Biggest change in your hunting style

[Bottomland]

Letting the birds dictate the situation.  Meaning if they are aggressive gobbling or yelping then ill do the same.  If they are quite then ill do the same.

Also patience.  Learning when I'm ready to move to new spot due to no action or gobbling.... I tell myself to wait one more hour.

I believe more patience has killed more birds for me than any type of calling.

[Hooksfan]

Dads late 1950's  Army fatigues <Modern Camo
Sitting back up against tree <Gobbler lounger
Dads 30" barrel 12 Gauge pump<20 Gauge Youth Model
2 3/4" #6 Remington Game loads<Hand loaded TSS #9
Run to flopping  turkey<Walk to flopping Turkey
Try to convince others how great a Turkey hunter I am<Laugh at how many hunts I mess up.
Meticulously keep track how many birds I see die yearly <
Cant recall/dont care from one year till the next.
Cant sleep night before season opener <Sleep just fine
Walk hills, chase birds no problems<Leg cramps all night
Dont let a woman interfere with Turkey hunting<No change here.

[Trax]

For me, just the slow progression of setting up closer and closer to gobbling birds.

Just after years of learning what you can get away with in the woods, realizing how close you can actually get... the bird has a much shorter distance to travel into gun range, and that makes all the difference.

[tjh24]

It's not necessarily a change... but I'm completely open to use about all methods of hunting. I do a lot of big woods ridge running, but I also know that a blind and dsds are an absolutely awesome way to kill birds. I must admit it's a lot of fun watching these birds a super close distances.  Overall, I'm much more open and flexible in methods to kil birds.

[teke59]

once on a bird patience, patience and some more patience

[rcleofly]

I'm getting ready for my 5th season. I hunt in Michigan and have never had more then 3-1/2 days to tag a public land turkey. This year I have 7.

My first turkey hunt will be a weekend I'll never forget. I'm on a trout stream casting a dry fly early in the morning. I here a turkey gobble. I look across the river and watch for a bit. He's gobbling off the limb. I've never seen this before and I was forever changed. It was my first time hearing a gobble.

I met up with my buddy about a mile down stream and told him what I saw in amazement. I was a bow hunter (deer) and we both hunted waterfowl together. On the drive home we decided to turkey hunt. We stopped to buy licenses and upon doing so were told we would only have the following week to hunt. We were clueless as to how it all worked. With our fishing spot being on public land we made sure to have permits to hunt that spot.

The following weekend we went out to this little clearing not far from the river. We were so excited. We sat up against a big white oak tree in the center of the clearing shivering with excitement. As it got light we hit the box call. Gobbles rang out from what seemed to be all around us. It was like thunder rolling threw your chest. I don't think either one of us has ever seen the other so excited. We sat and scratched that box call and listened to gobbles for what seemed an eternity. Eventually the gobbles stopped. We sat up against that tree until dark. Never saw a feather.

The next morning (our last day) we had a plan. Make them gobble then follow the gobbles to get close. Should be easy enough. We sat up against our big oak tree and waited, and waited and waited. No gobbles. We covered every inch of that chunk of property that day calling every ten minutes. We never heard a gobble close enough to get a good direction on. We were completely defeated and mystified when the sun went down. That may have been our quietest drive home ever.

We have both become die hard turkey hunters sense. Not a week goes by that we don't talk about, plan and research our next hunt. We are constantly changing, adjusting and learning new things. Trying different methods. Failing and making new game plans. And failing again.

We have yet to find two turkeys who act alike or have two hunts go exactly the same. Our tactics are adjusted and evolve on the fly. We reevaluate our situation ever hour on the hour. I honestly believe this challenge is what has made turkey hunting our favorite week ever year. I think if I were able to say "this is what I do" and it regularly worked, I'd probably not love turkey hunting nearly as much.

But, I don't believe I have to worry because in my minimal experience over the last four years. I have zero idea what these damn birds are going to do EVER! Lol. That being said I have zero idea what in the hell I'm going to do.

Good luck this spring gents!


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[wvmntnhick]

Shotgun. I find myself carrying a shotgun more often. That's been the biggest change. Well, that and the quality of the calls I use.


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[Ctrize]

Don't need the big gun nor big shells to kill a turkey.

[CT Spur Collector]

Not running after them anymore, if I can't call him to me, I'm going home for Cheerios.....and coffee.

[WV Flopper]

Awesome post guys.

A.G.E. for me. I hunt slower and much more silent, not calling but stealth wise. I hunt the same, start high and cover all the ground I can. Instead on covering it by 9am it may be 12pm now.

I have run the same Cody world class call since 1992 I believe, the gun is a 18 year old BPS 10 gauge. I have went to Nitro's, currently TSS, they are awesome! I have bought new camo every year or two. Stopped using a decoy in 91 and haven't owned one since.

I have started to branch out a little, trying to find something new I guess out of the same old turkeys. Last year I packed up, drove 250 miles across the state and hunted where I have never stepped foot. It worked out well for me, and I seen some new things. This year, 3 weeks from now I am going to Florida. That will be a new ball game I am sure, no guide, DIY. It is private grounds which is good, I think.

I have a 13 year old son that is starting to show a little more interest in turkey hunting. Which to me is awesome, he can carry the torch for the name when I hang it up. He has his own M2 20 gauge and a Cody world class slate. Maybe this year I let him run that call in the woods?

If I am fortunate I will die in the woods sitting beside a mature gobbler. If not, I want my friends to spread my ashes in a place they no I would love to be.

[Kytomgetter]

Hunting from a blind

[grayfox]

I hunt a lot slower, sit a lot longer & sleep a lot more in the woods. I'm getting old!

[quavers59]

30th Spring coming up and 59 here. Willing during the first 5 days to take a Gamble and hunt close to the road for once.

[THattaway]

Simply really.
#1 Hunt when conditions are good. Blessed to have a job now where I can pick and choose days.
#2 Don't try to hunt more than 3 days straight. Past that I tend to be tired and hunt sloppy. Walked 160+ miles last season, mountains to lowcountry swamps.

[gary harris]

going to try different calls this year 2 pot calls 1 box call and 2 wing bone calls I made