on this forum. I read something here then try it out. I hunt mostly by myself and learn alot through trial and error. I'm up to about 10 gobblers and I'm getting better each time (I think). Ive learned alot about turkey guns, patterns, loads, calls, and setups from all of you. Thanks, please keep posting and I will keep learning.
Had to be my Dad. Funny thing is to this day he's never called in a bird for me but I've called several for him.
We'll, going to sound strange but, Happy has essentially been my mentor. It feels weird to even say that. My first bird I'd killed with a college pal. I'd shot a bird or two with my grandfather. Neither of which did I learn much at all. The remainder of my spring hunting experience was pretty much with Happy himself. It's been a long road to recovery but I think I'll manage. He's called several birds for me over the years. In the recent years, we've changed gears a bit and started going separate ways instead of me just tagging along with him all morning. I feel as if I've got a good enough handle on things to take care of myself. I mean, I've managed to call in over 20 birds in the past 2-3 years. This year has been the roughest by far while going at it alone but still, I think I've done well with the education given. My father didn't hunt spring birds. Still doesn't really. I didn't start until '99 really so I've only been at it for 17 years. Happy' sheen there for about 13-14 of them. Just makes sense to me.
I would have to say the Gobbler himself. I didn't have anyone to teach me so I got some calls, watched hunting shows to learn how to make Turkey sounds, and then just went to the woods. Took me awhile to figure it out but I would like to think that I have it figured out somewhat now....
As flattered as I am hick. If I am your mentor then you are screwed. Guess you at least have seen a lot of what not to do tho. Ha ha!
My brother-in-laws oldest brother is the one who introduced me to this addiction in 1993, 23 years later I'm still at it. He taught me ALOT about woodsmanship, even would quiz me while squirrel or turkey hunting about what kinda tree is this or what kinda acorn is this? Is that turkey scratchings or did deer do this? Stuff like that. He started hunting them in the early 70's here in VA when no one else was really doing it and had an older gentleman that taught him alot so he paid it forward with me. I learned alot on my own thru trial and error but he laid the ground work that has made me into the hunter I am today. He doesn't get out as much as he used to due to his health (life long smoker) but I can remember the days when I was 19-20 years old and he would out climb me going up and down steep ridges all with a cigarette hangin out of his mouth. Definitely cherish the hunt we shared over the years, especially the ones where I helped call in a bird for him.
I didn't really have anybody that actually went with me and helped me get started. My Dad doesn't hunt so I bought a few calls, practiced with them and got permission to hunt some land close by. I then preceded to get my butt handed to me by the turkeys for the next 4 years. Finally after a lot of trial and error and making dumb mistakes I killed my first turkey and I was hooked from there. It definantly helped me a lot about 5 years ago when I got on this site. I was able to learn so much through this site. A lot of more experienced hunters were nice enough to answer a ton of my novice questions on here and helped to point me in the right direction.
Quote from: silvestris on May 04, 2016, 09:15:34 PM
Glen Ray Whetstone of Woodville, Mississippi and Ken Morgan of Jackson, Louisiana. Quite an education.
I knew mr Kenny also. I would say between those 2 you got a wealth of knowledge.
Darn fine thread here.
I had hunting and fishing mentors, or as I call them sponsors, as a kid. Most all went beyond just hunting and fishing and instilled far more important things as well. Most of us like to think of ourselves as self made but usually there are many who helped us along the way.
Eddie Godwin-Neighbor who took this red neck kid fishing and also let him borrow his john boat, fishing rods, even his tackle boxes, to go on his own. When I transitioned to fly fishing only years ago I gave that man the best bait casting rod I had as a pitiful attempt to honor him for his years of generosity.
Floyd Worthy-An Uncle who taught me much about bass fishing and shared much until his untimely death from a brain tumor. Spent a lot of good times with him and he was just a great joyful man to be around.
My Dad-We learned to hunt deer and turkey together. He was an avid quail hunter, taught me much about it and you would be surprised how that knowledge will enhance turkey hunting. While he didn't have experience with turkeys and deer, he did equip me well enough to be a functional hunter who could learn on his own.
There were many others who simply gave me a ride to go hunting or fishing on my own before I could drive myself.
I remember all those folks when I see a kid or young fella who could really use some of my old gear that's just gathering dust, a little encouragement, advice or such.
I also didn't have a over the shoulder mentor. In fact i knew only one guy who hunted turks n back than the secrets were held tight.
I ask Jimmy Diames who shot in an archery club w me a few questions. He'd not give me a 1-2-3 but he'd guide me through my failures n tell me what to try next time.
When I was getting close I remember him getting excited.
I owe Jimmy a thanks, haven't seen him in many many years. Once we were at a United bowhunters dinner together. I didn't recognize him n don't think he myself. Someone afterward said they saw him.
Haven't heard of his being around since.
Anyway if you're out there buddy thanks!
Quote from: Spitten and drummen on May 05, 2016, 09:31:22 AM
Quote from: silvestris on May 04, 2016, 09:15:34 PM
Glen Ray Whetstone of Woodville, Mississippi and Ken Morgan of Jackson, Louisiana. Quite an education.
