THE MYTH OF THE BEST SPRING TURKEY HUNTER

[quavers59]

   For sure, past a certain point-all of us are more or less equal in terms of calling a gobbler up to the gun. Once a Spring turkey hunter calls in roughly 40 gobblers for a close shot-- that person has probably seen and heard it all and is without a doubt a very good Spring turkey hunter. And high numbers of turkeys taken and many States hunted in each Spring make no difference. I probably have more respect for the Spring hunter who makes a go of it for 25 days in 1 State and finally bags that gobbler. That person is a very good Spring turkey hunter.
    There are great turkey hunters as well- some are well known- others are known to you. They are gone now...   Read Jim Casada's book-- REMEMBERING THE GREATS. Enjoy your Spring turkey hunts.

[Tail Feathers]

That book is incomplete because I'm not in it.

[quavers59]

I have read REMEMBERING THE GREATS  twice now. To be in that book-- you have to be deceased. 

[Yoder409]

I have read REMEMBERING THE GREATS  twice now. To be in that book-- you have to be deceased.

I'll wait my turn, then......................    Haha !!!

[Blong]

I think the guys that get to hunt long seasons and liberal limits become better turkey hunters than the guys that live in places where the turkey just isn't as educated. I know that if I was to have a major surgery, I would want a Dr that has been practicing for many years rather than a surgeon with just a few years under his belt.

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

Without naming names....I once met and later had the opportunity to hunt with one of these big-shot "professional" turkey hunters.  With sponsors and stickers galore.  Looked more like a Nascar driver than a hunter.  The guy didn't have a lick of woodsmanship and couldn't tell a pin oak from a poplar.  Kept talking about "poisonous" snakes and his new boots.  He had a huge bright white logo on his hat also.  And he texted and took pictures constantly.  Once he said "check out those hawks!!"  They were buzzards.  He used a mouth call and a Walmart pot call that both make the sound of a possum being strangled.  The whole time talking about all the turkeys he's killed.  On that hunt we never saw or heard anything.  Not sure why.  #?&@#!!!
  Real turkey hunters don't do it to be famous or even recognized. We all here know this.  That's another story. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

The guy who kills one in 25 days  has demonstrated an inability to integrate knowledge gained from previous hunts into a well formulated strategy and leverage it for success. I don't find anything respectable about that.

Whether it's on their local turf or out of state, the guys who show up and get to killing quickly rarely get a chance to know what birds are tough or "unkillable" and what birds are easy because they have developed a consistent set of skills that apply universally across all environments and habitats.

If I had to have someone yelping up a bird for me, I'll take someone who's called (not crawled or reaped) 200 birds to the gun over someone who has only called up 40.  There's a big difference in how those callers think while the game is being played, and analytical skills are the single greatest differentiator in a bird over one's shoulder and a story about  the one that got away.

I also dispute that the greatest turkey killers of all time are from the past.  On the contrary, I would argue that names Owens, Ellis, Weddle, Budz and several others will easily endure the test of time when it comes occupying the ranks of turkey huntings greatest.
JM.02

[GobbleNut]

I'm not sure what the number is,...whether in terms of gobblers called, days hunted, or places visited,...but once a serious hunter has spent enough time doing this, he should reach a level of competence in calling and tactics used that his success or failure becomes more a function of opportunity, locale, time afield, perseverance,...and sometimes most importantly, the random luck of choosing the right gobbler to hunt at the right time.

Having said all of that, there are a percentage of hunters who are just "intuitively" better at making the right decisions in terms of calling and tactics than others.  I also believe that, in today's turkey hunting world,... where anybody with any initiative as a turkey hunter can become a competent caller,...those "intuitive" differences are mainly a function of tactics more so than calling.

...And having said that, sometimes those "intuitive" decisions by the hunter do not match up with the calling and tactics that any one gobbler wants to be approached with at any given time.  There reaches a point where calling ability and tactical skills become less important than the gobbler's attitude that you are using them on.

.......And having said all of that, all other factors being equal, I will always place my money on the fellow that has hunted under many sets of circumstances and conditions than the fellow with equal experience who has not.   

[nitro]

Well said. In my experience, a guy with 50 birds +/- under his belt is a force to be reckoned with.

The guys you mentioned are definitely upper tier killers. To me, being a good hunter is one thing. A Great killer is a man who makes it happen - anytime, anywhere and often on unfamiliar ground.

