Is over confident's just about killing Turkeys

[WyoHunter]

Some really good thoughts here. It doesn't make any difference what I'm hunting for, I plan on bringing home game. If a hunt begins with an I don't think I'll do good today attitude, you're already defeated and should probably stay home. To me, after hunting for over 60 seasons, it comes down to having fun. I enjoy getting up stupid early in the AM. I enjoy the ride. I try to enjoy the whole time hunting. If I'm lucky enough to bring home the bacon, I enjoy eating the gift. Have fun. Get it?

My feelings exactly! I'm 72 and couldn't have said it better.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

School is in session every day in the turkey woods. From the minute you leave your truck until the second legal shooting hour expires. I think people can pretty much become to over confident and make mistakes with being successful in turkey hunting. Experience and what to expect and how to react is all a part of becoming a good woodsman. No matter where you hunt you must spend time with turkeys to learn about their habitat, you must scout, watch and spend time to learn more about these birds and later on it will pay big dividends.  Being a successful turkey hunter is more than I'M JUST A KILLER OF TURKEYS you have to become excellent woodsman, that can call and are skilled with the tools needed to get the job done. More than a lot of other outdoor activity, turkey hunting requires persistence, patience and positive attitude. Spring turkey hunting can change in a second, turning a bad day of hunting into a hunt of a lifetime. Turkeys have a nature of acting in a seemingly random fashion, not following any pattern or mode of behavior from day to day. Without question, experience, woodsmanship skills, scouting and learning are some of the most important factors in turkey hunting success. So again can we become so over confident that killing is all we think about as a turkey hunter? Sometimes i think we become to over confident in thinking it's just about i'm a killer of turkeys. It more of just having the opportunity and enjoying what nature has to offer and how bless we are to hunt these birds. So again as hunters let's not get to the point that it's just i'm a killing machine of these animals if you get to that point i would suggest you take a few years off from turkey hunting. This is again just my opinion of becoming over confident in our ability as hunters at my age of 60 and all the years i've hunted i still want to learn about these turkeys and how to become a better woodsman. I never want to say i'm the best turkey hunter, were never to old to keep learning our sport of hunting and to keep improving our ability and confidence.

It may be about all of that hoopla for you but for some of us, it's about becoming the most proficient at killing turkeys one can possibly be.

It's about knowing enough about  the biological and habitat needs of wild turkeys to pull maps of public or private dirt in states far off that youve never hunted, show up, locate and kill turkeys.  It's about refining decision-making processes and using past experiences to adapt and overcome in environments you've never previously encountered.

It's not about songbirds, sunrises, or sunsets.  Certainly, they enhance the experience but ultimately it's about having the tactical capability to kill birds in any environment and any situation.

Most of the hunters I respect are well-traveled, well-experienced, skilled with a call and you absolutely do not want to be a turkey living on the dirt we hunt.  No one kills 100% of the time but there are hunters out there, some who frequent this site who kill turkeys over 50% of the time that they go hunting (and none of them are reaping them).

They are guys who scout incessantly during the preseason to know their local birds and kill them efficiently once the season kicks off.  They are the guys that roost birds the nite before and get up hours before most turkey hunters will hear their alarm and set-up tight to henned up gobblers; allowing them to kill birds when most turkey hunters are complaining about "henned up turkeys."  Theyre guys that are willing to hike 2.5 hours into public ground hunt all day and sleep in their cars so they can be back on the trail at 3 am the next morning.  They are the guys who are calm and collected when they choose where to sit, when to call, when to move and don't let emotion affect their judgement at the moment of truth.

Being a turkey killer is 100% about confidence. That confidence is achieved by knowing that you're willing to work harder, get up earlier, walk farther than anyone else and analyze situations more comprehensively than anyone else. It's about having a variety of tactics and concepts in your arsenal that you will never obtain if you're always hunting w the same people in the same places. It's achieved through demonstrating consistent and frequent success on your home dirt and foreign ground. 

I realize that a lot of folks don't have the desire, won't dedicate the time and generally aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get to that level but it's an achievable thing.

For any newbie who wants to dedicate themselves to this obsession and truly learn the game, please don't be dissuaded by a bunch of guys that hunt for a different reason and don't think the same way you do.

