More on YouTube Turkey Hunting

[camotoe]

Pretty much same here, yelps and patience . And my yelping has it good and bad days.


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[Treerooster]

Ok, probably gonna be a too long post here.

First off I have nothing against a guy using a blind and decoys. If that's the way you want to hunt great. If you don't want to work on being a better caller there is nothing wrong with that. And I can see why for some that is fine.

What gets me is this thing about calling. Like replicating the sounds turkeys make is all there is to being a good caller. But the ability to make a number turkey calls sound real, both loud & soft, is just the basics in calling. There is so much more to being a proficient caller. Of course knowing when to say what, along with how loud/soft to call and when to shut up is part of calling. Then there are calling methods like "pick a spot", "audio baiting", and "changing position" to name a few. Timing can be important, like answering a gobbler or hen before or immediately after they finish their call. Then what may be the most important...thinking! Think about the situation taking in many variables. Like breeding phase, hunting pressure, time of day, recent knowledge of what has happened to the bird/flock you are calling to...etc...etc.

Then there is the woodsmanship vs calling argument. For me I don't really separate the two. Sure at the extreme ends they are different things. But take stealth for example. If you make a bunch of unnatural noise or walk across an open field in the predawn. Then set down and try to call in a gobbler that has heard/seen something he just may be reluctant to go to you. To me stealth is a part of calling. And the list goes on... knowing likely spots, knowing terrain, knowing breeding phase...etc.

If you want to separate calling and woodsmanship, fine.  But here is a novel idea (if you want to be a better turkey hunter)...why not be good at both?

I don't claim to be an expert and know it all.  I guess a lot, but the more experience I have and try to think the situation through, the more "good luck" I seem have. Off the top of my head...all these calls I am going to list have "broke" a hung up spring gobbler for me at one time or another. Cutting, gobble, jake gobble, male yelping, kee kee, quaver, leaf scratching, and silence. 

It seems there is a negative attitude for a guy to try to be a good at calling a turkey and I just don't get it. If you don't want to improve great. But if a guy wants to become a better turkey hunter (and have more fun at it IMO) then why not?

[Hobbes]

I used to cringe at some of the calling until I listened to my own.     If it took great calling with a lot of different vocalizations, I probably would have to sneak on turkeys.  I basically use one vocalization, yelps.  Soft yelps, loud yelps, fast excited yelps, etc.  I throw in a few cuts every now and again for good measure.  I am hunting dumb and easy Western turkeys, so maybe that's how I get by with it.

Watched your videos. You sound like those birds. I don't sound anything like that. I'm taking notes for if I ever hunt those areas.

What I hear on the video doesn't sound quite like what I hear sitting there, but I seem to do alright killing them.  I'm going to try to make it back east next year to see if I can still kill Easterns.  I may have to make some adjustments to my methods.

[Hobbes]

Ok, probably gonna be a too long post here.

First off I have nothing against a guy using a blind and decoys. If that's the way you want to hunt great. If you don't want to work on being a better caller there is nothing wrong with that. And I can see why for some that is fine.

What gets me is this thing about calling. Like replicating the sounds turkeys make is all there is to being a good caller. But the ability to make a number turkey calls sound real, both loud & soft, is just the basics in calling. There is so much more to being a proficient caller. Of course knowing when to say what, along with how loud/soft to call and when to shut up is part of calling. Then there are calling methods like "pick a spot", "audio baiting", and "changing position" to name a few. Timing can be important, like answering a gobbler or hen before or immediately after they finish their call. Then what may be the most important...thinking! Think about the situation taking in many variables. Like breeding phase, hunting pressure, time of day, recent knowledge of what has happened to the bird/flock you are calling to...etc...etc.

Then there is the woodsmanship vs calling argument. For me I don't really separate the two. Sure at the extreme ends they are different things. But take stealth for example. If you make a bunch of unnatural noise or walk across an open field in the predawn. Then set down and try to call in a gobbler that has heard/seen something he just may be reluctant to go to you. To me stealth is a part of calling. And the list goes on... knowing likely spots, knowing terrain, knowing breeding phase...etc.

If you want to separate calling and woodsmanship, fine.  But here is a novel idea (if you want to be a better turkey hunter)...why not be good at both?

I don't claim to be an expert and know it all.  I guess a lot, but the more experience I have and try to think the situation through, the more "good luck" I seem have. Off the top of my head...all these calls I am going to list have "broke" a hung up spring gobbler for me at one time or another. Cutting, gobble, jake gobble, male yelping, kee kee, quaver, leaf scratching, and silence. 

It seems there is a negative attitude for a guy to try to be a good at calling a turkey and I just don't get it. If you don't want to improve great. But if a guy wants to become a better turkey hunter (and have more fun at it IMO) then why not?

Good post Treerooster.  I've never felt there was a separation between the two.  Good or at least sufficient calling is part of this "woodsmanship" term that guys throw around.  I made the statement once when asked what I thought the term "woodsmanship" meant (on here I think).  My response was "the word that folks use as an excuse to suck at calling".  I don't think my definition won any awards. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Turkeys were 1000% better off and turkey hunting on public land was 1000% more enjoyable before these YouTube characters emerged.

