Confidence

[Gobbler2577]

As I am unwinding from a busy Sunday's (I'm a bi-vocational pastor) I have been thinking about my years turkey hunting and the role confidence plays in success.  I realize this may be silly to some, but humor me for a moment.  I began turkey hunting in 1995.  All I owned was an old revelation 12 gauge and a handmade box call.  I knew precious little and everyone I asked seemed tight lipped about how to go about hunting a turkey.  I managed to find some sign before season opened but was unable to hunt till a few weeks into the season.  (This was before I knew that skipping college classes for turkey hunting was worth the risk!). Anyway when I finally went I found myself in the midst of five gobbling birds.  They'd gobble and I'd yelp on that box.  One bird, the closest one, got fired up to the point that he jumped off the limb and came running.  It was a killing in self defense.  Had I not shot him I believe he would have run right over me.  Two things happened.  I became forever hooked on turkey hunting and my confidence soared.  For the next many years when I heard a bird I knew I could kill him.  I rarely doubted my success when I set up on a bird and I was pretty hard on them.  Even these tough Mississippi public land birds were not a whole lot of trouble.  Seven years ago my son was born the day before season opened.  I didn't hunt that year.  My wife had a good bit of trouble and I simply couldn't be away.  That being said, over the last seven six seasons I haven't hunted much and I lack the confidence I used to have.  I've killed few (six to be precise) birds in those six seasons.  Now when I set up on a bird I am constantly second guessing myself and invariably will make poor decisions.  Last year I got on more birds than I ever have in a single season and only managed to get one to the gun.  My point in all this rambling is that confidence plays a huge role in this most terrific sport.  Do you feel the same way?  Now if I could only get it back...

[ScottS]

I totally agree, in my opinion if you lose confidence you start getting impatient and start making mistakes.

[mgm1955]

Nothing worse than self doubt. You obviously know how to kill turkeys. Put the negative thoughts away and go get a bird. Good luck!!

[GobbleNut]

Although I agree with the idea that a person must feel confident in their abilities and methodology, I think a lot of what you are talking about is related to another topic that we have discussed here lately,....that is hunting pressure, and the consequential result of the turkeys wising up. 

There was a time not too many years ago when a hunter who made the effort could pretty easily find gobblers that had not been messed with by other hunters enough that they would come to the call with regularity.  Those birds, for those of us that have to hunt places that other hunters can hunt at will (i.e....public lands), have become much more rare. ...Not everywhere, but in a lot of places.

I used to hunt ten days a year and call in twenty or thirty gobblers during the season.  Now I hunt twenty days a year, hunt a lot harder, and maybe call in five.  The cause,....more hunters and the birds have wised up a bunch. 

Of course, that decreasing success makes one think that he has lost the touch, but in reality, I think it is just the turkeys adapting.  Also, with the increasing hunter pressure, the easy birds are getting thinned out a lot quicker nowadays.

[Dr Juice]

Confidence and patience are keys to success.

[Spitten and drummen]

Confidence and patience are keys to success.

well said.

[perrytrails]

^
No doubt,good advise...

[silvestris]

Believe that you are going to be successful in killing every gobbling turkey and if unsuccessful, believe it again the next time.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Turkeys get tougher to hunt with each passing year. The longer they have been hunted in a particular area the tougher they are.

You should be still be extremely surprised and somewhat shocked if a gobbler does not  come within shotgun range of your calls. You do need a short memory, kind of like a closer in baseball.

[zelmo1]

  I have no fear that the birds will get shy or wary. That will keep the leaky booters out of the woods after the second weekend. More hunting for the "Faithful". Patience is the key, that seems to be a theme here.

[wisconsinteacher]

I agree in confidence when hunting or fishing.  I try to tell myself, "I'm going to get one today."  In my early years, I did not have the confidence and the results showed.  I would over think or give up. 

My dad does not have the confidence while hunting and because of that, he does not give it 110%.  This deer season he sat home, while I sat in the rain/fog and shot a nice buck.  He didn't fish 2 weeks ago because it was cold, I got a nice mess of fish.  Last year, he didn't want to hunt in the afternoon because the morning was slow and that afternoon, I called in 3 birds.  I am not saying my dad is a bad hunter, he just doesn't have the confidence which in turn leads to him not trying as hard or pushing himself which is his choice. 

Being in the outdoors requires mental strength and confidence.  Good players don't walk up the free throw line and think, "I'm going to miss" or step to the plate and say, "I'm going to strike out." 

[Longshot]

Although I agree with the idea that a person must feel confident in their abilities and methodology, I think a lot of what you are talking about is related to another topic that we have discussed here lately,....that is hunting pressure, and the consequential result of the turkeys wising up. 

There was a time not too many years ago when a hunter who made the effort could pretty easily find gobblers that had not been messed with by other hunters enough that they would come to the call with regularity.  Those birds, for those of us that have to hunt places that other hunters can hunt at will (i.e....public lands), have become much more rare. ...Not everywhere, but in a lot of places.

I used to hunt ten days a year and call in twenty or thirty gobblers during the season.  Now I hunt twenty days a year, hunt a lot harder, and maybe call in five.  The cause,....more hunters and the birds have wised up a bunch. 

Of course, that decreasing success makes one think that he has lost the touch, but in reality, I think it is just the turkeys adapting.  Also, with the increasing hunter pressure, the easy birds are getting thinned out a lot quicker nowadays.

My sentiments exactly!!!

[turkey_slayer]

Without confidence you're just hoping

[porcupine]

Yep confidence is a good part of the game...but like has been said its tougher hunting educated Birds

[RemingtonRules]

Although I agree with the idea that a person must feel confident in their abilities and methodology, I think a lot of what you are talking about is related to another topic that we have discussed here lately,....that is hunting pressure, and the consequential result of the turkeys wising up. 

There was a time not too many years ago when a hunter who made the effort could pretty easily find gobblers that had not been messed with by other hunters enough that they would come to the call with regularity.  Those birds, for those of us that have to hunt places that other hunters can hunt at will (i.e....public lands), have become much more rare. ...Not everywhere, but in a lot of places.

I used to hunt ten days a year and call in twenty or thirty gobblers during the season.  Now I hunt twenty days a year, hunt a lot harder, and maybe call in five.  The cause,....more hunters and the birds have wised up a bunch. 

Of course, that decreasing success makes one think that he has lost the touch, but in reality, I think it is just the turkeys adapting.  Also, with the increasing hunter pressure, the easy birds are getting thinned out a lot quicker nowadays.

My sentiments exactly!!!

I think a booming turkey population can be a challenge.  When a gobbler can fly down with twenty hens he does not need to gobble or travel to find hens.