It is achievable.  It is rewarding.  And it will allow you to see this beautiful country and forge new relationships with like minded people that you wont ever meet at your local 7-Eleven.

Cheers!

[Greg Massey]

Quotes:    Never believe you are the best, but believe you are one of the best.         Sometimes unreasonable confidence and overconfidence precedes carelessness in making mistakes.        Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds of beating yourself at the same game.                                             I agree VaTuRkStOmPer..  If you don't have confidence in yourself then who does..Happy Hunting...

[g8rvet]

Pretty much everything you just said is not why I hunt Va.  As long as you are not affecting me, have at it.  Unlike many, I will not judge you for what you do and how you do it.  I am a pretty good turkey hunter and that is  good enough for me.  I am a really good duck hunter and pretty good at catching redfish.  But my turkey, duck and redfish taste just as good as yours and I enjoy the whole process.  You can call yourself some kind of zen master turkey hunter.  For me I am perfectly happy having fun and being one of the simple unwashed, occasional decoy using, sometimes don't call in the hot bird, sometimes set up wrong, sometimes don't fill all my tags in one state, regular joe turkey hunter. 

I am a lot more impressed by the guys I know that are humble, kill a very high ratio of birds/hunt and just enjoy the hunt.  They don't sell anything, don't promote themselves as some kind of expert, don't compare or rank themselves to others, don't look down on decoy users or blind users and just love the game.  I am not implying you nor anyone else is not like that, just saying that they have figured out the joy of the hunt, instead of comparing their success rates to others and that makes them successful. And that is who I admire.  That is the only goal I strive to attain.  I know two members of this site like that and I have never seen them belittle or brag.  That is admirable to me.

[Greg Massey]

Pretty much everything you just said is not why I hunt Va.  As long as you are not affecting me, have at it.  Unlike many, I will not judge you for what you do and how you do it.  I am a pretty good turkey hunter and that is  good enough for me.  I am a really good duck hunter and pretty good at catching redfish.  But my turkey, duck and redfish taste just as good as yours and I enjoy the whole process.  You can call yourself some kind of zen master turkey hunter.  For me I am perfectly happy having fun and being one of the simple unwashed, occasional decoy using, sometimes don't call in the hot bird, sometimes set up wrong, sometimes don't fill all my tags in one state, regular joe turkey hunter. 

I am a lot more impressed by the guys I know that are humble, kill a very high ratio of birds/hunt and just enjoy the hunt.  They don't sell anything, don't promote themselves as some kind of expert, don't compare or rank themselves to others, don't look down on decoy users or blind users and just love the game.  I am not implying you nor anyone else is not like that, just saying that they have figured out the joy of the hunt, instead of comparing their success rates to others and that makes them successful. And that is who I admire.  That is the only goal I strive to attain.  I know two members of this site like that and I have never seen them belittle or brag.  That is admirable to me.

Well said. That's what hunting is all about. I never want to be the best i just want to enjoy turkey hunting.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Different people hunt for different reasons and there is nothing wrong with that at all.  There is nothing wrong with confidence when it comes to hunting turkeys and it will absolutely make you a better turkey hunter if you have extreme confidence; but I understand some people may not want that confidence or desire to be a better turkey hunter or be willing to put in the time and work effort required, thats okay. 

But when people talk about how the turkey holds the cards or confidence will only take you so far; that just is not accurate. When you think like that you are seriously underestimating the role and importance of the particular hunter who is hunting the bird as it plays a huge role and makes a big difference.  No one is claiming any superiority and not anyone is going to kill a particular bird 100% of the time.  I may be able to call and kill birds others would not and others may call and kill birds that I would not, same with everyone.

