who are what got started turkey hunting ?

[snuff can]

my dad got me started when i was 12 years old , he had never turkey hunted before but, decided to try out the sport. i always hunted with my dad as a kid so naturally he took me along on his on his ma-din voyage ,we knew nothing but had to learn the hard way ! some of the best memory's i have are camping out around port gipson listing to Ben lee cassettes in the truck then sleepping under the stars waiting on daylight. later on dad became a white perch fisherman and i became a turkey hunter. dad passed this summer he was my best friend and someone i could always count on '' he was a mans man ''thanks pop for starting me in the best sport there is ! i miss you always. even more in the spring  !!!                                                                       

[alloutdoors]

I got myself started.  Nobody in my immediate family hunted so I had to learn everything on my own.  I had gone squirrel hunting with a friend a couple times and then convinced my parents to let me take hunter safety and get a 12 gauge shotgun at the age of 14.  Spring turkey season was the first open hunting season after I got my license, and I remember going out opening day that first year not even knowing if there were any birds on our property.  I quickly found out that there were when one sounded off about 80 yards from where I was sitting at daybreak.  As it turned out I almost got my first bird about 30 minutes in to my very first season when he walked by through the brush at thirty yards.  I had about 5 seconds to decide what to do but before I made up my mind he was gone.  It was opening day of my third season before I got another chance and connected.  I've been hooked ever since.

[OLE RASPY]

My nieghbors nephew got me started turkey hunting 15 years ago and he dont hunt no more now.I just talked to him the other day and he said he got out of turkey hunting.I didnt ask any ?'s.

[neal]

Myself, turkey hunting in Northern WI was basically unheard of.

[Jay]

  I had an elderly gentleman introduced to me at my restaurant, who was wearing a NWTF hat, and coat. After introductions, I said, are you the guy who's going to teach me how to Turkey hunt. He smiled, and said, yes I am. So started a long friendship. He's retired from Turkey hunting quite a few years ago, but still getting around pretty well. He made a very nice wingbone, and was a friend of Dick Kirby. So, I had a good teacher, but he was the old school believer of calling less, while I've stepped it up a bit

[kansas hooks]

I am a high school teacher and basketball coach here in the state.  One of my first jobs I had a player who told me I needed to hunt turkeys and that he would take me.  Well I took him up on it and the first day out he called up two that came running to the call.  Well needless to say we double and I was hooked.  Have been chasing them all over.

[Skeeterbait]

Well we are talking nearly 40 years ago in a small southern town.  My father was a conservation officer.  He was constantly dealing with deer hunting violators.  The men in town he most respected were the turkey hunters.  He had little to no problems from them and at least where we were, they were a cut of better people.  The sport just seemed to have a more sophisticated, respectable reputation, the turkey hunters were more acomplished woodsman.  Sitting with my father and such men in the local cafe and listening to their stories engrained an interest in the sport for me.  My father did not hunt so I had no mentor.  I struck out on my own and applied what I had heard around the cafe table.  I had beginners luck and the respect my father had in my success sealed my fate as a turkey hunter.  To this day, he still calls me in the evening after each day he knows I hunted and wants to hear how my hunt went.

[hookedspur]

My Dad got me started hunting deer ,squirrel ,rabbit I guess everything but Turkey and I did that on my own . There wasn't any around where I grew up but I loved to trout fish in the mountains of WV and it snowballed from there .

[Roostem33]

A guy that I worked with used to keep a mouth call in his pocket all the time and about drove everybody crazy. So I thought I would join in on the fun, boy did that start something!!!

[turkeybow]

My papaw got me into hunting.  I just started out squirrel hunting and then it led to more guns.  Soon it lead to more hunting, if it was open I hunted it.  I decided to try turkey hunting on my own.

[handcannon]

Snuff Can, I'm truly sorry to hear your father passed. Sounds like you have some great memories though.

I grew up hunting but never was introduced into turkey hunting. I got transferred to another drilling rig and ended up listening in to conversations between the driller and one of the roughnecks. It sparked an interest. I asked the driller if I could tag along and go listen for turkeys with him. Season was about to open up in a few weeks so I had a little time. When we got off the rig he took me to a spot in some national forest land nearby. At this point in time I had never even heard a wild turkey gobble. And then "IT" happened. That first one fired off then another, then another. Man, the woods came alive and I kinda felt like I finally did too. That was it! I had to get into this. I left from there grinning and went straight to Wal-Mart. I bought a H.S. Strut 2.5 cutter diaghram and headed home. I drove for 15 minutes without doing anything but spit on my steering wheel and dashboard. Pulled over onto the side of the road to read the directions and found out I had it in backwards. Duh! Well it's all been downhill from there. I started buying anything and everything I seen and just ran with it.

I'm glad my son was born into it and did not have to wait till later on in life like I did. He's 14 now and loves to hunt them spring gobblers with daddy. Life is good!

[jcarter]

I was actually raised by a flock of turkeys until I was about 7. The gobblers were very mean, spurred and pecked me on the hands and face all the time. When I was finally able to escape I vowed to kill every one of them I could. Puttt, puttt.

[hoyt]

Turkey hunters were few and far beween when I started in the 60's. They were also very closed mouthed and a different breed. Turkey hunting and calling a turkey back then was looked at like a mystic skill only a very few could master. I read an article in Sports Afield or Field &  Stream (can't remember which) where I guy said "Turkey hunting cost me my home, my wife and my job..but it was worth it" so I figured it must be a lot of fun.

I couldn't get anybody to go with me to hunt in the almost summer time. 99% of the people I deer hunted with didn't even know there was a spring gobbler season. So I hunted and learned on my own, by myself and still only hunt alone.

[JeffD]

A very good friend of mine took me back in the late 80's and I've been possessed ever since.

[fallhnt]

After seeing a fall longbeard in 1990 I was hooked! I fall hunted the first 2 years and went to MO. in spring of 1992. We had no spring season in my part of IL. back then,just fall archery.