I'm starting to hate turkeys

[klg53]

Anybody else getting frustrated with these #@$%in' turkeys, this is my third year hunting them and i have yet to bag a bird. I've came close a couple times, but never even gotten a shot. How long did it take all you guys to get their first turkey? Also, if anyone wants to offer their guiding services to guarantee me a bird, hahaha. Oh well, 2 more weekends to try this year.

 

[GunnerJon]

It took me til my second year of hunting to bag a gobbler.....don't worry, stick it out. I finally called in my brother-in-law's first tom last year during 3rd season.....it was his 5th or 6th year without getting a bird.

 

[muddy]

i think i hunted for 4 years till i got my first bird with a gun. when i started bowhunting it took 3 years. this year i'm having a bought of bad luck like yourself. keep at it, and try to learn from every experience, things will turn around eventually.

 

[jason]

I've killed two birds since i've started 4 years ago. Yet to kill a tom, I have 2 jakes under my belt. I can call in hens and jakes all day, but when it comes to calling a tom in, im stumpted! Dont worry man, on of these days we will both get a hot tom from our sweet talking!
Good luck, and don't give up!

jason

 

[Rackaddict]

I'm still empty handed for this year. Bad weather, bad luck, whatever it is it's been tough. I put two arrows in a jake opening day and all I got were feathers and two lost arrows.

It took me a couple of years to bag a gobbler when I first started hunting and then when I went to a bow it took me 3 years before I got one. Who knows, it might be 3 more years but then no one said it was easy but it sure is fun. Tomorrow is a new day with clear skies predicted. Could be the most exciting hunting yet! We'll soon see. Good luck and Goodnight...4:30am is early for this night owl!

 

[Liv4Rut]

i started hunting them when i was nine, and I killed my first one when i was 12, just jake but i remember it like it was yesterday. seems like over the years i either call them in, or i just happen to walk around the corner and theres one there

somedays it seems they are the hardest thing in the world other days it seems like it just couldnt get any easier, stick with it, it will happen soon

 

[Kat]

Don't hate me because I killed a tom the first year I turkey hunted... I took it down to the wire, the season only had a few days left and I had to work that bird for an hour and a half before he finally came in. I had to take advantage because he knew something was up the moment he stepped into the clear. I got him as he turned around to step back into cover - always be ready.

My biggest tom to date was an old boss that wouldn't come in to a call for nothing. I finally used a deer hunting tactic and patterned a small group of hens. I sat where they crossed a pasture almost every day. I figured one of the times the boss would have to be with them. It took me four days in a row, but he finally showed. I still had to do the 'ol belly crawl for about 10 yards because they changed course a bit. That bird was so old his double beards had turned grey, except for the tips.

Moral of the story - don't give up and don't be afraid to try some oddball tactics.

 

[Liv4Rut]

just like KAT said, dont be scared to try oddball tactics!!!! if they dont come to you, you go to them, like for instance, Scott IC and I were out hunting 3rd season, the weather really sucked, the birds never gobbled a bit we had no clue where they were. so after about a hour and a half of driving we finally found some, a quick talk to the farmer and a well layed out stalk, and the rest were just details

sometimes it just happens when least expected, one time i was climbing a huge ridge, got to the top and kind of stumbled on a brushpile, next thing i knew 3 huge gobblers came running out of the other side of it, I pulled up the gun, and shot the biggest one on a dead run

 

[moosehunter]

Not intending to rub any thing in but the first 4 years I turkey hunted I think I was done each time in less than an hour. I know a lot of luck played into all that but it seemed to easy. I didn't go for 3 years or so then Hogie talked me into going with a bow this year. Got my 1st bowkill on the second setup. Then got another tag and killed my second bird again on the second setup. I might be the only guy in the world that has killed 6 birds with maybe 10 or 12 hours in the woods. Has to be luck. I think my calls sound stupid and see no reason why a tom would come into them. Probabably really stupid birds, bordering on retarted. Maybe I should start my own turkey hunting TV show......

 

[Liv4Rut]

moosehunter, you remind me of The Roosta's friend, this guy has never hunted in his life and The Roosta took him hunting 4 years in a row during 3rd season and hasnt hunted an hour total and killed 4 birds, lol, why cant it be that easy when The Roosta and I go

needless to say we want to walk him all over overhunted public hunting areas to let him know how it really is

 

[Jethro]

Speaking of oddball tactics. I did somthing different yesterday that i'd never done before. We were hunting a hardwood patch in the morning and had plenty of action however the hens were just killing us on getting any toms to come in. Just when we would get a tom working good you would here the hen yelp and cut and then it was silient again. Around 8:00 it was really quiet no gobbleing ar anything. We picked up and moved to another ridge and let out some cutting and yelps with nothing in return. We set up and started calling about 10 minuets later my friend who is not very good at calling (no offense he is learning) pulled out his slate call and let out a yelp that would about curl your hair. I was thinking to myself WOW that sounds like crap. I didn't say anything but let him keep at it, after all he's learning. After the third time of him doing this i heard a gobble about 100 yards away i thought it was coincidence and I started to call back to the gobbler. Nothing! After my third time i told him to try it again. He did and then two gobbled and cut him off. I cut, purred and yelped with no avail. He called again and they gobbled again. So i'm thinking to myself boy do i feel stupid. So instaed of my normal way of calling i called like he did which i thought sounded like crap and behold they gobbled again. After fifteen minutes of this i heard a hen yelp farther out than they were and that ended that. But i learned somthing new that somtimes you just need to do stuff different than what they are used to hearing and seeing to get a response. I will definatley remeber this for those late season birds. We didn't wind up getting a bird but it was a great morning of hunting.