Lurkers

[Yoder409]

So I spent the weekend at the Unicoi Call Makers' Show.

It was a last-minute decision.  And in a last-minute move, I had a good friend screen print me a handful of Yoder 409 Holster t-shirts.

Over the course of 3 days, I'll bet I met 25-30 OG Forums members.  The vast majority of which went something like this:

(Guy walks past or up)

Him: Hey !!  Are you Yoder409 on Old Gobbler

Me:  Guilty !!!  Who are you

Him:  Oh........ I don't post.  I just look.  But my screen name is XXXXXX 

I talked at length to one member in particular.  And we ended up having dinner and great conversation.  In the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he posted very little because he'd only ever killed a few birds and didn't feel he had enough experience or authority to speak up on the forums.  I kinda filled this young gentleman in to the fact that not all the guys the he sees posting are 100+ bird guys.........or even 10+ bird guys.  Sure.  There are some real gobbler hammers on these forums.  Guys that are among some of the elite and most experienced.  But those guys aren't the majority............or even the average.

Of ALL places.............. !!!!   If you're a lurker..........a mouse in the corner.........START POSTING !!!!!!!   If you've got something to ask............there's a whole raft of members ready to offer good advice.  If you've killed ONE BIRD or even patterned one shotgun......you may have advice or a point of view that could help someone else.  I can't really remember EVER seeing someone tell another member they asked a dumb question.  Just guys ready to help out.  Get involved !!!   Jump in the game, here !!!  These forums are every bit as much YOURS as anyone else's.

[Vintage]

Well Said.

[Greg Massey]

This is a great post, we have so much knowledge and experience on this forum with hunting these gobblers and i just feel people don't use the forum to its full potential. I encourage people to ask questions young and old, we can all learn from each other regardless of the number of gobblers we have killed.

[deathfoot]

Great post!!

[Wigsplitter]

I did the same thing for awhile when I joined way back - I learned from people asking questions that I wanted to ask myself - I still watch answers to questions and throw out some thoughts or experiences I have encountered- but I second the op- post up if you have questions or need advice - we all learn kinda what works and what doesn't- and it can save you a ton of shooting/ wasting shells looking for choke/ load combos - that's a lifesaver section or has been for me!! Good luck and stay safe !!

[RMP]

That's me.  I joined quite awhile before I jumped in, for the very reasons Yoder cited.  In fact, it was Yoder that got me posting here. 

[Yoder409]

That's me.  I joined quite awhile before I jumped in, for the very reasons Yoder cited.  In fact, it was Yoder that got me posting here.

Glad you're finally outta the shadows and off and running !!!   

[3bailey3]

Great post Yoder and you guys dive in head first..

[idratherb]

 

[2eagles]

I've been around here quite a while and occasionally post something that I hope is helpful. I do just fine filling my turkey tags most years, but don't feel like I really know the birds very well.
This year I killed more Canada geese than I have turkeys in my whole life and the geese often times make me look stupid. Turkeys make me look stupid-er. But I'll keep on trying to learn. Thanks to the guys willing to share their wisdom and experience.

[tal]

 I had dinner with him and thought it was me. Although how he could tell I couldn't kill a turkey I'll never know.... 

[captpete]

This forum is filled with great people willing to share their experience/knowledge....all WITHOUT judgement. You just have to ask/participate. It doesn't matter how long you have been killing turkeys, post up. You never know what info might help somebody else. It might be something that even the 100+ bird killers never thought of! This is one the best forums on the net. The only other forum I have found with members this willing to share knowledge/experience is Crossbow Nation.

[the Ward]

Well to be fair, i have seen many a new guy run off by self appointed "gatekeepers" over the years.
A new guy joins and asks a question about decoys, or blinds, or some subject that has been asked
many times, and they get jumped on. Then the new member leaves and never returns. Spring is coming,
and with it will be an uptick in new members and forum activity. Just something to think about before
typing a sarcastic reply to a new guy who might ask a question you have heard asked a thousand times.
There used to be a couple of great waterfowl forums that are mostly dead now because of a handful of members there killed them by constantly ganging up on anything they deemed unworthy. Just don't want to see that happening to O.G. Not that it has been much of an issue here, but something all of us should be aware of and try to avoid when we are posting. Always hard being a new guy! Good post by the way
Yoder409!

[GobbleNut]

Totally agree with all the sentiments expressed above.  Simply put, if you have a passion for turkey hunting, this is THE place to be to share that passion. 

I will add an additional comment, as well.  Participating on this site gives all of us opportunities to "meet" new friends from all over the country and share knowledge, experiences, and information that, for me at least, has expanded my turkey hunting horizons exponentially over the years I have been here.  What began as casual, online friendships because I decided to "jump in head first" rather than "lurk" have resulted in many face-to-face meetings on hunts in places I would never have experienced otherwise, and with folks whose friendships I now cherish.  In addition, I have more invitations to hunt in places all over the country than I have time left to pursue them (unfortunately).

I have no doubt that there are many others here that have had similar experiences through their online journey over the years on Old Gobbler!  As others have said, jump in! The water's fine,...and the current may lead you to people and places you would likely never get to otherwise!   

[Greg Massey]

Totally agree with all the sentiments expressed above.  Simply put, if you have a passion for turkey hunting, this is THE place to be to share that passion. 

I will add an additional comment, as well.  Participating on this site gives all of us opportunities to "meet" new friends from all over the country and share knowledge, experiences, and information that, for me at least, has expanded my turkey hunting horizons exponentially over the years I have been here.  What began as casual, online friendships because I decided to "jump in head first" rather than "lurk" have resulted in many face-to-face meetings on hunts in places I would never have experienced otherwise, and with folks whose friendships I now cherish.  In addition, I have more invitations to hunt in places all over the country than I have time left to pursue them (unfortunately).

I have no doubt that there are many others here that have had similar experiences through their online journey over the years on Old Gobbler!  As others have said, jump in! The water's fine,...and the current may lead you to people and places you would likely never get to otherwise!   

AMEN.. Great Post...