For the newer turkey hunters. Understand that hunts you see on TV are mostly for entertainment purposes and to sell products. It is actually harder to be successful hunting like they do on TV than it is in real life, unless your on prime property with multiple targets. Turkey hunting is a pretty simple game when you break it down. You just have to put three or four pieces of a puzzle together each hunt. Find a bird, find a spot you think he's comfortable coming to (this comes with experience), call just enough to keep him interested, sometimes you may have to hammer him like they do on TV, but most of the time far less calling is required, Sit relatively still, know your weapons effective range and keep shots well within that range. Learn these steps and build from there. Simplicity kills turkeys, the rest is for show and entertainment.
Quote from: guesswho on February 08, 2017, 09:37:39 AM
For the newer turkey hunters. Understand that hunts you see on TV are mostly for entertainment purposes and to sell products. It is actually harder to be successful hunting like they do on TV than it is in real life, unless your on prime property with multiple targets. Turkey hunting is a pretty simple game when you break it down. You just have to put three or four pieces of a puzzle together each hunt. Find a bird, find a spot you think he's comfortable coming to (this comes with experience), call just enough to keep him interested, sometimes you may have to hammer him like they do on TV, but most of the time far less calling is required, Sit relatively still, know your weapons effective range and keep shots well within that range. Learn these steps and build from there. Simplicity kills turkeys, the rest is for show and entertainment.
Only thing i would add is spend as much time in the woods as you can with turkeys and listen to these birds as you become more WISE hunting these birds a bird can tell you a lot in what he wants in your calling him to the gun barrel. Patience's is a big part of the game you want see on these hunting show's , because again most of the show's are around 12 -15 mins of a 30 min. show...Remember turkeys do what turkeys do....Shows do what shows do but they do support our 2 Amendment........
Quote from: Greg Massey on February 08, 2017, 10:05:54 AM
Quote from: guesswho on February 08, 2017, 09:37:39 AM
For the newer turkey hunters. Understand that hunts you see on TV are mostly for entertainment purposes and to sell products. It is actually harder to be successful hunting like they do on TV than it is in real life, unless your on prime property with multiple targets. Turkey hunting is a pretty simple game when you break it down. You just have to put three or four pieces of a puzzle together each hunt. Find a bird, find a spot you think he's comfortable coming to (this comes with experience), call just enough to keep him interested, sometimes you may have to hammer him like they do on TV, but most of the time far less calling is required, Sit relatively still, know your weapons effective range and keep shots well within that range. Learn these steps and build from there. Simplicity kills turkeys, the rest is for show and entertainment.
Only thing i would add is spend as much time in the woods as you can with turkeys and listen to these birds as you become more WISE hunting these birds a bird can tell you a lot in what he wants in your calling him to the gun barrel. Patience's is a big part of the game you want see on these hunting show's , because again most of the show's are around 12 -15 mins of a 30 min. show...Remember turkeys do what turkeys do....Shows do what shows do but they do support our 2 Amendment........
Good Stuff here!
And yes when filming the hunt is not always aired as it happened... Editing happens. There is a lot to filming for a show when you are talking Sponsors and such and of course "Having the Kill" on camera. Funny if you watch how product endorsements are woven into the "show". If you start looking some are of course obvious and some are in there that your head just recognizes. You can't imagine how big the money machine is...
MK M GOBL
Whether it be public or private, learn big chunks of land well. Not a way point on a GPS good but that forked white oak on the other side of the creek. Reason being, those birds know it that well. As Ben Lee said becoming a good woodsman and knowing his habits will make you a better turkey hunter.
Quote from: guesswho on February 08, 2017, 09:37:39 AM
For the newer turkey hunters. Understand that hunts you see on TV are mostly for entertainment purposes and to sell products. It is actually harder to be successful hunting like they do on TV than it is in real life, unless your on prime property with multiple targets. Turkey hunting is a pretty simple game when you break it down. You just have to put three or four pieces of a puzzle together each hunt. Find a bird, find a spot you think he's comfortable coming to (this comes with experience), call just enough to keep him interested, sometimes you may have to hammer him like they do on TV, but most of the time far less calling is required, Sit relatively still, know your weapons effective range and keep shots well within that range. Learn these steps and build from there. Simplicity kills turkeys, the rest is for show and entertainment.
This^^^^^^^^
And you must learn to control the loose nut behind the trigger.