I knew mr Kenny also. I would say between those 2 you got a wealth of knowledge.
Probably hunted over 30 times with Glen Ray who was a super woodsman. After the first couple of times, I would call as I had practiced the sounds, a result I presume from my duck hunting teens in the Arkansas Pin Oaks. Although I could make decent turkey sounds, Glen Ray could never sound that good on anything other than a Lynch Fool Proof. I, the ignorant one, can still hear him say, "call now". What he lacked in calling ability he more than made up for it in his patience, ability to walk quietly and to pick a spot to call from usually with me facing a bank. I learned much from him and am forever indebted.
Ken Morgan became as good a friend as I ever had and never a day goes by that I don't think of him fondly. He taught me the language of the Wild Turkey as well as any human being could. We only hunted together twice during the 36 or so years of our friendship, he, and soon I, truly believing that the sport was a "one man game". We did spend countless days in the woods together both pre and post season and I learned much from those forays. What was learned from the thousands of hours we spent in conversation and personal "calling contests" is incalculable.
I have been truly blessed.
Back in 1987, a guy who has now given up hunting in favor of golf took me turkey hunting. In the early morning, we ran from roosted gobbler to roosted gobbler, setting up a plastic fold-out hen decoy that had sides that were held apart with a metal "stick", and trying to call one in. We never did. I recently found that decoy in the attic and when I tried to open it up, it cracked and busted apart. Over the years, I've purchased a big box full of turkey "stuff" that failed to live up to its advertised potential; however, since that novice period of learning how to hunt turkeys, I've had great success with mixing hen yelps with gobbles.
I didnt have a turkey hunting mentor. My grandpa,my great uncle Bob and my dad taught me to be a woodsman. My grandpa was a squirrel hunter,and my dad and uncle were trappers. I learned to deer hunt by trial and error and my grandpa did get excited about that late in life. 20 odd years ago I decided I wanted to try my hand at turkey hunting so I got some calls and a tag. Using the skills I had learned and even more mistakes turned me into a turkey hunter.
Quote from: Happy on May 05, 2016, 07:10:09 AM
As flattered as I am hick. If I am your mentor then you are screwed. Guess you at least have seen a lot of what not to do tho. Ha ha!
Hey, I've learned a ton and I think we've seen just about every possible scenario when it comes to these eastern's bud.
I learned on my own. I had to go to MO. because IL didn't have spring turkey hunting where I lived at the time. I read Ray Eye's book and watched videos. I hunted spring and fall with a bow and learned what was real and what was BS on the videos and magazines I read.
No one for me either. My dad always brought me hunting when I was young but he never hunted turkeys. Just deer and ducks. We hunted deer (still do) in west texas where there are lots of rios. I killed my first turkey when I was 7 eating corn at 10 yards with a 410 in the fall. Shot several in the fall but always wanted to do it like they do on tv in the spring. When I first saw turkeys I was kinda fascinated by them for some reason. My passion was duck and goose hunting because of how I could have a conversation with that bird and make them react to a call. Well when I was 18 years old I got on a deer lease close to home and they had planted turkeys there 5 years prior with no hunting season. The 5th year the population had grown enough to open the season. I was bored on a spring morning before the season so I decided I would ride out and see if I could find a turkey. 1030 am I drive up to a pipeline and hit a slate call I had just bought in town. BAAAM gobble. I almost couldn't believe it. Hit the call again BAAAM. Wow. I said I better get outa here or he's gonna end up in my lap. Left and stopped back at the store and bought $300 worth of turkey hunting junk. Called my cousin and hunting partner and asked if he wanted to go turkey huntin. He'd never been either but didn't have anything else better to do. So the next Friday, the day before the season, I got out there before daylight. Started breaking so I hooted he hammered. Pumped up I got outa there. So next day we show up opening morning. Breaks day, hoot, nothing. Hunted until noon never heard a gobble. So kinda deflated we decide to try again sunday morning. Get there, hoot nothing. Walk 50 yards, hoot BAAAM there he is. Not knowing a thing about turkey hunting we sit and get set up. Call and he's cutting me off. Triple and quadruple gobbling. Finally we see a bright blue head in the dark woods. Strutting gobbling at every noise he hears for what felt like an hour behind a tree. Finally he steps out and I shot him. Probably 10 minutes after we heard the first gobble he was dead. And had probably gobbled 100 times in that 10 minutes. Since that day we've both been hooked. Started making the trip to west texas every spring and have bump a BUNCH of birds in the last 15 years of leaning. Still learning stuff to this day but can say I'm a lot more disciplined. I thought they were all supposed to be that easy lol. My cousin says it's like crack, they give u that first hit for free. Then u hooked and can't get enough.
Self taught here, but we had a good class. We started in the mid 60's. My Mom, Dad and myself. We have had a lot of success and failures's, but both were equally enjoyable and valuable. And I am fortunate to still be able to hunt with the same class after all these years.
My best friend took me about 15 years ago. I killed a Jake that day. I kill a bird or two every year and I get the same feeling in my gut(gobbler fever) as I did the day I killed the first one. We don't hunt together as much these days as we did when we were teenagers but we still make time to go once or twice a season.
