Is over confident's just about killing Turkeys

[g8rvet]

Reminds me of something.  I have hunted a lake for 27 seasons.  Seen good years and bad years. I pretty much have a feel for where the birds are and how they will work. Not because I am so awesome, but I have been there long enough with my eyes open, I know what to do and when to do it.  Just experience.  A local newbie "guide" in the area knows me (he took over a pond I used to have permission to wood duck hunt on so he could "guide" there, told me I could no longer hunt it) and he sees me on the ramp and starts pumping me for information, quietly so his client can't hear him.  Asks me where I am gonna set up and where he should.  I look him square in the eyes and say "I am gonna set up where I saw birds when I was scouting yesterday, you can set up anywhere you dang well please".  I then cranked up and sped off in the darkness so he could not follow me.  Tool. 

[ilbucksndux]

Turkey hunting to me is very different than any other hunting. I dont know why. I personally think that pulling the trigger is only a VERY small part of it. Everything up to that point is why I hunt them. Finding them,calling,sitting in the right spot getting him to step right where you want him to. If I wanted to eat a turkey,I'd go down to Piggly Wiggly and get me one.  To be a turkey killer (when I use the term killer I mean someone that can consistently kill birds) you have to be a woodsman. Period. You have to know were a turkey is gonna be,be able to move around the woods,be able to hide yourself are the things you have to know and be good at to have success on a regular basis. 

[Ihuntoldschool]

Farmboy 27 and silvestris summed it up nicely.  Confidence is very important when it comes to turkey hunting and I won't downplay its importance in success.  Confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Amen to what Wild Tiger Trout said.  If you want to really learn how to turkey hunt you do have to hunt them old school without decoys or any visual aid.  You will learn more turkey hunting  one season the way they were intended to be hunted with just calling and woodsmanship than you will in 5 or 10  seasons of decoying birds in.

[silvestris]

Amen to what Wild Tiger Trout said.  If you want to really learn how to turkey hunt you do have to hunt them old school without decoys or any visual aid.  You will learn more turkey hunting  one season the way they were intended to be hunted with just calling and woodsmanship than you will in 5 or 10  seasons of decoying birds in.

One way is learning how to hunt them while the other is how to buy them.  The choice is up to the individual.

[Greg Massey]

Amen to what Wild Tiger Trout said.  If you want to really learn how to turkey hunt you do have to hunt them old school without decoys or any visual aid.  You will learn more turkey hunting  one season the way they were intended to be hunted with just calling and woodsmanship than you will in 5 or 10  seasons of decoying birds in.

One way is learning how to hunt them while the other is how to buy them.  The choice is up to the individual.

Guys let's not forget the people who are handicap or have health issues. As we face these issues we have to look at the way we have to hunt. I agree all of use were young at one point but lets not forget your getting older everyday you live another day..

[g8rvet]

the way they were intended to be hunted

that is some funny stuff right there. 

[Txag12]

We are all hunting for sport. That, to me, means I am hunting to enjoy the process.  If killing the turkey is not the ultimate end goal, then why bother with a gun?  But when I am competing in the turkey woods, I am competing with the turkey. Not with other turkey hunters.  I could care less if someone thinks I am a good turkey hunter.  I could care less if someone approves of my methods of turkey hunting.  On the flip side, I don't care how others (legally) turkey hunt as long as it does not affect my hunting (nor mine, theirs).  In today's world, a lot of folks like to make a living out of hunting (duck, turkey, deer) or fishing (redfish, bass, etc) and do so with guiding, tournaments, endorsements.  Part of doing that means they have to advertise themselves and frankly I am disgusted by a lot of it.  Advertising a guide service is appropriate for getting clients, but some take it too far with pushing themselves as the greatest ever.  Others push themselves just to stroke their own ego. I know duck hunters, quail hunters, tarpon fishermen, turkey hunters, deer hunters etc that all do that and I just no longer have time for them.  Many of them like to stroke their own ego by putting down the methods or the results of others.  Seems sad to me.  But I also know I ain't gonna teach them nothing their momma or daddy did not teach them, so it is just easiest to laugh at their expense and let it go. 

When I get to the point where my self worth is tied to my success killing ducks or turkeys or catching redfish, I will stop doing all of it.  It is for fun, period.  It is my avocation, not my vocation. 

Don't get me wrong, just like when I coached youth football, I told the young'uns that we were playing for fun and it is more fun to win. But you better enjoy the work and the process or the winning is just an empty result.  Winning with no effort is a hollow victory.  Killing the turkey, on my own self guided terms, is the point.  We would all be happier if we worried about what we can control (ourselves) and not what we can't (others). 