But a few of us do hunt to call in and kill gobblers and strive to get better and are relentless in our pursuit. We may strive for perfection even though it is not attainable. We may not take "no" for an answer.  We may hunt with the attitude of how am I going to call in and kill that particular gobbler instead of wondering if we can call that gobbler.   Not if but how?  We may question our sanity and really cross the line at times.  We learn to minimize mistakes(everyone still makes them at times but you do have to learn from them) and show ultimate respect for our quarry.  We hunt the way we believe gobblers were intended to be hunted.  We learn a lot because we put so much time and effort into it.  We do gain a lot of confidence through our success and learn from our mistakes or failures. We hunt "old school" because we believe its the only way to hunt.  Purists?  Yea.    We encourage others to learn how to hunt turkeys old school as well. We know full well people will choose  for themselves how they want to hunt and that is alright.  We want to preserve turkey hunting and do have concerns over the direction this great sport is headed with regard to methods and fair chase.

[Farmboy27]

Pretty much everything you just said is not why I hunt Va.  As long as you are not affecting me, have at it.  Unlike many, I will not judge you for what you do and how you do it.  I am a pretty good turkey hunter and that is  good enough for me.  I am a really good duck hunter and pretty good at catching redfish.  But my turkey, duck and redfish taste just as good as yours and I enjoy the whole process.  You can call yourself some kind of zen master turkey hunter.  For me I am perfectly happy having fun and being one of the simple unwashed, occasional decoy using, sometimes don't call in the hot bird, sometimes set up wrong, sometimes don't fill all my tags in one state, regular joe turkey hunter. 

I am a lot more impressed by the guys I know that are humble, kill a very high ratio of birds/hunt and just enjoy the hunt.  They don't sell anything, don't promote themselves as some kind of expert, don't compare or rank themselves to others, don't look down on decoy users or blind users and just love the game.  I am not implying you nor anyone else is not like that, just saying that they have figured out the joy of the hunt, instead of comparing their success rates to others and that makes them successful. And that is who I admire.  That is the only goal I strive to attain.  I know two members of this site like that and I have never seen them belittle or brag.  That is admirable to me.

I agree. There is a big difference between being confident and in thinking that you are a ninja master, Jedi knight, holy monk of turkey hunting. Anytime I see someone posting about how they kill birds most of the time they hunt and how they use tactical strategy that they preplan, I just roll my eyes and laugh. Anyone who claims to consistently kill most of the time is either lying or hunting bird loaded private ground. Neither case impresses me in the least. And if they think all the strategy talk is going to impress me, come on dude!  We ain't playing chess or fighting a battle!  It's hunting. Sure, go out with a plan. But don't try to tell me that I'm not as good as you because I don't walk into a hunt like in going to battle. I have tons of confidence. I'm also in this game to have tons of fun!

[Planner]

Reminds me of something.  I have hunted a lake for 27 seasons.  Seen good years and bad years. I pretty much have a feel for where the birds are and how they will work. Not because I am so awesome, but I have been there long enough with my eyes open, I know what to do and when to do it.  Just experience.  A local newbie "guide" in the area knows me (he took over a pond I used to have permission to wood duck hunt on so he could "guide" there, told me I could no longer hunt it) and he sees me on the ramp and starts pumping me for information, quietly so his client can't hear him.  Asks me where I am gonna set up and where he should.  I look him square in the eyes and say "I am gonna set up where I saw birds when I was scouting yesterday, you can set up anywhere you dang well please".  I then cranked up and sped off in the darkness so he could not follow me.  Tool.

Could it have been that he was asking so he wouldn't set up his clients too close to you and ruin your hunt? When I've hunted public land I've asked guys this same question as a courtesy to not step on their toes.

[stinkpickle]

To be honest, I started reading these posts...but there was SOOOO much text, I didn't have the confidence to read it all.  I'm just here to say I want to kill turkeys. 

[GobbleNut]

Pretty much everything you just said is not why I hunt Va.  As long as you are not affecting me, have at it.  Unlike many, I will not judge you for what you do and how you do it.  I am a pretty good turkey hunter and that is  good enough for me.  I am a really good duck hunter and pretty good at catching redfish.  But my turkey, duck and redfish taste just as good as yours and I enjoy the whole process.  You can call yourself some kind of zen master turkey hunter.  For me I am perfectly happy having fun and being one of the simple unwashed, occasional decoy using, sometimes don't call in the hot bird, sometimes set up wrong, sometimes don't fill all my tags in one state, regular joe turkey hunter. 

