I don't want to get too philosophical here, but I have been thinking a lot about "why" lately. Especially since cabin fever set in. Why do we all love hunting turkey's so much? I am sure the answer is a little different for all of us. However, I would be interested to know why each of us go so insane for hunting and protecting these birds.
For me I feel that the long wait from duck and deer season to the spring turkey hunt has a lot to do with it. The long wait and anticipation certainly makes it like Christmas morning. However, I still hunt through the winter for coyotes, so its not like I don't hunt at all through this time.
Of course there is the challenge, and being in the woods at such a beautiful time of year, but there must be more too it than that. I have met a lot of turkey hunters in my day. Each one I have met all had the same thing in common. We are all literally consumed by these birds. Yes, I love to hunt period, but what exactly is it with the turkey? Maybe its viral?! :) Maybe we are all infected.
There are a lot of reasons why I love turkey hunting but this quote from Tom Kelly's book, "Tenth Legion" pretty much sums it up. This feeling is why I first fell in love with turkey hunting, why I became obsessed with it, and why I cannot get enough of it. It is like a drug.
"The first turkey that ever came to me on the ground did it a long time ago. I sat there with my hands shaking and my breath short and my heart hammering so hard I could not understand why he could not hear it. The last turkey that came to me last spring had exactly the same effect, and the day that this does not happen to me is the day that I quit." - Tom Kelly
what he said!
Its a feeling like no other. its a rush and a high that I get from no other pursuit of a critter. only Turkeys can satisfy it.
It's up close,personal.and in your face. Most of the game we hunt,we ambush. Turkey hunting they come in looking for us.
I think about the "why" part all the time. It's fun to think about "why".
I think cabin fever has some to do with it.. I like it because it's a challenge. Reversing natures course is no easy task. If it were, turkeys would be extinct. There is no more satisfying feeling than right after you drop the hammer and see that bird flopping and you realize all the hard work you put into that one shot.
For me I think of turkey hunting as a wind down sport. Due to a bad back and knee I do not hunt the deer, elk, bear and pheasants anymore. As a kid we had quail on our farm and the doves flew in like clock work to nest raise their young and fly out but no real duck or geese hunting.'
I was raised to believe if you shot it you ate it and that usually meant 5 to 10 mile pack out one way. I can drive over the mountain and hunt turkeys without the long trip back to my vehicle.
Turkey hunting has put me back outdoors with enthusiasm for a sport I can enjoy. I like to smoke the turkeys I shoot and most of all just fooling them in their own back yard is enough the shooting is just a bonus.
Enjoy
:fud:
The Gobble !!!
I like it because I am a bonafied Killer! :z-guntootsmiley:
Me? I love it because I know that if ol'tom comes to me it is because I did everything right. Alot more rewarding for me than just sitting in a stand and hoping a deer wanders by! :turkey2:
I love the thunder gobble that blows your hat off up close and personal
Definitely the Gobble and overall beauty of the bird. I like to hear them gobbling to a call but the best gobbling is when that old longbeard doesn't make a peep and sneaks in on you and all of the sudden lets a gobble out and scares you half to death. Its a great time of year to be in the woods and enjoy all of what nature has to offer.
Not to mention that the worse thing that can happen on a turkey hunt is that you end up taking a nap under a tree on a nice spring morning... I've seen worse :-)
The gobble! I like hearing them sound off. When it's closer then the last one that'll get your blood flowing
For me I'd say spring has something to do with it, I love being outdoors in the spring regardless of what I'm doing. Mainly though,as posted before its the gobble, especially the loud thundering ones of the Northern Missouri easterns I hunt. The interaction between me (calling) and him (gobbling, strutting drumming) is a huge part of it as well. Theres the cat/mouse game that is often times played between you and the bird. Theres so many reasons I'm infatuated with turkeys I can't nail it down to one or two.
The booming gobble is a big part of it, I don't even want to hunt them if they're not talking, such as the fall. The challenge of tricking them and their long drawn out approach builds the excitement to a high level, especially for wiser birds that may take an hour or two to kill. For sure it's not for the 3-4 pounds of tough breast meat that probably cost me $75 a pound. Bottom line, it's an endeavor that 20 years later still makes me weak in the knees and causes my heart to skip a beat as I'm taking out the slack in my trigger. When I don't feel that anymore, I'll quit.
I like to get in the woods before daylight, then watch the sky start to lighten up, and listen for the woods to wake up. The first song of the Whipoorwil, the Robins starting to sing, then the Gobbler makes that Thunderous gobble that echos across the valley. Then I listen to my heart beating faster as I get excited getting ready to set up on him.
Ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy, gnats, snakes, and the punishing recoil of a magnum turkey load to the shoulder?
the gobbling!! and the pride of outsmarting that ol tom
I also love that feeling when your closing in a roosted bird or on your way to setup on a HOTT bird. It's a pure adrenaline rush.
Quote from: dirt road ninja on March 23, 2012, 02:27:11 PM
The gobble! I like hearing them sound off. When it's closer then the last one that'll get your blood flowing
X2
Same thing goes for hard core elk hunters...because they bugle. If turkey hunting was like hunting deer then it would just be hunting but it's not. It's Turkey Hunting!
Everything. I ain't got time to list it all.
TRKYHTR
Other than wife saying "I love you", nothing cranks my plow like the sound of a turkey gobble
Quote from: CASH on March 23, 2012, 05:39:28 PM
Ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy, gnats, snakes, and the punishing recoil of a magnum turkey load to the shoulder?
That too
There's just nothing about the spring I don't love, I can't get enough of being out there and chasing turkeys and I've often pondered why but never once came up with a final answer.....Ive finally realized I don't want to know and am just happy to be able to keep hunting spring after spring. One thing about turkey hunting is I obsess about it throughout the year no matter the season. I just can't get enough.
I guess it's cause it's a sport that I make happen. It's not like deer waiting. I make my own calls. I locate the birds. I scratch my head for hours trying to make a game plan to make things happen. The temperature is right, everything is coming back to life from winter. That close range gobble that kicks off that adrenaline rush right before you click the safety.......that's what it's all about.
Quote from: PaTurkHntr on March 23, 2012, 05:31:43 PM
I like to get in the woods before daylight, then watch the sky start to lighten up, and listen for the woods to wake up. The first song of the Whipoorwil, the Robins starting to sing, then the Gobbler makes that Thunderous gobble that echos across the valley. Then I listen to my heart beating faster as I get excited getting ready to set up on him.
Sums it up pretty well!
For me it's such a collective experience. Obviously, I love the thrill of hearing them, seeing them, calling and hopefully tagging one. But there is so much more. Spring is so different in the woods than the fall. New life all around you, a new birth. All the sights, smells, and sounds just get me going. Every year I use some vac time and do a combo turkey and trout trip for about three days with my buddies. It's heaven on earth, man.
Because its alot like moose hunting except they are easier to get back to the truck ;D
I love that after 23 seasons, I am always finding new and different ways to hunt them. I get bored with things pretty easy and with turkey hunting, I find I'm always learning something new about the birds themselves and different tactics...
...and there is just something I cant describe about hearing that first gobble of the morning. I NEVER get tired of hearing it.
Let's not forget how good they taste either! Also it gives us a perfect excuse to buy stuff we really don't need. ;D
I think it is the full interaction you have with the game you are pursuing. Also nothing like hunting in the spring when the woods are comming back to life.