Just my thoughts on this and the other thread.  Not that they are worth a hill of beans to anyone but me.

One of the better post I've seen anywhere on this forum, very well put

[wvmntnhick]

I don't believe that it's all about killing turkeys. For many yes, however there are also a large number of people putting all their confidence in gizmos and gadgets instead of their ability. They only way to gain confidence is to prove it to yourself and if you believe in your abilities and your ability to learn then you will gain confidence. I always tell my kids when they are struggling "if you don't believe in yourself then don't expect anyone else to". I try to always go out in the morning with a "killer" mindset. I am going out tomorrow fully believing that a bird is spending his last night on the roost. I hope he had a good day today. Because tomorrow ain't gonna be so good. That being said, if I don't kill a bird tomorrow is that a wasted hunt? Absolutely not! I was hunting and I love to play the game. I will go out the next hunt and the hunt after that with the same mindset. If you can't enjoy the game even if you loose then maybe you shouldn't play.

Valid point here. I've gotten quite used to the losing end of things. Still feel confident when the birds get going in the mornings but I get whipped by these birds way more than I dole out the whipping. Still enjoyable either way. Going to try and sneak out for a few minutes in the morning before work. Won't get long but I'm betting something dies good and early tomorrow.

[silvestris]

Guys let's not forget the people who are handicap or have health issues. As we face these issues we have to look at the way we have to hunt. I agree all of use were young at one point but lets not forget your getting older everyday you live another day..[/quote]

Let's see I have had diabetes (self-inflicted) since 1992; a stroke in 2012; a pacemaker in 2013; and two stents this spring.  Through the years I have dealt with the Wild Turkey under conditions that insure that he retains that wildness up to the moment I pull the trigger, that is if I choose to pull the trigger.

[Greg Massey]

Guys let's not forget the people who are handicap or have health issues. As we face these issues we have to look at the way we have to hunt. I agree all of use were young at one point but lets not forget your getting older everyday you live another day..

Let's see I have had diabetes (self-inflicted) since 1992; a stroke in 2012; a pacemaker in 2013; and two stents this spring.  Through the years I have dealt with the Wild Turkey under conditions that insure that he retains that wildness up to the moment I pull the trigger, that is if I choose to pull the trigger.
[/quote]      I agree Silvestris we have to all make lifestyle changes with our health issues, I have another heart Dr. appointment tomorrow. What i would give to be young again .. lol

[silvestris]

Good luck to you Greg.  I don't scare easily, but when my Cardiologist showed me my blockage, I got scared.  To all, eat right and exercise.

[augasman]

Ok here's my worthless opinion. I've been chasing birds for over twenty years now and I've killed more than my fair share. I'm one of the lucky ones that has a turkey master for a father and had a legend for a grandfather, so I was learning at an early age. I've also had the fortune of hunting the same family my entire life. I also I have a job that allows me to hunt every day of the season, so im out there everyday.

For me it's less about some ultra confidence, and more about having conviction and a certain type of discipline when it comes to consistently having success. Am I 100 percent confident in my hunting skills? Absolutely. Do I think that I'm going to get every bird that gobbles at me? Not even close. I lose way more battles than I win, but if I'm gonna lose, I'm going down in flames. You have to treat every single encounter as if he's coming until you're absolutely sure that he's not. Just this morning I had one gobbling on the roost. I know where he normally likes to go but didn't think I could get there without getting busted. With very little confidence in my setup, I was still completely committed to the task. Of course he went exactly where I thought he would but I'll be waiting on him tomorrow.

As far as discipline goes, I mean paying attention to the smallest details every time you're out there. To consistently have success you need to do everything the right way all of the time. Patience isn't my strong suit. I prefer a more run and gun style of hunting. With that said, I still try to stay disciplined  (walk quietly, stay in shadows, don't call from where you can be seen, etc). I guess it's just always assuming that next hot gobbler is just up the road.

I absolutely love killing turkeys. There's nowhere else that I find the same rush, but I also love the act of hunting turkeys. I'm not really talking about the sunrises and songbirds. Don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too. I'm really referring to the pursuit of the next one that wants to play the game, going over the proverbial next hill, trying that spot you haven't tried all year, that kind of stuff.

Here's where it gets tricky. While I think having conviction and discipline is essential for success every spring, I think my favorite part of the sport is the maddening unpredictability. You can do everything right, with total confidence, and have it blow up in your face. You can do everything wrong, with zero confidence, and every turkey in the woods tries to run over you. It somehow seems to always happen right when you need it too. The difference between success and failure can be razor thin.
Sorry for rambling.

