3rd year...

[hwy419]

 

I started hunting turkey three years ago. I had no hunting experience prior to that. I have always loved being in the woods and the wildlife that lives there. I just needed some excitement and thought this would be the way to get it. I had no idea what I was getting into. I've had no one to learn from, and many times been so discouraged with it I considered quitting. My only access to hunting land is public land.

My first year, I hunted about 20 days, and didn't hear one gobble until about 5 days from the end of the season. I get the bird interested (he's answering every time a lay it to him) just long enough for him to cross paths with the end of another hunter's shotgun barrel. I was heartbroken, but looking back on it, I could probably count that as an assist. I never did go down into the holler to meet the guys that got him, b/c I didn't want to intrude. No longbeard my first year.

My second year was a blast. Bird after bird (must have been around 25 of them in about 30 days hunting that year) I learned mostly that gobblers don't like to be the one to make the FINAL move, and no matter how misleading the youtube videos are, they really do want to see the hen before they make a commitment. One particular hunt stands out in my mind:
Late in the season, and in the late morning a loner longbeard was hollerin' like crazy from the ridge across the valley deep into terrain that is just too much for a lot of folks. I wasn't really even up for it, but it was late in the season so I did. I must have bellied crawled 100 yards to this Tom, as he stood in the same spot the whole time. He must have gobbled 100 times there. So I get about as close as I thought was reasonable and slowly found a good seat next to a tree. So I sit there waiting. For 45 minutes while this mental case gobbled his head off from the same spot. Not moving within sight of me even once. Towards the end, he quits gobbling, and I patiently wait some more. Another 20 minutes goes by with no gobbling. I stand up slowly and this sucker pops up out of the bushes within 20 yards and catches me totally off guard. No longbeard my second year.

So I figure my third year is the charm. I'm getting on at least one Tom every day by now, and while I still don't have a kill I keep hope I just haven't found the right one yet. At this point hens are flying off the roost right over my head, and there is so much turkey action in the woods. This is getting fun.

One late morning this third year, almost ready to go back home for the day, I get on a rather quiet gobbler. He's hollerin' good, but not as much as I am used to. He never does come in to be my first. Day 2 I figure I'll go back to the same area. Same deal. He's there but not willing to show himself. Day 3 is a Saturday, and I've planned all week to take my fiance with me. We go to the same place, and he's there again, teasing us just as he's done to me for the past two days. We did have some other guys walk in on us while trying to convince him he wanted to die, but they spotted us when I waived and respectfully backed out. 45 minutes later the gobbler still wasn't convinced, and left quickly with a hen I that had been working her way towards us.

Day 4. I'm thinking let's try this one more time. The fiance is having a hard time getting up and decides not to go with me. So I get down into the hardwood bottom real early that morning, with just a tiny bit of light to see. I can hear him on the roost about 500 yards away and I figure he'll be coming this way soon. I spout off a little bit, but he never does gobble right back at me. I am literally so tired of this Tom by now, I fall asleep against the tree.

About an hour and a half later, I'm dreaming. It just seemed so real. I had fallen asleep at the tree I was at, and woke up two counties away with a good friend of mine. In the craziness of my dream, I'm trying to figure out how my friend even knew where I had gone that morning. He avoided my questions. Towards the end of the dream, I heard a gobble in the distance, and I was telling him that I couldn't kill a turkey for reasons like waking up two counties away from where I fell asleep in the turkey woods. I was so frustrated, and that is when I realized I was dreaming.

I wake up and think, "I wonder if that was a real gobble I heard in my dream?!" So I resettle against the tree slowly, put the gun on my knee, and scratch a quiet yelp on the slate I've rested on my belly. HE HAMMERS back at me, just over the other side of the hill not 30 yards from me. MY HEART STARTS POUNDING LIKE IT'S NEVER DONE BEFORE, AND I STRANGELY DEVELOP A SUDDEN CASE OF ASTHMA AND THE NERVOUS SHAKES are making my H&R sound like a rattle snake. LOL.

Within seconds I'm staring at a gobbler in full strut within 30 yards. He's staring right back at me as the end of my gun barrell moves up and down from the uncontrollable breathing. This is when I realize I've made the biggest mistake of the season. My gun is in my left shoulder (i never shoot left shouldered), and I'm up off the gun enjoying the show. I hesitated to move and put my eye down the rail of the H&R, b/c this thing is staring right me. 3 seconds later he decides that he doesn't like this situation and splits quickly. I think I could've gotten him, but with the few seconds I had, it would have been a blind shot. That just didn't seem right to me.

Sorry for the let down folks. I know y'all probably have a lot of time invested in this story, but it ends sadly. No turkey for me the third year.

Since day 1 I have learned more than I ever thought I could ever learn about an animal. I conclude with the previous statement because I now realize that this is why I turkey hunt. I love to learn new things, and am convinced the turkeys are going to be teaching me a lot of new things for the rest of my life. I LOVE TURKEYS.

[hobbes]

Congrats!  Sounds like your well on your way.

[guesswho]

Three years of no bird.  Look at it this way.  Your three years closer to getting your first bird.  Your having some close encounters, so I'm thinking next year it will allcome together.  Stay after them and good luck.

[redarrow]

Three years of no bird.  Look at it this way.  Your three years closer to getting your first bird.  Your having some close encounters, so I'm thinking next year it will allcome together.  Stay after them and good luck.