And that's a fact, Jack.

[LaLongbeard]

Please don't take this wrong, I am not trying to pump myself up at all. The very best compliment I ever received from a seasoned turkey hunter was:

I like hunting with "Eggshell", because there's almost as much turkey in that man as there is human. Turkeys just seem to be drawn to him or him to them, whichever it is. If your with him your gonna see turkeys and your gonna get a chance to shoot them. So when he invites me I'm going.

This is a man I respect immensely as a hunter and I was honored he felt that way. I have lived in the woods and along the streams all my life from the day I could walk. I was allowed to go to the river on my own by 8 to catch fish and I would go hunting on own by 10-12. I studied animals all the time. To me, I agree there is no separation, hunting should be an amalgam of woodsmanship, calling, knowing your quarry and what is natural. The more you appear to fit in the woods the more game you will see. This includes making the sounds as they hear them everyday. I see some of the you tubers doing this and other are just plowing up the woods.

How does any of the first part of the post have  anything to do with YouTube? Some of my all time favorite posts are the low key braggarts lol.

[falltoms]

Please don't take this wrong, I am not trying to pump myself up at all. The very best compliment I ever received from a seasoned turkey hunter was:

I like hunting with "Eggshell", because there's almost as much turkey in that man as there is human. Turkeys just seem to be drawn to him or him to them, whichever it is. If your with him your gonna see turkeys and your gonna get a chance to shoot them. So when he invites me I'm going.

This is a man I respect immensely as a hunter and I was honored he felt that way. I have lived in the woods and along the streams all my life from the day I could walk. I was allowed to go to the river on my own by 8 to catch fish and I would go hunting on own by 10-12. I studied animals all the time. To me, I agree there is no separation, hunting should be an amalgam of woodsmanship, calling, knowing your quarry and what is natural. The more you appear to fit in the woods the more game you will see. This includes making the sounds as they hear them everyday. I see some of the you tubers doing this and other are just plowing up the woods.

How does any of the first part of the post have  anything to do with YouTube? Some of my all time favorite posts are the low key braggarts lol.

I got a laugh outta this one ?

[eggshell]

How does any of the first part of the post have  anything to do with YouTube? Some of my all time favorite posts are the low key braggarts lol.

yeah, I stepped right in the turkey pooh there. I won't disagree with you, it reads that way once I came back and read it. You got me, Oh well. Once a rock is thrown you can't take it back. I'll delete it but the quotes will still stick to me.

What I really wanted to say is the level of hunting skills I expect to see is absent, in a lot of youtube videos. I thought my own experience would be a good guide to evaluate that, guess not.

[GobblinNC]

What do ya'll think about this one? 80 yard shot at a gobbler that is breeding a hen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k81k-G7S8VM&t=149s

[guesswho]

I personally find it ridiculous, but the if it's legal crowd will probably disagree.   I have my doubts on the 80 yard claim too.    What is really aggravating to me is he also wounded the other bird that possibly died.   Bad decision on the shooters part, and I also put blame on the guy telling him he better do something quick.   Why not let them walk off, then reposition and try it again.   Legally moronic!   Even more disheartening is the fact hat there are three times as many thumbs up as thumbs down.   Kind of gives you a rough idea of what direction turkey hunting is headed.

[GobblinNC]

I couldn't believe what I was watching...

[Greg Massey]

What do ya'll think about this one? 80 yard shot at a gobbler that is breeding a hen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k81k-G7S8VM&t=149s

x2 agree , that was little extreme .. I don't care for most of his video's ...

[GobbleNut]

What do ya'll think about this one? 80 yard shot at a gobbler that is breeding a hen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k81k-G7S8VM&t=149s

I'm speechless.  First of all, I can't believe that these guys,...who are supposed to be experienced turkey hunters and supposedly have some level of notoriety,...would have EVER considered taking that shot. 

Secondly, the nonchalance when they realized there was a hen under that gobbler is totally unacceptable to me.  I accept the idea that they did not realize the hen was there due to the distance (which, again, should have been their first clue to not take that shot), but to then not go through the process of determining whether the hen was wounded with a thorough review of the video (which is inconclusive, but suggests that she might have been hit, as well) and a thorough search in the direction she went.  Assuming for a moment that perhaps they did indeed review the video and then look for the hen, the fact that they did not then talk about the incident and use it as a teaching moment on the video to explain the importance of clearly identifying the target and anything around it is doubly troubling to me. 

The bottom line is the participants in that video,...and the Realtree folks that allowed it to be aired,...should be totally ashamed of themselves.  Personally, I plan on giving them a "piece of my mind" about it,...and I hope plenty of other turkey hunters do the same!

[Southerngobbler]

If that's what they're willing to show to everyone imagine whats they edit out. That's not likely the worst of their behavior.

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

That hen was hit, I don't watch youtube stars, and that's only one reason why.