A guy who hits home runs on turf he hunts every day isn't near as impressive or good as the man who kills birds on ground he hasn't ever set foot on.. with consistency.

There are some dudes out there who are young, have the funds to travel and kill their birds ( and some of yours).. Guys with several hundred birds to their credit.

The guy who kills one in 25 days  has demonstrated an inability to integrate knowledge gained from previous hunts into a well formulated strategy and leverage it for success. I don't find anything respectable about that.

Whether it's on their local turf or out of state, the guys who show up and get to killing quickly rarely get a chance to know what birds are tough or "unkillable" and what birds are easy because they have developed a consistent set of skills that apply universally across all environments and habitats.

If I had to have someone yelping up a bird for me, I'll take someone who's called (not crawled or reaped) 200 birds to the gun over someone who has only called up 40.  There's a big difference in how those callers think while the game is being played, and analytical skills are the single greatest differentiator in a bird over one's shoulder and a story about  the one that got away.

I also dispute that the greatest turkey killers of all time are from the past.  On the contrary, I would argue that names Owens, Ellis, Weddle, Budz and several others will easily endure the test of time when it comes occupying the ranks of turkey huntings greatest.
JM.02

[nitro]

Furthermore, there is a difference between hunting and killing.  Hunting is hiking with a firearm - until you kill. I like to kill Gobblers. As many as I possibly can in as many places as I get to go.. until I physically can't go anymore.  For me, I have fewer seasons ahead than I do behind me.. 2018 marks my 40th season. I hope it's as much fun as the ones that are already history.

Good luck to all of you. These threads rub some folks the wrong way. For that a man needs to look inward. If you are not killing birds or having fun, change something.

[LaLongbeard]

I don't think numbers called/killed is the only measurement of a great Turkey hunter there's private land in states with high limits  were a hunter could call up and shoot 40 gobblers in less than a decade. Take that same "expert" to hard hunted public land in a state with a 2 gobbler limit and a low population and he could spend a lifetime getting to 40. I also think the traveling hunter( hunting public land) will be a more experienced hunter that has dealt  with gobblers on unfamiliar land with limited time and also dealing with the locals. And I don't think any of this applies to hunters that resort to reaping or sitting in blinds on food plots they could kill a hundred and not know how to hunt.

[falltoms]

I agree with something in everyone's post so far. The more turkeys a person calls into the gun the more experience one has, there's no doubt about it. Alot of factors play into (The best hunters). Private, public, and hard hunted birds, unfamiliar ground the list goes on and on. As phillipshunt quoted in his last sentence, one could kill lots of turkeys sitting in a blind, hunting a foodplot year after year, and not know how to hunt them,I agree. I like to hunt as many states as possible, and much experience can be gained from that. One can learn much from (Hard to kill gobblers), but only if you stick with them, it may take awhile but the things learned are priceless. There are many great hunters on here, but no one stops learning. Lets all strive to be the best we can be, and not worry what others think.

[Roost 1]

2yr old movie stars make people famous.  Come on down to the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) after the quota hunts if you want to see how you measure up... I'd take David Hale or Harold Knight at 70yrs old over any of the guys on TV today 30yrs younger than them. K&H are much better than their TV shows reflect. They just do that to pay the bills.

[mtns2hunt]

There are many great hunters on here, but no one stops learning. Lets all strive to be the best we can be, and not worry what others think.

Excellent statement!

[compton30]

I'm not sure what the number is,...whether in terms of gobblers called, days hunted, or places visited,...but once a serious hunter has spent enough time doing this, he should reach a level of competence in calling and tactics used that his success or failure becomes more a function of opportunity, locale, time afield, perseverance,...and sometimes most importantly, the random luck of choosing the right gobbler to hunt at the right time.

Having said all of that, there are a percentage of hunters who are just "intuitively" better at making the right decisions in terms of calling and tactics than others.  I also believe that, in today's turkey hunting world,... where anybody with any initiative as a turkey hunter can become a competent caller,...those "intuitive" differences are mainly a function of tactics more so than calling.

...And having said that, sometimes those "intuitive" decisions by the hunter do not match up with the calling and tactics that any one gobbler wants to be approached with at any given time.  There reaches a point where calling ability and tactical skills become less important than the gobbler's attitude that you are using them on.

.......And having said all of that, all other factors being equal, I will always place my money on the fellow that has hunted under many sets of circumstances and conditions than the fellow with equal experience who has not.

I think this is the best answer. Experience, Instincts, and Talent make the best hunter