I grew up turkey hunting every year with my dad but we more or less just chased the birds around and had no idea how to hunt and actually kill them. I didn't kill my first bird I was 18 and that was far more luck than anything. I was introduced through a friend of a friend to a guy who said he'd take me turkey hunting sometime. We hunted 4 days in 2006 and he helped be bag two NY birds. We have become best friends and hunt everything together but when we are in the woods chasing turkeys is always the best he has taught me a ton and I don't know of anyone with better instincts in the woods.
My father and stepfather got me started in the sport, so they obviously played a big part in it, but truthfully, there weren't many turkeys around where I grew up at that time. I went off to college and hunting had a BIG part in the selection of where I went, and it just so happened that a family friend lived near by. I kept my hunting gear at his place, and he even came and picked me up on the weekends so I could get out. Up until then, I was a tag along with my father or stepfather. Never hunted on my own, and very seldom did any of the calling. Now, it was "I'll drop you off here, I'm going this way" so I was forced to hunt for myself. I learned a lot about woodsmanship and the habits of these birds from him, and was forced to do things on my own, not rely on someone else to call the shots.
But I must say, my hunting ways are very different from all of them, and the biggest influence on the way I hunt was Ray Eye, even though I've only met the man a few times. His aggressive style and calling shaped the way I went about hunting, and success and the sheer fun of it is what made me stick with it.
I've hunted deer most all of my life. My great uncle was my mentor for fishing and deer hunting. However, he was not a turkey hunter because GA didn't have a season till later on. For 31 years I've chased these crazy things!! The only mentor I've had has been the last three years and that man's name is Herb McClure. Me being from the flatlands and swamps, he's taught me quite a bit about mountain turkeys!! Just wish I had more time to spend with him!!
Mr. Sidney Shaw of Sturgis MS. He took time with me as a young hunter. I would go over to his house in his shop and sit for hours while he built calls and told hunting stories. Some of the best memories of my life.
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Well it looks like I got my wish.
Way to go brother! He would be proud!~
Quote from: Happy on May 06, 2016, 09:03:21 AM
Well it looks like I got my wish.
Hemorrhoids?
My good buddy Mark, he's on this forum somewhere.
No mentor here. It's pretty much been me, myself, and my own mistakes.
My mentor would be my brother. He's got 91 or 92 notches in the stock of his H & R 10 bore . He bought me a Lynch's 101 fool proof box call 35 years ago that I still carry. His mentor whom he hunted with is the late Doc Pellham. That man knew his stuff.
I tried turkey hunting on my own when I was in high school. Couldn't do anything right, so I just decided that turkey hunting sucked! Too hot, too many bugs, snakes, poison ivy etc. So I stuck to deer and ducks. Fast forward to 21 years old... my girlfriend at the time's dad was a game warden. He was the "Turkey whisperer" and was quite the successful turkey hunter. So I asked him to show me the way. Fast forward to today and him and I still chase these wonderful birds together every year (even though his daughter and I didn't work out). Its been an obsession ever since!
Thanks for the replies fellas. Glad to see that there are people willing to help up and comers out some. I think that goes a long way in helping to preserve hunting and fishing.
Didn't have any help.
My dad
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Come from a long line of but hunters. When there were quail, dad, grandpa and all the uncles hunted them, and we all take ducks seriously. Probably to serious. Started when I was 4 yrs old with them with a red Ryder BB gun. The next year dad let me take my new pellet gun and pretend I was shootin ducks with em. He would grab my waders by the should straps when we would walk in water, or just pick me up if we weren't in a boat. The next year, age 6 I got to tote a cut off 410 shootin doves. Dad told me if I would practice being still, he would take me turkey huntin with em. Guess I heard my first gobble when I was 7 and I don't think I've forgotten that. Killed my first when I was 11 with him on (at one time) beautiful piece of hardwood river bottom. He was hot, and since then, it just eats at me. I love it. The good Lord blessed me beyond belief with a family and a father who took the time and productivity of his hunting to take me with him. Luckily, I still have my dad and I again got to spend opening morning of the season with him and several other hunts. He was mentor. My grandpa was also a huge part of my life, and 2 of my uncles and older brother. Were all ate up with it. So I guess I would say I ha several mentors. And I am thankful for all of them
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And that's what happens with auto correct from tapa talk. Duck*. Not but. Lol. Lol lol.
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Bowguy and Jimmy Schaffer
I started out completely on my own. After two or three seasons hunting my home property, I went on a turkey hunt in another part of the state. Up to that point, I only knew one guy who turkey hunted, and we had never talked turkey. But I met a couple of true turkey addicts on a Central Texas Rio hunt and we've traveled somewhere together every year since, even getting our slams together.
So after a self-taught start, over the years I've learned a lot from our own firedup on this board here and our buddy Joe.
Never really had one. There was one guy who took me for my first time. Kind of funny because he hunted for like 10 yrs and never killed one before. He's not the best woodsman to say, however, my first morning we go and double!
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