Talking turkey

[JPH]

Ahhh turkey season. One of the few things that can take my mind off deer hunting for a while.

I was pretty active over on the T&TH forum at one time but left in order to escape heresy charges. Apparently the use of decoys, spot-and-stalk, or failing to wear a necktie while hunting are all deadly sins in the South and a few pockets above the Mason-Dixon. How was I to know? Okay, maybe I stirred them up a little for fun.

Anyway, I have been asked to come back (by the staff) and I think I'll give it a try. Please, please come over with me everyone! Some of those posters there hate my guts. One of them even tried to follow me here and got banned. I would love to have some friendly shoulders to cry on. LOL!

Seriously, it has the potential to be a great forum. Check it out.

[OHhunter]

I've been going to T&TH site again here recently also, boy it don't take much to get em' going over there. 

[paulie]

Plan on turkey hunting this spring for the first time. I've got a fair idea of what I'm doin but,any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[DeanoZ]

ORIGINAL: JPH

Ahhh turkey season. One of the few things that can take my mind off deer hunting for a while.

I was pretty active over on the T&TH forum at one time but left in order to escape heresy charges. Apparently the use of decoys, spot-and-stalk, or failing to wear a necktie while hunting are all deadly sins in the South and a few pockets above the Mason-Dixon. How was I to know? Okay, maybe I stirred them up a little for fun.

Anyway, I have been asked to come back (by the staff) and I think I'll give it a try. Please, please come over with me everyone! Some of those posters there hate my guts. One of them even tried to follow me here and got banned. I would love to have some friendly shoulders to cry on. LOL!

Seriously, it has the potential to be a great forum. Check it out.

 
I'm over there and saw the bashing (unjustified IMHO)...OHhunter is right...it does not take much to get them going...just look at the threads on decoys and blinds *bigeyeroll.  Everyone had their own opinions and I say live and let live, as long as its legal.  Don't get me wrong there are some great folks there who have been very helpful...but it certainly has its share of trouble makers and "holier than thou" types.  One thing I can say about D&DH is for the most part we stick together and respect each other...sure every once in a while a controvertial topic may be discussed, but there is no name calling or disrespect amongst us...I think that says a lot.
 
JPH, no worries I'll check back int to T&TH tomorrow, I got your six!!!

[DeanoZ]

ORIGINAL: paulie

Plan on turkey hunting this spring for the first time. I've got a fair idea of what I'm doin but,any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 
I'm fairly new to it as well paulie...check into T&TH, look for some of my threads (under my same handle) I asked some fairly basic "New to turkey hunting, help!" questions and got great feedback.  I would also pick JPH's brain, based on what I've learned on T&TH he knows his way around a stubborn gobbler!  If you still don't get any answers, let me know and I can share what I've learned.

[paulie]

Thanks Deano, I was a little reluctant to go there (T&TH site) being that I dont really know "whos who". I mean, here, I'm familiar with most of the folks on the boards. I'll have to swing over there and give it a look though. Thanks again!!

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: DeanoZ

ORIGINAL: paulie

Plan on turkey hunting this spring for the first time. I've got a fair idea of what I'm doin but,any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would also pick JPH's brain, based on what I've learned on T&TH he knows his way around a stubborn gobbler! 

My advice? Get out while you still can!

Once you start you will soon be spending all your money on camo, calls, vests, guns, shells, maps, headnets, tags, seats, decoys, blinds, and GAS. You be forced to live on 3-4 hours of sleep a night for months at a time, while subsisting on a diet of snickers bars and coffee. You will be eaten alive by ticks, skeeters and pecker gnats. You will begin to strain your ears for faint gobbles while your wife is talking. You will be ripped to shreds by thorns, soaked to the bone and baked to a crisp.

It is too late for the rest of us, but you can still save yourself and your marrage. Please, for your own sake, take up golf.

However if you cannot be swayed, I can offer a little advice. Don't get too hung up on gadgets. Less is more when it comes to gear. Learn to call by calling...a lot. Do not be afraid to make a bad noise or to over call. You will learn more by over calling than by under calling and you will have more fun. Another point is that you should be willing to reposition yet never move at the wrong time (when you figure this one out, let me know). Lastly, never allow "conventional" turkey hunting wisdom to keep you from killing a bird. They do not read the books.

[paulie]

Thanks JPH! Actually, I took up golf last year (no joke)! Oh and I'm not married so, the time, is all mine[:)]!! Ya know, if I didnt know better, I'd think you were trying to keep all them birds for yourself[;)]! Hey, thanks for the tips!!

[bigwisconsinbucks]

I'm over there with you on the T&TH forum JPH, but I haven't posted there in quite a while. I loved seeing all the pics of your gobblers last year. Must be nice hunting in Iowa.lol. Wisconsin turkey hunting is pretty good too.
 
BTW guys my name on T&TH is wisgobbler.

[rweyman]

Here in Ky. our season starts April 18th and runs through May 10th. I can't wait for opening day, its almost as exciting as opening day of deer season for me. I know, even on a bad day, usually you don't get cold, you can lay back and soak up the warm sunshine waiting for a tom to answer your call. And what a awesome feeling when you hear that gobble. JPH, I joined T&TH forum but the way they jumped on you about using decoys, I still have not posted on it. I hunt mostly open fields for my birds and it makes it hard  to move around, but I know that the birds will eventually come to the fields, so I wait till I see them and a little calling with the decoys sure helps to bring them in. Last year I had one bird that wouldn't come in at all, but he and his gals made the same pass through the fields every day, so I set up w/no decoys and used no calls and as they made their pass through and I put him down. Do you have any other suggestions on taking birds that will not come in to any calls in the open fields?