Plenty Of Utube Traveling Public Turkey Groups Now.

[Stoeger_bird]

Adapting in my part of the country is shortening of seasons, lower bag limits and more LIMITED opportunity hunts. While I'm adapting you have a bunch of jackasses with strutter decoys on a helmet and other youtubers/social media people fighting each other to he on the next great podcast just to try and make some money of a natural resource. Seems fair right but I guess we all to shut up and keep adapting. Covid took to many of the wrong people.

[quavers59]

  Thanks For that story Eggshell!! Glad you stood your ground back in your 20s!
   I read a few replys here that the Youtubers will be ( in and out).  Ok-- I guarantee  1 or 2 Gobblers is going " with the Crew".  Possibly that Gobbler or 2 would have been shot by you instead.
   

[guesswho]

And your point being?    Somebody other than a local legend killed a couple gobblers on public ground?   Local legend still shouldn't have any problem filling his tags.   

[Glades]

This is, in my opinion, why these shows are so popular:

1) It's public land hunting. The majority of people don't have access to private land, where you get to sit in a pop-up blind, with a bunch of decoys, and the turkeys just come to you. It reflects the reality and struggle that it takes to get a pressured bird. The old VHS hunting videos were all filmed in private, and was not relatable for the majority of hunters. Those hunts were easy, and boring.

2) It shows success and failure. Some of the best Hunting Public videos have no kills at all, and that's fine. Those videos are still great. Old hunting videos were all about the kill.

3) Its about the hunt and not the gear. Despite the fact that many of these channels are now sponsored, they are not constantly trying to shove product down your throat. That's what the old Primos videos did. It's just a group of young guys, with mismatched camo and an old 870, using their ability and wits to kill a bird. No blinds, no decoys, no gadgets.

4) They are very good. Despite their videos being all about the journey, and the characters, they still are very good at what they do. And because they are good, paying attention to what they do and the decisions they make on the spot will give you something to learn.

[Greg Massey]

What really changed the course of turkey hunting with utube videoing is Cell phones and ONX Hunt maps app for phones.. as we have made it easier to hunt these public areas from days of old, before all of this people didn't have a clue of what land was available in a lot of states for hunting unless you were a local hunter of that state .. now i'm not again cell phones at all, it's just how technology has changed the game of hunting especially public land and utube/people >> It's easy for us all to want to blame others , but really we all have played a part in this blame game of gaining public access/availability ... IMO having these map app's on your phone and using them to out maneuver a gobbler, on a section of woods/public give you advantage just like a person who's in a blind using decoys ... IMO ...

[deathfoot]

What really changed the course of turkey hunting with utube videoing is Cell phones and ONX Hunt maps app for phones.. as we have made it easier to hunt these public areas from days of old, before all of this people didn't have a clue of what land was available in a lot of states for hunting unless you were a local hunter of that state .. now i'm not again cell phones at all, it's just how technology has changed the game of hunting especially public land and utube/people >> It's easy for us all to want to blame others , but really we all have played a part in this blame game of gaining public access/availability ... IMO having these map app's on your phone and using them to out maneuver a gobbler, on a section of woods/public give you advantage just like a person who's in a blind using decoys ... IMO ...

This ^^^!!

So true. I love the technology also. It beats the big maps we used to carry that had about half the roads marked. Haha. But I kinda miss those days in some ways. But it sure is easier now.

It has made it much easier to find public access like you said. It's clearly marked on the hunt apps. But I like that now I can see exactly what is public and private while hunting. Because some of those old big maps I mentioned earlier wasn't very reliable.

Maybe the NWTF can take those millions and buy more and more public? 

[Zobo]

Technology really has no place in the woods. That's why we rub wood together and suck through wing bones to lure in our prey. Hunting is purposely antiquated in order to uphold fair chase ethics and keep "ecosystems" in balance. If it requires a battery, you're probably better off leaving it at home. It's ok if you fail. It's supposed to be hard.

[Paulmyr]

What really changed the course of turkey hunting with utube videoing is Cell phones and ONX Hunt maps app for phones.. as we have made it easier to hunt these public areas from days of old, before all of this people didn't have a clue of what land was available in a lot of states for hunting unless you were a local hunter of that state .. now i'm not again cell phones at all, it's just how technology has changed the game of hunting especially public land and utube/people >> It's easy for us all to want to blame others , but really we all have played a part in this blame game of gaining public access/availability ... IMO having these map app's on your phone and using them to out maneuver a gobbler, on a section of woods/public give you advantage just like a person who's in a blind using decoys ... IMO ...

I'd like to preface this based off of my turkey hunting experience in public forested upland to slightly mountainous forest regions.

