Do you remember your First Gobbler?

[guesswho]

Yep, still remember.   He gets bigger and more difficult with each passing year.  First turkey was 1965, first gobbler was 1967, and first gobbler by myself was 1969.   Been on a pretty good run ever since     We didn't know a whole lot about turkey hunting.  But we were pretty persistent trying to fit different parts of the puzzle together until it started making a little bit of sense.   

[Prospector]

April 1st. Afternoon hunt. Was snow on the ground in East Central MS that morning. 1986 I do believe. Had trekked in some woods I had permission in. Tired, flopped down on a ridge just under the top. Methodically worked thru every call I was carrying. Laid back, may have caught a z, heard walking in the leaves coming over the top. Covered it with a Zephyr Woodlander I still have- double. Red head and neck appeared right on the ivory bead- BOOM! Raced the #4s to his neck n head- luckily the shot beat me there by a hair! Spurs were slightly over 1.5inches, shot most of his beard off but what was left almost made 9"... I remember his colors were not vibrant, almost faded. May have been a real old one and he had to have been crazy to come to my callin but I Thank GOD for him everytime I think about it....

[Chad Gus715]

It was the spring of 1999, my first year ever turkey hunting. I knew nothing about turkey hunting, so i started reading everything i could on it, bought videos, listened to cassette tapes to learn the various vocalizations. I studied more on turkey hunting than i ever did in school. I tried and failed til the last afternoon, i had all but giving up when my dad asked me to take him to my uncle's place to look at his new foal. Pulled into his driveway and 5 toms and jakes crossed the road about 100 yards down the road and into his neighbor's  woods. I asked who's woods that was and he told go after them, so i took off on a dead sprint into the woods. Made it 100 or so yards, flopped my backside up against a big oak tree and called once. They gobbled once and ran right into me, i shot the first one i could. Took all of a minute, time was 4:50, season ended at 5 back then. A hunt i will never forget. The next year i killed my tom 10 minutes into opening morning.

[Tom007]

Amazing how that first one never leaves your mind! Keep em coming......fantastic.

[TauntoHawk]

Absolutely 2005, I accidentally sat down in gun range from 3 lone gobblers and still managed to botch it when they came down I got nervous about the range, and how close they were together and froze. Once they left for hens and stepping it off they were an easy 10yds inside range but I hung with them all morning and slow played mostly because I didn't have confidence in my calling. About 10am one broke for soft calling, just the tips of his fan glistening until his white head shot up searching the cover for a new hen. I vividly remember standing over him looking at the colors in his feathers, his head, the sheer size of the bird and thinking... There's something else to this than other hunting I had done.

The next year I ment my guy who turned into my turkey hunting mentor and shot 2 birds in NY state with and getting a full indoctrination in turkey hunting.

I'm still young enough to remember most all my hunts but wish I had written those early days down.

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[Zobo]

He caught me off guard, no gobble. I just remember my heart was absolutely pounding uncontrollably. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and that my box calling actually worked!

[WV Flopper]

Yup

[Turkeybutt]

I tried and I tried, but I just can't remember. I guess I'm getting old!
Thought about it now for a few hours and I still can't remember the girl I first had
relations with.
I can't remember her name , but I do remember my first turkey and the events that took place in getting him.
It was a jake.
Great stories guys. Thanks for sharing and bringing back some fond memories.

[eggshell]

Mine was 50 years ago, I shot him out of a group of 6 jakes. Like guesswho said I think he's up to about 30 lbs now and huge beard with fabulous hooks. In reality it might of been a 13 lb jake, but after 50 years surely he gets bonus points. I can take you right to the exact spot he fell and tell you the whole story still.

[Spring Creek Calls]

Like it was yesterday. Early 80's north central lower peninsula of Michigan, lone gobbler crossed a two track right in front of my Jeep at sundown. After a restless night I was waiting for the light very near that crossing the next morning. He gobbled, I  yelped on a diaphragm and he flew down and walked right to me. The Model 12 with 2-3/4" #4's put him down at maybe 30 yards. Oh what a rush and celebration! Each kill still feels pretty much the same to this day.

[Parrot Head]

Yes I do.   Several years later I started keeping a photo album.   WIsh I would of  done it when I was younger.   Now I always take 3 pictures of bird.  One of whole bird, one of beard one of both spurs together.   Put in picture album with date and location, weight and lengths

[GobbleNut]

Although I killed my first spring gobbler in 1969, it was a "drive by" shooting and I really don't consider it to be my first "legitimate" kill.  However, I do remember it quite well.  After all these years, it is a bit embarrassing to admit that my first spring gobbler, although legal, was taken in such an undignified manner.  At that time, we just hadn't learned that spring gobbler hunting is as much about the method as it is the kill. 

The one I really remember, and actually consider to be my "first", was in 1975.  Several miles back in the Gila Wilderness of southern New Mexico, I called in my first "legit" gobbler.  Remember it like it was yesterday.  That one lit the fire that will go with me to my last breath.  (An interesting side note is that one of those two high school classmates that was there on that 1969 hunt is still one of my hunting partners fifty-three years later) 

[Yoder409]

  He gets bigger and more difficult with each passing year. 

Turkey hunters and fisherman share some commonalities.   

[Paulmyr]

Although I killed my first spring gobbler in 1969, it was a "drive by" shooting and I really don't consider it to be my first "legitimate" kill.  However, I do remember it quite well.  After all these years, it is a bit embarrassing to admit that my first spring gobbler, although legal, was taken in such an undignified manner.  At that time, we just hadn't learned that spring gobbler hunting is as much about the method as it is the kill. 

The one I really remember, and actually consider to be my "first", was in 1975.  Several miles back in the Gila Wilderness of southern New Mexico, I called in my first "legit" gobbler.  Remember it like it was yesterday.  That one lit the fire that will go with me to my last breath.  (An interesting side note is that one of those two high school classmates that was there on that 1969 hunt is still one of my hunting partners fifty-three years later)

Gobblenut rolled up on him hood style with his homies, guns a blazing!

I remember mine. I was sneaking along a reservoir skirting private land. Came up on 2 longbeards gobbling mid mourning about 200yds apart. Made it to a good tree set up. One bird was in front of me to my right about 100yds, the other in front to my left about 200yds. They were both gobbling pretty good. A couple barely audible yelps(even to me) on a pot call had the one to the left come running in. I heard him scrunching leaves before I saw him. I was totally unprepared with my gun laying across my legs. When I heard the leaves I tried to get my gun up but it was to late. He came in so fast he was at about 8yds when he spotted my movement, turned to leave just as fast. I put the bead out in front of his head and  rolled him at 10yds. Well not exactly! I looked the bird over, all I could find was one BB hole behind the ear.

I showed up back to camp with the 1st gobbler my friends and I had ever seen shot. It proved to us it could be done. Back slaps and attaboys abound.

[Copperback]

A Jake I yelped up in the Fall, not long after flydown, when I was 9yrs old. I remember the Thanksgiving supper at camp the very next day just as well. That 14lb Jake fried golden brown in a metal trashcan over a bed of Live Oak Coals. Fried okra, rice and swamp cabbage smothered in tomato gravey, corn pone, and sour orange pie.