question

[trkehunr93]

woodsmanship hands down.  if you can't read turkey sign then how are you going to find them.  if you don't know what kind of mast to look for, again how are you going to find them.  I only in the last few years felt like my calling was better then when I started but my woodsmanship was honed a long time ago.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

woodsmanship hands down.  if you can't read turkey sign then how are you going to find them.  if you don't know what kind of mast to look for, again how are you going to find them.  I only in the last few years felt like my calling was better then when I started but my woodsmanship was honed a long time ago.

Since when is it hard to find turkeys?  Get up a couple mornings a week during the preseason and go listen.

[jwhunter]

IMO The only people telling you that calling ability kills more birds are
people in the Game Call Business or have some type of affiliation with
them and people who have not been hunting turkey for a long time. I have a group of friends and we all limit out each year on private and public land and non of us have supreme calling ability.


most people would consider Tom Kelly one of the God Fathers of Turkey
hunting. He knows more about turkey hunting and has probably  killed more
birds than 95% of us. if you ever buy his book A Fork in the Road  he sends
you an instructional DVD. He has a segment on the DVD where he shows you how
he calls. when he yelps on his mouth call it sounds AWFUL! I was so
surprised. I imagined he could call like Billy Yargus. so my point is
Calling ability.... "trying to be stage worthy" is not as important in the
actual game of "Turkey Hunting"

I still have not answered your question. Which ability would I give up to be better at the other...?.... NEITHER. Ability is earned not giving and every ability I have I fought for I don't want anything handed to me bc it tarnishes my legacy

[BowBendr]

I'll take calling everytime and I am NOT talking about stage level calling...I am talking about someone that knows how to have a real conversation with a turkey.
99.9% of the people I know and see hunting have no clue what a gobbler yelp is, or that a gobbler even cutts. Most people think gobblers only fan up in spring...most people dont know that you can kill limits of birds without ever making a hen sound.


2015 Old Gobbler contest Champions

[turkeyfoot]

Since when is it hard to find turkeys?  Get up a couple mornings a week during the preseason and go listen.
[/quote] Depends on where you hunt I've hunted some public land Mtn birds that would jump around and have populations changes that if you didn't have the woodsmanship you would be eating tags few mornings scouting were almost worthless no foodplots to hold them have to know the local hangouts and what they had to eat calling with you on one Mtn and them on totally different one can get frustrating. Laearning the ridges they will and won't use makes huge difference same with old logging roads. Have to be where they are to call/kill em

[kyturkeyhunter4]

I would take woodsmanship, You got to be able to find the turkey sign and know what to look for. And you also got to know how to set up on that gobbler once you do find him. It really don't take a expert to be able to call that turkey in. So in my opinion I would take woodsmanship hands down.

[Haypatch]

I would have to say transfer to calling.  I mean I kill birds but I can admit that my calling isn't the best and probably never will be. I hear folks that can sho nuff blow a diaphragm or run a box  and sound great everytime. I guess my biggest issue would be consistency will my calling!

[guesswho]

I feel I have more woods skill to spare than I do calling, so I'd trade 10% of it to improve my calling by 10%. 

[HOOKS1]

The more you sound like a turkey the more encounters you will have.

[turkeyfoot]

True but you still gotta be where they are for them to hear you. We all have to take into account the quality land your hunting.  takes less woodsmanship to kill birds on private  land loaded with birds than on heavy pressured public land with not so many birds to begin with.

[Bowguy]

Think it's def woodsmanship. Can't kill turkeys if you aren't in/near them. No matter how good the calling it won't matter if birds can't hear you

[fallhnt]

I'd take 10% better calling. I don't score well in calling contests but I kill birds with calling and my bow in both Spring and Fall year after year.

[Happy]

Maybe I should clarify my definition of calling and woodsmanship. Woodsmanship to me is being able to get on birds, slip into position undetected to a spot that he knows is appropriate for working a bird and then knowing when and what calls to use to bring the turkey into range. Calling is accurately making the calls of the turkey. In my mind woodsmanship is more necessary to consistently kill birds than calling skill. At least as I have defined it. Now having said that I believe that every hunter should strive to be the very best they can be with both aspects of the game. A mastery of both leads to a lot of dead turkeys.

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[trkehunr93]

woodsmanship hands down.  if you can't read turkey sign then how are you going to find them.  if you don't know what kind of mast to look for, again how are you going to find them.  I only in the last few years felt like my calling was better then when I started but my woodsmanship was honed a long time ago.

Since when is it hard to find turkeys?  Get up a couple mornings a week during the preseason and go listen.

Listening is only one piece of the puzzle.  I fall hunt as much as I spring hunt so woodsmanship is top on
my list and if you can't read sign and know areas turkeys like then I feel your short changing yourself on being a well rounded hunter.  I am up most every morning in the spring listening, but what do you for those mornings during the spring when everything falls silent?  You go to those places you know turkeys like because you completed the puzzle, you didn't just focus on one piece.  Why does that gobbler like that spot so much?  Are there good roost trees?  Is it a preferred strut zone?  Is there food there that the hens are eating so he's tagging along because he knows he can get plenty of a$& when the time comes?  I like to and tend to think outside the box.  Just me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[357MAGNOLE]

After reading all these replies I realize I don't know jack.... Anyone got a good source of information to help develop my woodsmanship skills? Heck I thought yall where talking about how to navigate the woods quietly in and out.... Not where birds like to be at certain times, how they move, and how to read their "signs"