...and 

[barry]

Doesn't have to end in a kill to be a good read and this was a good read.
Next year things should fall into place.

[drenalinld]

No apology needed.  I killed my first bird in my 5th season. Good stories.

[Kywoodsman]

     I had much the same experience my first 3 years turkey hunting. I didn't fill a tag and I constantly got my butt handed to me by an animal with a peanut sized brain. I couldn't buy a bird no matter what. My first year I learned that just because you might see an occasional hen once every blue moon on a property does not mean there are toms just strutting around waiting to answer your calls. I hunted this property all season and didn't hear a single gobble nor see a single bird. My second year I got permission to hunt a property that I knew for sure was covered up in turkeys. That year I learned where and how you set up has probably five times as much to do with killing a bird than any amount of calling you could ever do. I saw so many turkey that year, but because off not thinking how and where the birds were coming from I cost myself multiple chances on birds that year. My third year I learned the importance of not relying on one spot to hunt and that if you have multiple places to go to strike up a bird you will be better off. I hunted my one spot I had the first day of season, struck up a nice gobbler and had him strut down through the field toward me only to be distracted and drug off by a hen that popped out of the woods on the other end of the field right before he strutted into range. The next day it started to rain and didn't stop for four days and the river bottom that I hunted flooded under about 20 foot of water making it unable to be hunted for pretty well the rest of the season.
     But this season was different. This season I had several properties scouted out and a new found respect for that bird with the peanut sized brain I had been hunting. I had a great season and filled both my tags in just a week and a half with good sized birds. Basically hwy419, my best advice to you is try to learn as much as you can each season. The lessons learned while turkey hunting are much more important than any bird you will ever take. The one thing I have learned about turkey hunting so far is it is a never ending learning experience that you will never fully graduate from. I'm willing to bet almost anything this time next year we will all be looking at pictures of a big ole' tom you will have taken.    Just keep on hunting hard. I also was reading in a book the other day that it took Mark Drury of the Drury Brother Outdoors four years to take his first turkey. But most importantly of all... 

[Jay]

It's definitely a learning experience. It seems like every year I learn something new. There's definitely a learning curve involved. Enjoyed the read, and good luck next year.

[strutnva]

I had to teach myself also and it took me a while.  Hang in there and I promise it will all make sense down the road.  Sounds to me that you are well on your way to figuring that out.  Very good read.

[Divenut2]

Don't sweat it. It'll all come together eventually. I am also new to Turkey hunting and was blessed to take one my first time out. But having hunted deer for over 30 years, I know what it's like to "get skunked". That said, some of my most memorable, and enjoyable, hunts did not result in a kill. For me the excitement of the stalking, calling, close encounters and unexpected sights etc. make every hunt a good one.  As my Grandfather often said, "That's why it's called hunting and not killing".  Look forward to reading about you successful hunts next season.   

[kdog]

HWY,,,Great read and your well on your way to success just keep at it.I admire your commitment and perserverance,,its going to be that much sweeter when everything comes together and you pull the trigger on your first gobbler.Nothing but luck to you in the future!

Sincerely,
Kdog

[mnturkey]

Great Read.
I forget how many years it tookk me to get my first bird about 5 or 6.  I learned something every year and keep learning.  Turkey Hunting is addictive and you will get your first bird.
The moment my gun quits shaking and I quit getting a thrill out of turkey Hunting I quit.

One suggestion, shoot your gun lefthanded a few times to get familar with it.
I am normaly a right handed shooter but shot my bird this spring lefthanded, thats what the Turkey gave me and I took it.  I shoot a few rounds lefthanded every year just to practice and it has paid off in other years also.

Good Luck and keep at them.

[turkey slayer]

Hang with em, sounds like your just a lucky break away from your 1st bird. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Great read, but I was frustrated for you after reading it.

In all reality, if you're on gobbling birds with regularity, you should be killing with regularity.

I learned a long time ago from valuable life mentors that failure is valuable in the sense that it provides an opportunity to learn from the failed endeavor.  Learning only takes place when one recognizes their mistakes and successfully implements strategy to correct them the next time.

If you're hunting more than a couple days per season and you're on gobbling birds, you're failing to recognize your mistakes.

I suggest scouring this site, especially the tactics section to learn how to effectively hunt turkeys off the roost, and throughout the rest of legal hunting hours.  I also suggest getting a copy of Hunting Pressured Turkeys or Spring FEVER.

Best of luck.

[hwy419]

Thank you to all for your kind and encouraging replies. I am glad y'all enjoyed the read. I am certainly looking forward to next year's season and hope to have an update on this topic that ends with a with a dead gobbler.

One suggestion, shoot your gun lefthanded a few times to get familar with it.
I am normaly a right handed shooter but shot my bird this spring lefthanded, thats what the Turkey gave me and I took it.  I shoot a few rounds lefthanded every year just to practice and it has paid off in other years also.

You can bet I'll be following this suggestion. It's interesting how you say "that's what the turkey gave me." After "the left shoulder" incident, I started more carefully setting up on trees so that it was comfortable to have the gun in my right shoulder, and so that I could aim in the general direction the gobbles were coming from. I always worried the gobbler would sneak in from an angle that made it akward to to get the rail and bead on him quickly. I'll also be practicing a switch from right to left in case my lucky bird shows up next year.

Y'all take care!