K.I.S.S.

[BowBendr]

It's that time of year again, traffic on the site is increasing and everybody is getting pumped up about spring ! We have lots of threads popping up from brand new hunters with questions that are very good, and we see threads showing up that show us that the new hunter is already heading down the wrong road. To every question I will say that the members here do a great job of answering, there is a ton of good knowledge on this board that covers a very wide base.

If I were a new hunter coming into the sport these days, I could see where things could get very confusing. There is a big difference today from when I started hunting. Equipment and knowledge were limited and scarce in some cases. Today the market is flooded with any contraption or idea you can imagine. Some "newer" inventions on the scene are absolutely brilliant in design, function and marketing. Others however, are pure junk simply designed to separate you from the hard earned money in your pocket. The hyper-marketing of some products seduces newer hunters like a little Pakistani man staring into the eyes of a cobra while playing his flute. But you are a newer hunter, you may not have anyone to show you the ropes, nobody that can teach you better. You have no idea of what you really need or what style you will really adapt into as a hunter. You have to understand that it will take a while for you to evolve into what works best for you in your specific style. How do you as a newer hunter combat the madness while finding what works for you at the same time ?

IMHO, the best approach to learning in this sport a newer hunter can take is the K.I.S.S. method. It sounds easy but how do you sort it out ? I break it down into the basics first. Items that you must have and be skilled at using to kill turkeys. I usually start with guns, calls, clothes and a good seat. Much past this can be looked at as "add ons" whose usage can only be determined by you as your style evolves.

You need a good reliable gun/choke/load set up and ready to go. Intimate knowledge of your weapon pays big dividends. Frankly, it does not matter what said gun looks like, what matters is that said gun can reliably and ethically kill any gobbler that comes into your set up at an ethical distance for said gun/choke/load combo. 300 hits in a 10" circle may look great, but do not get caught up in chasing raw numbers. If you hunt in areas or evolve into a style that dictates that you will never shoot a gobbler past 25 yds. you don't need 300 hits in the ten. You may hunt an area where those big numbered hits are welcomed and give you greater room for flexibility. Point is, you really don't know what you need. The gun threads here on OG are a vast source of data that can cover every users needs regardless of what you shoot. If you will do some serious reading you will find previous threads that will cover your exact situation. Start there and you won't be far off base. Then, as you hunt a bit more you will see different patterns starting to emerge in your needs and you can grow and flex from there. For starters think of reliability, function and practicality.

You need good turkey calls. Turkey hunting is about calling turkeys. For starters you need good reliable calls that sound like a turkey and you must provide the ability for them to sound like a turkey. OG has a ton of great call makers that produce calls that put out the best sounds known to man, they are worthless if you do not take the time to learn how to use them properly. Look at recommendations made on here about calls you would like to start with first. Start with calls that have an easier learning curve ( boxes/pots) and then pour your time into making them run. But along with learning how to simply run them correctly in mechanical function, learn the calls turkey actually make. Learn how turkeys use those calls and why they use them. Learn what "calling with feeling" actually means. No matter what sound a wild turkey makes, they do it with emotion and feeling. A hen turkey does not randomly walk through the woods yawking because she feels like it. Whether subtle or frantic, all calls have meaning. Listen to real turkeys in the woods, on you tube or wherever you can get it. Listen to the conversations turkeys have with each other. Do not call to turkeys to be calling "at" them, learn how to have a conversation with turkeys. Time spent in the woods actually hunting turkeys will teach you best, they will let you know if you are doing it right but this only comes with time and experience. As you evolve you can then start expanding into other calls you would like to master, the sky is the limit as to how far you want to go, but learn the basics first, keep it simple. Yelps, clucks and purrs will kill turkeys quickly. Expand your calls used on turkeys as you master the calls you have and better learn their language. You do not have to know the fly down cackle today to kill a tom, keep it simple....

The other areas are pretty straight forward and self-explanatory. You need clothes. I could care less what brand or pattern you choose or if it's mix-matched, just get good functional clothing that fits you correctly and is needed for that particular day. If it's cold you need clothes to keep you warm, same goes for the heat. After you've frozen your butt off, burnt your hide up a few times or gotten drowned in a nice spring storm you'll learn how to dress. It's all part of the learning curve. If you're hunting easterns in south Georgia I doubt you'll need insulated coveralls, be practical. After choosing your attire put that clothing to use by using it in the manner for which it was made. Sit still...learn how and what sitting still means. If you sit still it all works. Don't over think it, keep it on an as needed basis.
You do need good, comfortable foot wear. Hundreds of recommendations on the forum that will answer your every question. For now what you need to focus on is dryness and comfort. You may need snake protection, you may hunt around high water, you may need warmth. Your particular location on the globe and where you are hunting will dictate what is practical. This is one area that I wouldn't scrimp on, you do get what you pay for and bad or ill fitting footwear will make you miserable real quick.