I can have all technology in the world at my finger tips and it still won't make him gobble yet alone bring him closer. Does tech help new turkey hunters? Possibly, mostly in the scope finding areas to hunt. The where can be answered with tech. The what, when, and why not so much.

Is the mapping software responsible for the influx of new hunters and overcrowding? It's possible but I would think it might have the opposite affect by spreading them out into the lesser known areas.

Are we saying these new hunters wouldn't hunt turkeys if it were not for mapping software or is it they started turkey hunting because it's great and Onx helps make it a little easier?

Do the mapping apps give lesser woodsman the confidence to go into more remote locations? Sure do, possibly causing the over crowding complaints because guys just ain't used to seeing folk way back in here!

One thing I think gets over looked when people start bashing these apps is they can also be used to spread pressure out. Back in the day 5 newby hunters would start there day out in close proximity to each other. Not because they wanted to but because that's where the gate was. Pre Onx most of these newbys stumbled around the same area chasing after the same gobblers because well that's where they knew to go hunt them. Nowadays with the same scenario all it takes is the a quick look at his phone and the newb is of to harass a new area.  Chances are with the new orienteering confidence the newbs will be spread out more to begin with and not all hovering around the gate or access road come 1st light. Sucks that access my outta the way spots are readily available at the click of a button but that works 2 ways as more of your outta the way spots are readily available to me.

I can see where hunters that just hunt local don't like the app, but that's not me. I've been traveling for gobblers since my inception to wild turkey hunting some 30 yrs ago so I can't speak from that end.


I've got a stack of old state specific sportsman's atlases the I've been gathering since the mid to late 80's. They're collecting dust around here somewhere. Got a couple old USGS topos from Ga and Co from around the same time period  too. Lost my second gps in 30 yrs just 2 years ago. No matter it was just playing back up to the phone anyways.


Unless you been hunting turkeys for longer than 60 years or so. The topo maps and public land info were easily  available with a couple phone calls.

Topos in Onx are a joke when looking for anything other than major land features. There's so many nooks and crannies that can't be seen in a scale viewable on your phone and the satellite imagery is atleast 3 years old in most cases. Onx may tell me he's on the other ridge point but how I'm going to get there in rugged terrain is a crapshoot when it comes to obstacles. What looks like the best route in Onx often proves to be less than optimal. In my experience anyways.

Satellite imagery was readily available in about the late 90's and Google Earth and yes I had a handheld gps along with my compass 30 some years ago. None of these tools are new to say the least apps just bring it all together. If you hunted turkeys during a time period when topo and public land maps were not available my hats off to you, you'd be pushing 90 years old or pushing daisies and 90 years is no small feat.

Do the new guys find it easier to find gobblers now days? Most likely. Do they find easier to kill turkeys? Not hardly. At least not the ones that don't use decoys. I would say turkeys are safe from most hunters in the recent onslaught seen on public grounds. My secret spots not so much. What all the old/new tech has in common , at least for me, ultimately I need to put boots on the ground to find out if the area needs further assessment.


That's what kill turkeys. Hunting,scouting, and just generally being in the woods. A Tom Kelly Quote about paying for every turkey with time comes to mind. A buddy just reminded me of that one.

If your not gonna put the time in to be good at turkey hunting these apps will only help you so much and if you are good at turkey hunting you probably don't need the apps.

Where and why all the new turkey hunters? Here's a thought for you.

Let's say 10 guys back in the 70's started turkey hunting. During their lifetime they had 2 kids that they introduced to turkey hunting who also introduced 2 of their kids to turkey hunting which is feasible during a 50 yr time period. So now at around 70 years old those 10 guys are responsible for introducing 60 people into turkey hunting for a total of 70 people hunting today. Now take them numbers and multiply by 50,000 which I'm sure would be a lowball figure for hunter numbers in the late 70's. All theoretical of course but them numbers add up pretty quick.

After having said all that, is having a map app on my cell phone the same as using a turkeys heredity against him by playing on traits bred into him over thousands of years?

Best answer I have for that is apples and oranges.

[Greg Massey]

Again technology has changed the way we all hunt. In the ways we gain information with apps, a cell phone in our hands has become a major tool along with everything else. You have to remember back in the beginning we didn't have these fine cell phones, maybe a walkie - talkie at best, compass and map. With the simple tools in the beginning we didn't have nearly as many people turkey hunting as we do today. The new generation has better technology and ways of accessing all of the different terrain / public that is available in any state that has turkeys. I agree that the map on a phone is only as good as the day it was downloaded. Regardless of all of this technology you still have to find that gobbler to kill and deal with all the obstacles / people to be successful.  Woodsmanship / ability / desire play a big role. Being an old hunter, I still like my cell phone / technology .. IMO

[g8rvet]

We started losing duck hunting spots when Google earth was first around.  Our secret honey holes we had found with leg work and scouting hours were an easy find with Google Earth and a GPS.  fast forward 20 years and the sources have changed, but technology is here to stay.  Improvise, adapt and overcome.  Those memories are ours forever and some great and not so great hunts recalled.  I plan on continuing to make more memories until I shuffle off this mortal coil and if I use my cell phone like a new GPS or to mark spots, so be it.  If my batteries die, I know me and my family and friends have the skills to find our way home.  When it comes right down to it, until they invent a "Google Gobbling Turkey Roost Tree" app, it is still us against the bird.  Have a great season all.  I hope no one encounters a rude hunter, your turkeys are lovestruck and dumb and everyone has a safe season. 