[Greg Massey]

Ok here's my worthless opinion. I've been chasing birds for over twenty years now and I've killed more than my fair share. I'm one of the lucky ones that has a turkey master for a father and had a legend for a grandfather, so I was learning at an early age. I've also had the fortune of hunting the same family my entire life. I also I have a job that allows me to hunt every day of the season, so im out there everyday.

For me it's less about some ultra confidence, and more about having conviction and a certain type of discipline when it comes to consistently having success. Am I 100 percent confident in my hunting skills? Absolutely. Do I think that I'm going to get every bird that gobbles at me? Not even close. I lose way more battles than I win, but if I'm gonna lose, I'm going down in flames. You have to treat every single encounter as if he's coming until you're absolutely sure that he's not. Just this morning I had one gobbling on the roost. I know where he normally likes to go but didn't think I could get there without getting busted. With very little confidence in my setup, I was still completely committed to the task. Of course he went exactly where I thought he would but I'll be waiting on him tomorrow.

As far as discipline goes, I mean paying attention to the smallest details every time you're out there. To consistently have success you need to do everything the right way all of the time. Patience isn't my strong suit. I prefer a more run and gun style of hunting. With that said, I still try to stay disciplined  (walk quietly, stay in shadows, don't call from where you can be seen, etc). I guess it's just always assuming that next hot gobbler is just up the road.

I absolutely love killing turkeys. There's nowhere else that I find the same rush, but I also love the act of hunting turkeys. I'm not really talking about the sunrises and songbirds. Don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too. I'm really referring to the pursuit of the next one that wants to play the game, going over the proverbial next hill, trying that spot you haven't tried all year, that kind of stuff.

Here's where it gets tricky. While I think having conviction and discipline is essential for success every spring, I think my favorite part of the sport is the maddening unpredictability. You can do everything right, with total confidence, and have it blow up in your face. You can do everything wrong, with zero confidence, and every turkey in the woods tries to run over you. It somehow seems to always happen right when you need it too. The difference between success and failure can be razor thin.
Sorry for rambling.

Great post...if you don't mine me asking who is your father and grandfather is it someone we would all know ?

[augasman]

Ok here's my worthless opinion. I've been chasing birds for over twenty years now and I've killed more than my fair share. I'm one of the lucky ones that has a turkey master for a father and had a legend for a grandfather, so I was learning at an early age. I've also had the fortune of hunting the same family my entire life. I also I have a job that allows me to hunt every day of the season, so im out there everyday.

For me it's less about some ultra confidence, and more about having conviction and a certain type of discipline when it comes to consistently having success. Am I 100 percent confident in my hunting skills? Absolutely. Do I think that I'm going to get every bird that gobbles at me? Not even close. I lose way more battles than I win, but if I'm gonna lose, I'm going down in flames. You have to treat every single encounter as if he's coming until you're absolutely sure that he's not. Just this morning I had one gobbling on the roost. I know where he normally likes to go but didn't think I could get there without getting busted. With very little confidence in my setup, I was still completely committed to the task. Of course he went exactly where I thought he would but I'll be waiting on him tomorrow.

As far as discipline goes, I mean paying attention to the smallest details every time you're out there. To consistently have success you need to do everything the right way all of the time. Patience isn't my strong suit. I prefer a more run and gun style of hunting. With that said, I still try to stay disciplined  (walk quietly, stay in shadows, don't call from where you can be seen, etc). I guess it's just always assuming that next hot gobbler is just up the road.

I absolutely love killing turkeys. There's nowhere else that I find the same rush, but I also love the act of hunting turkeys. I'm not really talking about the sunrises and songbirds. Don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too. I'm really referring to the pursuit of the next one that wants to play the game, going over the proverbial next hill, trying that spot you haven't tried all year, that kind of stuff.

Here's where it gets tricky. While I think having conviction and discipline is essential for success every spring, I think my favorite part of the sport is the maddening unpredictability. You can do everything right, with total confidence, and have it blow up in your face. You can do everything wrong, with zero confidence, and every turkey in the woods tries to run over you. It somehow seems to always happen right when you need it too. The difference between success and failure can be razor thin.
Sorry for rambling.

Great post...if you don't mine me asking who is your father and grandfather is it someone we would all know ?

They're not famous or anything unless you hunt turkeys in west Alabama.  I took my dad to the bird I was talking about this morning. His hearing isn't what it used to be. Of course he never opened his mouth today. That's kind of how this season has gone. It's like starting from scratch every time I go out.