Who all taught themselves to turkey hunt?

[Kywoodsman]

I am also a self taught turkey hunter. My parents never hunted when i was growing up. My dad had done a little bit of rabbit hunting when he was a kid but that was about it. I had a couple cousins who hunted quite a bit but because of there limited time off work to hunt they never had a chance to take me. I grew up on about 20 acres of good land and knew several people in the community that had more land that was willing to let me hunt. I started deer hunting when I was 13 and killed my first deer, a doe, that year. I started turkey hunting two years later but didn't have any luck until 3 years later when I was 18 I finally killed my first gobbler. Hunting, especially turkey hunting is an ever learning experience and I'll never know even half there is to learn but I'm always looking forward to trying.

[surehuntsalot]

I learned everything on my own,trial and error

[birdyhunter]

Can't say I'm 100% self taught but I did get in to it on my own and killed my first couple on my own. Learned a ton from some very good friends from NC, A father, son team.  You won't find better people and better turkeys hunters anywhere.

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[jblackburn]

My dad took me deer hunting as a kid, but he was not really into it.  Now, rabbitts and squirrels, dad is a master hunter.  We always had turkeys around the farm, so I taught myself how to call and killed my first gobbler when I was 14 and was hooked.

As fare as being self taught, I guess I did, but I still feel like I'm learning how to hunt them!

[CallDr]

I was lucky. I had an experienced turkey hunter take me under his wing..... so to speak and show me the ropes. Then I met some "modern day" self taught hunters. The Old School guys that were around who would offer no help had no affect.  I was killing turkeys on my own I had no need for them. I started going to calling contests and the new group of "young guns" were actually shaking up the "Old Masters" secrets that were not secrets anymore. In fact I was lucky because the information became "profitable" for the NWTF and Call Companies. More turkey hunters was more members and sold more turkey calls.

I remember being told not to expect to kill a turkey for 3 or 4 years by some of the Old School crowd that thought in order to be a turkey hunter, you had to be accepted into the Fold and worthy....lol. That pretty much was dispelled after I killed and called up turkeys myself the first year.

Today...... information is just a click away on the internet. There are more call makers than turkey hunters now....lol.

For the most part it's always good to hunt with an experienced hunter. My so called "style" has come form hunting with a lot of great hunters over the past 30 years and doing what all of us have to do.......... which is log in our own hours and burn a lot of shoe leather. Personal experience is something that you can't get from a book, video or "turkey story".

[drenalinld]

Self taught.

[Mike Honcho]

Self taught too.

[DMP]

Neither one of my parents hunt.  Luckily my grandfather and uncle took me deer hunting and dove hunting.  I tried turkey hunting off and on for about 10 years growing up but was not very successful at it.  Finally, when I was a senior in college I decided to get serious about turkey hunting.  Started hunting a lot and had a lot of bumps along the way.  Mostly learned by trial and error and started meeting some good turkey hunters along the way that started helping me out.  Now I try and take newbies when ever I get the chance.

[Steve]

All self taught here too. Lots of trial and error in the woods and plenty of reading books and magazines. Nothing better than hands on experience.

Steve

[mnturkey]

I hunted ducks, phesants, grouse and deer with my dad but tahght myself to turkey hunt.
I learned to call from a Penn Woods record (45) that I bought along with a call.
I learn something new each time I go out, now if I could only remember all the stuff I learn I would be a master.

[busta biggun]

Depends on what you consider self-taught. I grew up hunting game birds but got interested in turkeys on my own back in 86.There were no hunting videos, or internet or you tube to help me. Mostly a few magazine article here and there. I sought out a lot of advice from some very helpful people that were wise old turkey hunters and then went out and tried it out on my own. I could say I was self taught, but without the helpful advice from some great friends, I may have grown frustrated and given it up. I couldn't have done it without their help.

[davisd9]

Started out by myself and was starting to kill one or two every season or so.  Then a gentleman on a SC forum and I started talking.  He invited me to hunt with him to give me some tips.  Since then I have followed his style.  He polished what I had learned on my own and added much more.  After his mentoring I went from killing 1 or 2 to killing 4 or 5.  Still learning from the turkeys themselves and learning from my mentor.  Try offering the little knowledge I have to those that are wanting to learn.

[Fullfan]

It is all my fault, I got myself into this mess and have no desire to get out of it.
I have learned from my 33 years of making mistakes, and the funny part I still make the same ones every now and again.

[bcknuts]

Self tought also.Started three years ago.Have hunted Deer all my life.Thought there was nothing could beat deer hunting.Man was I wrong.I am addicted big time and love it.Still love deer hunting.But have a new passion.


Kevin

[SouthEastNC]

When I moved home after college 7 years ago, I decided I wanted to start turkey hunting since my cousins who did it loved it so much. I bought a box-call and a slate call and got a DVD that showed how to use the various calls.

I went 3 times with 3 different cousins the first half of that first season, learning things from each of them. Passed up a shot on a jake the first trip, missed a bird on the second trip, no action on the third trip. Went probably 5 or 6 times on my own the last half of that first season and managed to bag 2 gobblers.

I discovered this website I think a month or so before my third turkey hunting season and really enjoyed learning a lot from folks on here sharing different tips and strategies they'd tried.