[West Augusta]

I'm just jealous that YouTube wasn't around when I was young and that I had the balls to quit my job and go turkey hunting for a living.

[Sungrazer]

This is, in my opinion, why these shows are so popular:

1) It's public land hunting. The majority of people don't have access to private land, where you get to sit in a pop-up blind, with a bunch of decoys, and the turkeys just come to you. It reflects the reality and struggle that it takes to get a pressured bird. The old VHS hunting videos were all filmed in private, and was not relatable for the majority of hunters. Those hunts were easy, and boring.

2) It shows success and failure. Some of the best Hunting Public videos have no kills at all, and that's fine. Those videos are still great. Old hunting videos were all about the kill.

3) Its about the hunt and not the gear. Despite the fact that many of these channels are now sponsored, they are not constantly trying to shove product down your throat. That's what the old Primos videos did. It's just a group of young guys, with mismatched camo and an old 870, using their ability and wits to kill a bird. No blinds, no decoys, no gadgets.

4) They are very good. Despite their videos being all about the journey, and the characters, they still are very good at what they do. And because they are good, paying attention to what they do and the decisions they make on the spot will give you something to learn.

Nailed it clean. My sentiments exactly.
How anyone could pine for those ol' 70's,80's,90's canned hunts with all the brand's that helped sponser them rammed down yer gullet at every opportunity is beyond me.

[eggshell]

Since this has turned into a tech. discussion. I have hunted turkeys over 50 years and I remember the days of hearing a gobbler and not knowing if I could go after him. The NFS has always been terrible about marking their lines and if on private landowners usually wouldn't walk you around the lines. I have done the old topo map and drive 100 miles around a new area thing. Knocked on doors stopped at yard sales and been cussed out. Yup I am an old timer, but give me that cell phone and a hunting/land app and turn me loose. I fully embrace it and love it. It makes life in new areas a whole lot easier. The down side is I have lost some remote honey holes due to the apps, but that's the cost of the new convenience. I can live with it and use it.

[Jbird22]

I'm just jealous that YouTube wasn't around when I was young and that I had the balls to quit my job and go turkey hunting for a living.

Mmmm...It took guts to admit to what a lot of people won't. I guarantee that's the very problem with some of the ones who are doing the howling.

[GobbleNut]

I'm just jealous that YouTube wasn't around when I was young and that I had the balls to quit my job and go turkey hunting for a living.

Mmmm...It took guts to admit to what a lot of people won't. I guarantee that's the very problem with some of the ones who are doing the howling.

I have actually had this discussion with people.  In fact, my wife has made the comment, after hearing that supposedly some people are getting filthy rich making YouTube videos, that I should start doing it.  My response is that 1) I am way too old to start doing it now (and don't need or want to), but I would have considered it about forty years ago if it had been "a thing" back then, and 2) I don't want the things I do at my own discretion and leisure to start looking like a job,...and where I have to tell myself I have to go do this, even though I don't want to  go on this particular day, because of financial concerns.  I had a "job" for over forty years,...and I have no intention of turning my hunting activities into another one. 

The notion of being able to go turkey hunting (or any other) initially sounds appealing at first glance.  When I actually start thinking about it,...and I have done this watching some of these videos,...I find myself thinking about the other people in these YouTubers lives and what those people are sacrificing for their significant others to go galivanting all over the country to hunt stuff.  I may be the exception, but I can tell you one thing for sure, if I had told my wife that I was leaving to go turkey hunting for weeks or months at a time, I would have been shown the door many years ago.  If children were part of the equation, that would only be magnified tenfold. 

Not only that, but some of these guys go by themselves, drive hundreds or thousands of miles, sleep in their vehicles, hunt alone,...and do that over and over again.  I have tried that myself for some relatively short periods of time and it isn't something I would enjoy doing more than just a little bit. 

I suppose the point I would make is that it takes a certain personality type,...not only by the person doing it, but also by those close to him/her to decide to pursue that lifestyle,...or tolerate it.  As much as I enjoy turkey hunting, pursuing it under those circumstances is nothing I would do,...or, truthfully, admire in those that do it. 

But hey,...to each their own....