Calling VS Experience/Woodsmanship

[EZ]

Both are important. It's 100 percent both and it's not an either or thing. To over emphasize one at the expense of the other is foolish.

Having said that the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

And if youre sitting over decoys or crawling behind a gobbler decoy then yeah you're right calling isn't very important to your success at all.

This post is the winner!!!

As "Turkeyman" said in an above post, it's called "turkey woodsmanship"!!!

[Yoder409]

.....the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

This is NOT wrong.   

[eggshell]

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

I agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

Well, I am well past that age...and yes, I do understand that...   

Well BC doesn't come after most guys birth year Back when we started turkeys were a lot bigger, had teeth and we didn't need a call we just needed to look and smell delicious.

[Yoder409]

 

[YoungGobbler]

I agree woodsmanship is a must, but as you get older I put more emphasis on my calling.

After you pass the age of 65 you will understand my comment...
 

As some of my grand uncles say... They walk really well in the woods    Meaning they'd rather wait them then go and search them   

[Happy]

The better one is at both then the more successful they will be. However if I had to pick one over the other, I would give a slight edge to woodsmanship. There's also a third advantage that many haven't discussed. That is having an intimate knowledge of the area. Don't get me wrong, I think that the guys that hunt a lot of different places wind up being better hunters. However, I know some pretty crappy hunters that are successful purely because they have hunted the same spot for years and can at least get to a good location. Those are also the same guys that get thrown for a loop when animal patterns change up for some reason.

[eggshell]

Your right Happy. I know a couple of those guys and they're often the ones that rush to post their bird on social media. I also know guys that hunt over deer bait sites. They quit putting out deer bait by the end of January or February, and that makes the sites legal for turkey hunting. I assure you the turkeys still stay around those sites and glean left overs. I have always enjoyed going to new places and figuring out the birds in new ground. I know a small group of guys that consistently kill birds wherever they go. Heck, one of them goes by Happy. I often get a call for help about mid season from a certain guy. If his birds change up their patterns he is in trouble. He goes and sits at the same exact spot every year. 

[Davyalabama]

Both are important. It's 100 percent both and it's not an either or thing. To over emphasize one at the expense of the other is foolish.

Having said that the better your calling, the more you'll realize the importance of calling and it's ability to completely change a birds mood, make him do things he didn't want to do and wasn't going to do just a minute or seconds earlier.

And if youre sitting over decoys or crawling behind a gobbler decoy then yeah you're right calling isn't very important to your success at all.

I think too many times people want either/or, the #1 thing, this over that, turkey hunting can't be narrowed down to these type of things.  Now, you have to have birds, period.  Then, you can't narrow it down to why, in #1 simple things for everyone.  There are too many variables even to this. 

Woodsmanship vs calling vs knowing birds vs etc., etc., etc.  That's what keeps me coming back year after year, what worked on one bird, may not work on another.  A big boss turkey isn't the next big boss turkey, we may have to change strategies, locations, time of day, etc. 

We can't even agree on turkey guns or shells, it doesn't fit the same parameter.  You may be hunting decoys in an open field, can't get them close enough, fine, use your decoys and 100 yard shells.  I believe out West, they even use rifles in some instances.  I'm a woods hunter, I use old guns passed down to me (I'm taking memories with me when I grab a gun) from two people that were very important in my life.  I would rather have those old guns and lead shot versus anything new and more capable (or so you think). 

It's me vs the turkey, no holes barred, I bring everything I can to the table, he brings everything he can to survive.  I'll say this, I sure am glad it isn't winner takes all.  I die or he dies.  I would have been in a pine box or on his dinner table a long time ago. 

It isn't #1 thing, it's did you hunt him fairly, even that is a topic for discussion.  So many rabbit holes to go down when chasing these fine birds.  I do it, because it's in me, it's something I enjoy, I'm passionate (to a point) about, it's not something I have to brag about (this wasn't always the case) I tell maybe one friend and my wife and FIL when I kill a turkey, that's it, sometimes on a forum for people that don't know me, thanking God mostly.  However, after last year, that will stop too, the part about mentioning anything on a forum. 

There are books written on this subject, many books, some by some great authors and turkey chasers, they can't even nail it down to one specific thing.  Some of the authors I've read, I know were some mighty fine chasers in their day, too.