How many members here had a mentor to get them started?

[quavers59]

Wish I had a mentor and mine was the school of hard knocks! Finally took my first tom at the very end of my 5th Spring. Almost gave up- but up to 113 turkeys now and hitting into gear.

[eorlando]

No mentor here. Wish I could say I was up to 113 turkeys or even remotely close. That is impressive.

[quavers59]

Thanks--just boot leather and hiking on back  between 1--2 miles on public ground.

[MK M GOBL]

I learned to turkey hunt on my own. Dad started me hunting, but growing up back then we didn't have turkeys to hunt.

I have mentored many kids and adults, taught classes, given seminars, Learn to Hunt Programs, youth hunts and such over the last 20 years and even more in the last 10 years and well over 200 birds.

MK M GOBL

Can't beat seeing a smile like this!!

[Happy]

No real mentor. Everyone in my family was a deer hunter. I was fortunate enough to have a competition caller kinda take me under his wing and teach me to call. He took me on one hunt and we never heard a bird. Once I actually started hunting areas that had birds it didn't take to long to start getting some success. The 9 years I spent as a kid trying to call in turkeys that weren't there didn't work out to well though.

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[Greg Massey]

I had a older gentleman who i deer hunted with that got me into turkey hunting back in the 70's he was a great guy and taught me a lot on deer hunting and turkey hunting..He took me to my first MWTF meeting and after that i was hook..My friend is long gone now and i still miss his wisdom.. After several years as a NWTF member of our local chapter i became president for 4 years and still a member till this day... I will always support NWTF, WHY is because they help in getting huntable birds all over our state...

[guesswho]

No mentor here.  I started the same day My Dad did back in 66 and it was learn as you go.  I killed a long beard that year with the help of my Dad and got to see him kill one as well.   And I killed one last year so I'm up to 2.  3 if I count my Dads.

[g8rvet]

I had one.  He was actually about 5 years younger than me, but I came to the game later in life.  When I talked to him about turkey hunting, I was an avid duck hunter.  He advised me not to start spring turkey hunting. He warned it was more addictive than duck hunting.  Being hardheaded, I wanted to find out for myself.  He was right, and I am.  He took me on my first spring hunt. Called a bird in within 10 minutes of flydown. After the high fives were over, he told me to enjoy it, that it would be a while before I would do that again.  He was right.  But I was determined to learn with advise from him and the school of hard knocks as the best teacher. I blundered around for a few years, messed up more than I care to admit, but learned a lot (still am, still will be till I hang up the vest).  But my first solo bird called in was such unadulterated joy/adrenaline rush I will never forget it.  I have killed a mess since that day and still get that rush when he is hammering in the spring woods.  When that stops, I will stop hunting them.  I have had a hand now in mentoring my son, 2 nephews and now my daughter.  The son and nephews are killing them on their own now.  Have not yet scored with the daughter (she is 23, so not a kid), but we will soon. 

[Gobspur]

No mentor, self taught.  Although had two friends who I'd deer hunted with for years told me I should come turkey hunting with them.  I followed them for two years...run and gun.  Never got a bird.  Third year, I decided it was a one man game.  I killed a nice gobbler on opening day, and been putting them in the dirt ever since....  I credit my buddies for getting my addicted.....or curse them sometimes

[M Sharpe]

No mentor here.  I started the same day My Dad did back in 66 and it was learn as you go.  I killed a long beard that year with the help of my Dad and got to see him kill one as well.   And I killed one last year so I'm up to 2.  3 if I count my Dads.

I'm right there with ya bud...'cepting I can't count my dad's since he's never killed one!!!!

[Hooks' n' Beards']

My father was/is my mentor and idol.I will be 37 in a few months and could not ask for a better person to be my father and friend.

[quavers59]

Great replys here!  I have a feeling that many new people getting into turkey hunting have a mentor to help them.

[mikejd]

My family has always been a hunting family but no body ever turkey hunted. Back in the early 90,s my dad retired and him and a friend of his decided to give turkey hunting a go just to add some woods time. Believe it or not back then there where very few turkey hunters around. There first day out they did not even know what was supposed to happen. Well story goes my dad was going to call and our friend Jim was the shooter.
I was not there for this. They set up on a field edge and my dad made some calls at daylight. Well they get a gobble, They both looked at each other and said well i guess thats what we are looking for. Well they managed to call this big ol tom into the field. Right into shooting distance. Well in all the exitement jim started calling and totally forgot to shoot. Then when it dawned on jim " oh $h%t i am supposed to shot.
He reached for his gun and we all know what happens then. Bird took flight hunt over,and they where hooked. My dad was mad at jim for forgetting to do his job and threw his hat down on the ground. Well that hat story was told around turkey camp for the next 20 years. Needless to say when I saw them they said you need to turkey hunt next year. So I took 3 days off and hunted 5 days. Managed to shoot myself a jake. Haven't missed a season since. Jim has since passed on but me, Dad my brother and many other friends that we have gotten into it spend the first 10 days of May every year at turkey camp.

[buzzardroost]

My Dad and I started hunting turkeys together. There were no turkeys when he was a kid so he was just as lost as I was. Never had a mentor just learned through trial and error, lots of error.


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[BowBendr]

No mentor here. Dad was a deer hunter, and a good one, but we really didn't have many birds to hunt locally. If you did go into an area of the mtns. that may have held birds the old timers were so tight-lipped that you couldn't get a word of advice. Period. Self taught since 1977ish, still learning something every day.
The first 10 years almost made me give up, so now I'll help anybody that's dang serious about it. Gotta' pay it forward. It's easier now, the birds are more plentiful and expanding, and the once great deer hunting now sucks...
Wish I still had the first Lynch box call I bought to learn on in '77....