I am a lot more impressed by the guys I know that are humble, kill a very high ratio of birds/hunt and just enjoy the hunt.  They don't sell anything, don't promote themselves as some kind of expert, don't compare or rank themselves to others, don't look down on decoy users or blind users and just love the game.  I am not implying you nor anyone else is not like that, just saying that they have figured out the joy of the hunt, instead of comparing their success rates to others and that makes them successful. And that is who I admire.  That is the only goal I strive to attain.  I know two members of this site like that and I have never seen them belittle or brag.  That is admirable to me.

I agree. There is a big difference between being confident and in thinking that you are a ninja master, Jedi knight, holy monk of turkey hunting. Anytime I see someone posting about how they kill birds most of the time they hunt and how they use tactical strategy that they preplan, I just roll my eyes and laugh. Anyone who claims to consistently kill most of the time is either lying or hunting bird loaded private ground. Neither case impresses me in the least. And if they think all the strategy talk is going to impress me, come on dude!  We ain't playing chess or fighting a battle!  It's hunting. Sure, go out with a plan. But don't try to tell me that I'm not as good as you because I don't walk into a hunt like in going to battle. I have tons of confidence. I'm also in this game to have tons of fun!

Well stated, gentlemen.  You both have summed things up very well.  As much as it pains us to have to do it, sometimes the egotists that frequent these sites have to know the truth about how some of us feel about their supposed exploits and attitudes.

[g8rvet]

Reminds me of something.  I have hunted a lake for 27 seasons.  Seen good years and bad years. I pretty much have a feel for where the birds are and how they will work. Not because I am so awesome, but I have been there long enough with my eyes open, I know what to do and when to do it.  Just experience.  A local newbie "guide" in the area knows me (he took over a pond I used to have permission to wood duck hunt on so he could "guide" there, told me I could no longer hunt it) and he sees me on the ramp and starts pumping me for information, quietly so his client can't hear him.  Asks me where I am gonna set up and where he should.  I look him square in the eyes and say "I am gonna set up where I saw birds when I was scouting yesterday, you can set up anywhere you dang well please".  I then cranked up and sped off in the darkness so he could not follow me.  Tool.

Could it have been that he was asking so he wouldn't set up his clients too close to you and ruin your hunt? When I've hunted public land I've asked guys this same question as a courtesy to not step on their toes.

Good question, but no, in this case, it was not that.  It is a big lake with lots of places to go and easy to see where others are set up if you are targeting Canvasbacks.  Plus, I knew this guy well and knew what he was after. 

[Happy]

There is confidence and then there is arrogance. They are two totally different things. Confidence is having faith in your abilities. Arrogance is thinking your better than almost everyone else. I believe confidence is critical to turkey hunting however arrogance does not. It should be hunter vs turkey not hunter vs hunter. I know I am not the best out there and I don't care. The only person I am out to beat is myself. I do think a lot of hunters don't get how important confidence and good old fashioned stubbornness are. I know at times these birds have put a whoopin on me and had me questioning whether every bird I have ever killed has been luck or skill. To be honest I have benafited  from both. Spend enough time hunting hard and luck will smile down once on a while.

[Greg Massey]

Arrogance and confidence go hand and hand ones on the left and ones on right... you are so right ...Happy..hunt the way you want and you will be successful ...

[g8rvet]

The only person I am out to beat is myself. I do think a lot of hunters don't get how important confidence and good old fashioned stubbornness are. I know at times these birds have put a whoopin on me and had me questioning whether every bird I have ever killed has been luck or skill. To be honest I have benafited  from both. Spend enough time hunting hard and luck will smile down once on a while.

Amen my brother.  Stubbornness is my single greatest asset as a turkey and duck hunter.  Worst asset as a husband (or so I am told).  Some folks are more able to stick and keep figuring the bird out - some flatter themselves and call that confidence.  Okay, if that works for you.  Others realize they are probably not the best turkey hunter ever created and also realize that their best bet of killing a turkey is being where turkeys live.  I kill more than my brother.  Not because I am smarter or better or have a better personality, but because he is done at 9am.  But we are both happy with that.  If he can't kill one off the roost, he wants to do something else.  I am more stubborn than that.