You do need a way to haul it all. Whether it's a vest, a fanny pack, backpack or satchel is up to you. This is an area of pure personal preference and each mentioned device has it's own merits and design of function. This is another thing that will evolve as you better learn what you actually need. No, you do not need a $235 vest or pack, but you do need a good functional system that allows you easy and well thought out access to your calls, seat, water, etc....
If a good vest or pack has been made, it has been asked about on this forum. Lots of good recommendations, see what may suit you. If you are hauling a bird out from 2 miles back in a Natl. Forest you may want a game bag on a vest. If you are tired of hauling too much junk or are hunting 250 yds from the truck you may want a turkey purse. Keep it practical and simple.

You also need a good seat. It keeps you comfortable and still. This is really straight forward. If you buy a vest that has a great cushion that works, that may be all you will ever need. You may have a bad back or sit for longer periods where a lounger type seat will make you more effective. Some guys use a camo covered inner tube from a wheel barrow. They all work for different people. Acquire and use the one that keeps you the most comfortable while allowing you to move the least and it will serve your style best. The ability to sit still is what matters most.

There you have it, the basics. Gun, calls, clothing/footwear and a seat. For the new hunter this is all you basically need to get out there in the field. The rest I see as optional and on an "as needed" basis. There are other things that I see as nice to have when needed, but not needed every day. I love the little things like ThermaCells and ratchet pruners, but I don't carry them every day. As I have evolved as a hunter I have learned what I need, when I need it. That's the beauty part of the learning curve, you can add on as needed. As you gain time under your belt in the woods you will come to better learn what would have helped you, but what is listed above will get you into the woods, hunting turkeys.

The reason that I believe the newer hunter should stick to the K.I.S.S. method is that everything else can come later. I believe the newest of hunters should really pour their time into learning turkeys and how they live from day to day. Stick to the basics here also. Find an area with turkeys. Learn how the turkeys use this area. Study how they travel throughout the day. Where do they roost, where do they go after they fly down ? What are they eating ? Where are the hens nesting ? If you want to use blinds and decoys that's fine, they are tools, but you don't know which tools to use until you learn the birds on the property you are hunting. Learning the ways of the turkeys in the places you specifically hunt puts you further ahead in the learning curve and THEN allows you to unleash other tools at your disposal. You will not know all of this instantly, it it going to take time. Your time spent afield will develop you as a hunter, the style you start gravitating towards will become clearer as you go. Take your time learning, you'll see what suits you best as time goes by, but do not muddy up the waters as your journey starts by going overboard and buying every gadget known to humanity. Keep it simple, see where you fit in and I believe you will enjoy the learning process that much more.

As for this forum or any other......the search function is your very best friend.

[kjnengr]

Nice points BowBendr. 

A lot of money can be saved by following those suggestions.  I think a lot of the arguments concerning hunting styles and techniques come about because everyone is right.  Certain personalities and birds require certain techniques.  Some things work one way but won't work for another and vice versa. 

Go hunt some birds and figure yourself, your land,  and your birds out and figure what is required before buying "the whole store" or what you saw someone else using that worked for them. 

[Greg Massey]

Nice points BowBendr. 

A lot of money can be saved by following those suggestions.  I think a lot of the arguments concerning hunting styles and techniques come about because everyone is right.  Certain personalities and birds require certain techniques.  Some things work one way but won't work for another and vice versa. 

Go hunt some birds and figure yourself, your land,  and your birds out and figure what is required before buying "the whole store" or what you saw someone else using that worked for them.

Both post are spot on..agree you have to have a place that has birds to hunt birds. If these places have birds you can start learning from all the mistakes you will make and one day a gobbler will be at your gun barrel...

[Happy]

Soooo... your telling me the turkey scent I bought on ebay is worthless? That's not what I read on the box.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

[SteelerFan]

Soooo... your telling me the turkey scent I bought on ebay is worthless? That's not what I read on the box.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

If you use it in conjunction with the squealin' hen - you're MONEY!

[guesswho]

You need a sense of humor also.    If you can't laugh at yourself your probably not going to enjoy the first few years of turkey hunting.

[Naylor649]

Great advice. Been getting them jelly heads for just a few years and glad I found this forum. Been a forum junkie for a long time especially for Polaris rangers and so forth. You guys do have years of knowledge. Learned a lot just the past few days. And again KISS it! ?

[Kevin6Q]

Great advice, write-up, and replies too.

When I started taking less stuff into the field I had more fun. I didn't kill more birds but the chase was a lot more enjoyable. I didn't forget to pick up calls (I left a LOT of them in the woods), have to backtrack to grab a seat, dekes,  or blind.  I've stopped bringing a blind and decoys.With greater mobility and fewer distractions I began to listen to the birds, watch the birds and had more luck finding the turkeys.  I know KISS doesn't mean minimalist  but going simple has made hunting more fun.

Great advice, write-up, and replies too.

[GobbleNut]

Great information, BowBendr.  I know it took some effort to put that together.  Thanks for taking the time.

[The Cohutta Strutter]

Great information, BowBendr.  I know it took some effort to put that together.  Thanks for taking the time.

X2 ! This is the best basic info a new hunter could hope for all compiled into one post... very nice job of putting that together Bow Bendr.

[Greg Massey]

Great post , BowBendr... Be patient, don't expect to kill a bird the first time you go hunting and don't call to much...Scout and Scout more...Turkeys do what turkeys do...