What drew you to Turkey Hunting?

[guesswho]

Both my parents were hard core turkey hunters.  At an early age (5) I had a choice.  Go turkey hunting with Mom and Dad or become an orphan.   I made the right choice. 

[Greg Massey]

Both my parents were hard core turkey hunters.  At an early age (5) I had a choice.  Go turkey hunting with Mom and Dad or become an orphan.   I made the right choice.

This is just an awesome post ...  LOL... LOL...

[Zobo]

I was a young sous chef working at a French restaurant in Manhattan, NYC. I was into waterfowling at the time and had a strong interest in wild game cooking. A Greek waiter told me he was going hunting for turkeys and the next day came into the restaurant with a gobbler he'd shot. We braised that bird in wine and stock with carrots and wild mushrooms and served it to the staff. At that moment I remember thinking I'm gonna start hunting these birds.

[reflexl]

They turned turkeys loose in several locations in Lincoln Co. in the late 70s. I tried hinting them and never saw or heard one and basically had no idea what I was doing. In the 80s a guy came to work with us that was part owner in a gun shop. During this time the population was growing. The little gun shop started sponsoring hunting seminars and bringing in "experts." I think it was 1987 Jacky came to work all excited and told me a guy with new camo was coming to do a seminar. It was Toxey Haas before he was a household word. He brought a bunch of Mossy Oak tee shirts and his dad was with him helping them sell them after he talked. I still have the shirt but have badly outgrown it. A few weeks later Jacky came in just as excited and told me they were having another seminar. This one was a turkey call maker. He was an unknown at the time but he did OK. His name is Eddie Salter. I learned more about turkeys in that one nigh than in the 10 previous years. He became a regular visitor to the shop. A little wile later Jacky came in equally excited and told me that Jerry Peterson was coming to do a seminar. Of course I had no idea who he was either. He put on a great seminar. With all of this new found knowledge, camo and calls I was ready for turkeys. Of course it still didn't make me into the turkey hunter I imagined my sell to be. It took several years and a lot of messing up before I got the hang of it. After I finally broke the ice I got decent at it. I used to really enjoy our little small town seminars. When they finally sold the store in the 90s the seminars ended.  It did something to me because I still get out and chase birds.

[crow]

I got into it to meet wimmen

[GobbleNut]

I got into it to meet wimmen

How did THAT work out for you?!   

[runngun]

Crow is still hunting, ain't he. Must be what keeps him going!!!!

Have a good one, Bo

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[Tail Feathers]

My hunting lease decided to start allowing turkey hunting several years after stocking birds.  I had seen a few but didn't know anything about hunting them, nor did I know anyone who turkey hunted.  I watched some Outdoor Channel shows, bought a tape and a couple of calls and went at it.  I had great success early on with these birds having never been hunted. 

[nativeks]

The old fellow we used to quail hunt on said if we wanted to keep quail hunting we had to start turkey hunting. This was 1996. Dad and I did alot of bumbling around. I even called in a rooster pheasant in SE Kansas! Eventually my uncle said he would take me. Took a few hunts, but he finally called one in. I was shooting a Browning BPS with a fixed modified choke. I missed the first shot. I had only ever seen "big game hunting" on TV (and they always have to track after the shot) so after the first shot I asked my uncle "shoot again"? I shot again and got my first bird but he gives me crap about that still all these years later.

[Happy]

I was just how I was made. I came from a WV family of deer hunters. Turkeys were just a target of opportunity. For some reason, I was obsessed with hunting them since I was a child and heard one gobble. I started reading everything I could and figuring out what not to do on my own. After 20 years at it, I can now dependably kill a turkey every third year.

[Sir-diealot]

Picked up some hunting videos at Dick's when they were not stupid yet, grabbed a Primos Truth turkey hunting video, went home and watched the video and was very intrigued. Went out bought some Quaker Boy stuff (I like to support businesses from my home state when I can) and a Mad Super Crystal. My friends told me I was nuts going out to hunt turkey but I had to give it a go and am glad I did.

[Archivist13]

In the mid 80's my parents bought a vhs camcorder and my uncle learned how to turkey call. One day we decided to go in the woods and see if we could film him calling in a turkey. We did and I was hooked from there on out. Only did it with a camera a couple times back then and never brought a camera since, but I still love going back and watching those old tapes.

[dzsmith]

I grew up turkey hunting. No tv shows, no magazines, no pressure , and no other hunters.

[Will]

What drew me to turkey hunting was their elusiveness. When I started hunting you didn't see many let alone hear them. That was the start of the thrill to hunt them.

[TurkeyReaper69]

I watched my favorite traveling public land group from Iowa on YouTube back when I was cooped up in the house during covid and now I do DIY Public Land OTC turkey hunts in 15-20 states a year on public land. I start in Hawaii and hit up all the traveling turkey meccas (NE Bama, Middle TN, Nebraska, PNW,) Then in June I finish up in Maine with all the boys.