Quote from: guesswho on February 08, 2017, 09:37:39 AM
For the newer turkey hunters. Understand that hunts you see on TV are mostly for entertainment purposes and to sell products. It is actually harder to be successful hunting like they do on TV than it is in real life, unless your on prime property with multiple targets. Turkey hunting is a pretty simple game when you break it down. You just have to put three or four pieces of a puzzle together each hunt. Find a bird, find a spot you think he's comfortable coming to (this comes with experience), call just enough to keep him interested, sometimes you may have to hammer him like they do on TV, but most of the time far less calling is required, Sit relatively still, know your weapons effective range and keep shots well within that range. Learn these steps and build from there. Simplicity kills turkeys, the rest is for show and entertainment.
Good post.
Yep! Well said, looking back I feel hunting shows gave me a false expectation of what turkey hunting really was when I started. They leave out all the work that was done by the outfitter patterning the turkeys or the fact that the place is managed for turkey hunting so there are gobblers everywhere. Not a real life scenario.
Last year I started giving turkey hunting seminars in my shop on the weekends in conjunction with the DEC hunter safety course. My opening line to a new group of people is always "Before we begin lets just forget everything you've seen on TV"....
True words
If only folks like Dwain Bland were around these days to properly school a hunter , instead of the stuff we mostly see on TV
Quote from: Old Gobbler on February 12, 2017, 06:10:27 PM
True words
If only folks like Dwain Bland were around these days to properly school a hunter , instead of the stuff we mostly see on TV
:icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: You got that right along with Ken Morgan and Gene Nunnery.
Quote from: Rzrbac on February 08, 2017, 12:02:20 PM
Whether it be public or private, learn big chunks of land well. Not a way point on a GPS good but that forked white oak on the other side of the creek. Reason being, those birds know it that well. As Ben Lee said becoming a good woodsman and knowing his habits will make you a better turkey hunter.
Couldn't agree anymore. You get to know that 30ft of a little hill you can sneak behind to get a better shot/sight for your bird.
Love Dwain Bland's book...Turkey Hunters Digest...that's a guy i would have loved to travel and hunt turkeys with..Great stuff!,,real turkey hunting info...not a product driven advertisement
Quote from: greencop01 on February 12, 2017, 08:32:39 PM
Quote from: Old Gobbler on February 12, 2017, 06:10:27 PM
True words
If only folks like Dwain Bland were around these days to properly school a hunter , instead of the stuff we mostly see on TV
:icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: You got that right along with Ken Morgan and Gene Nunnery.
Kenny Morgan is still here through me, but every time I open my typewriter mouth on this or most other sites, I get shamed. The new breed doesn't want to know how to hunt turkeys, rather how to kill turkeys and as Kenny said to me several times, "a lot of people know how to kill turkeys, but few know how to hunt them". A prime example is my "learn to call" thread in this section which has and will remain on the bottom of the list.
^^^ You won't be shamed by me brother ^^^
People look at you like a buffoon when you say "learn a turkeys language"
You can tell by the same old over and over questions that have popped up recently that people aren't even willing to do 5 minutes of research on any subject.
Quote from: trkehunr93 on February 10, 2017, 08:32:22 AM
Yep! Well said, looking back I feel hunting shows gave me a false expectation of what turkey hunting really was when I started. They leave out all the work that was done by the outfitter patterning the turkeys or the fact that the place is managed for turkey hunting so there are gobblers everywhere. Not a real life scenario.
Hunting shows do show success otherwise no one would watch them. LOL. Growing up all I had to hunt was public land. I did not know how to call Turkeys or deer. There were a few books that never helped me much as books just cannot talk. Do you know what it is like to hunt Deer and Turkeys year after year with no success? I do! I read people talking on this forum about passing on Jake's, small bucks or not seeing enough game. Let me tell you if you hunt hard for 2 or 3 years with no luck you will shoot anything with hair or feathers if it is legal.
I watched every hunting show I could for pointers (there weren't as many shows back then as now). Edited or not I did pick up a lot of information and was able to watch how real animals behaved even if they were on some kind of preserve. I tried their tactics as explained by the hunters. Most of them did not work but some did and through trial and error I gained experience and I finally started killing both deer and Turkeys. I was successful enough that people started following me to my stands and I would have to take the long way around.
I would not slight the information available on TV shows. Those shows were all I had (besides outdoor life).
It has been my experience that learning to hunt from a TV show would be similar to learning about how to improve your marriage by watching sitcoms... In both cases, it is a heck of a lot easier on TV....
When you are struggling you look for any form of information or experience you can obtain. My watching hunting shows was not difficult as I was only looking for information. Had I not watched some of those shows I would not have hunted antelope or mule deer in Wyoming, elk in Montana, bear in Virginia and Canada (fishing was great also), Mountain lion in Wyoming Turkey in New Mexico or deer in Mississippi. Sitcoms? Awful lot of women watch them - LOL might even help your marriage.