Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

So this past weekend was one of my first seminars for the year from my "Turkey University" Seminars at the Outdoor Skills Day, always good to get some young and old hunters into turkey hunting! Covered a lot and did a bit about my turkey displays too :)

https://www.facebook.com/FanaticTurkeyDisplays

So after one of the seminars a "young" guy comes up and tells me how much he loves hunting them "Thunder Chickens" I gave him a slight chuckle and said young man let me leave you with one thing today, your telling me you would rather shoot a chicken than a "THUNDER BIRD!"

I showed him these 2 pics and said now you pick which one you would shoot.

LOL (hate when I hear them calling them chickens)


MK M GOBL

Good for you! I'm sure it's very rewarding. We need recruit more into the hunting outdoor tradition .
Thank you for your time and efforts .

i can't take anyone seriously who refers to wild turkeys as thunder chickens.  thunder birds is only slightly better

Thunder chicken and thunder bird is one in the same in my book.  They are turkeys.

Like so many other things in odd community, it comes down to personal preference. I've never been a big fan of the term thunder chickens. Just as I'm not a fan of referring to whitetails as ditch goats.

I have heard and on occasion used the term Thunderchicken, but have never heard the term ditch goat before. What/why are they called that? Maybe a regional thing?

Quote from: rakkin6 on January 28, 2020, 02:14:45 PM
I have heard and on occasion used the term Thunderchicken, but have never heard the term ditch goat before. What/why are they called that? Maybe a regional thing?

I've seen it a lot here on OG by the turkey purists that think you should not hunt with decoys, should not crawl after a gobbler, should only use a 12 gauge and no TSS, have to wear a vest and sit on a cushion instead of a chair, and should not discuss any hunting other than turkey hunting here on OG. :lol: Some dudes take themselves waaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously. ;D

Never been a fan of referring to wild turkeys as thunder chickens either. It just sounds goofy and though as if one were referring to storm faring barnyard birds. I think Michael Waddell came up with that ridiculous name. Two thumbs down!???????? ????????

Not a fan of many catch phrases in the hunting world, including thunder chicken. Not a fan of adult males using LOL either. That comes off sounding like a teenage girl in my opinion. Just a quirk I have.

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Not a fan either.  But if I hear one I have history with I will sometimes refer to him as that aggrevating SOB, or that aggravating little $&!%.  But with full respect!

Good on you MK M GOBL. 

I'm not a fan of the term. On its face, I just think it's stupid, but I think the disdain I feel for it comes more from the people who started saying it/repeat it and how they act rather than the words themselves. When I hear it all I think of is a 30 minute tv show with as many kills as possible, and done so in a way that takes the least amount of skill and make the entire episode seem like some raucous party, and "thunder chicken" is said throughout.

I'm not saying these are bad guys, but it's just not a way I like to experience the turkey woods. So when I hear it I associate it with that, and it leaves a sour test in my mouth.

I don't care for the term myself, I have seen some mighty heated arguments over it in a couple of Facebroke groups.

Fried chicken was what we ate ever Sunday after church at my grandparents house , turkey is what we ate Thanksgiving.  Never cared for calling a turkey different names unless i was hunting him and he whip my butt.. I don't think i will post those other names .. lol ...

That term along with swamp donkey puts a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I also cannot stand that term Turkey Thug. Makes me throw up in my mouth.

I haven't watched hunting on TV in ages. I still hear the term "stud" from the wife a lot though. Long as she isn't thinking of shooting me I am ok with that.

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Quote from: Spitten and drummen on January 29, 2020, 05:45:10 PM
That term along with swamp donkey puts a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I also cannot stand that term Turkey Thug. Makes me throw up in my mouth.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "swamp donkey"?

Deer, swamp donkey, ditch goat, pine goat. 

Quote from: guesswho on January 29, 2020, 07:33:23 PM
Deer, swamp donkey, ditch goat, pine goat.

You forgot speedbeef. Or maybe that's a WV thing

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Always liked the term speed goat for antelope.....never used the other terms mentioned.

Quote from: dirt road ninja on January 29, 2020, 07:29:22 PM

Quote from: Spitten and drummen on January 29, 2020, 05:45:10 PM
That term along with swamp donkey puts a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I also cannot stand that term Turkey Thug. Makes me throw up in my mouth.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "swamp donkey"?

What some clowns call a really nice whitetail buck.

Quote from: guesswho on January 29, 2020, 07:33:23 PM
Deer, swamp donkey, ditch goat, pine goat.

I don't care for the derogatory names either. First heard the name ditch goat in Wyoming. Seems some folks in Wyoming don't like the influx of whitetails taking over mule deer territory. Heard a lot of ranchers were just shooting them year round and letting them lie. Last is heard second hand and I hope it's not true.

Thunder bird sounds silly but not so much as thunder bird. Isn't Thunderbird a cheap wine? Maybe they call turkeys Thunderbirds because it can be intoxicating to hunt them LOL.

And don't use the phrase "wild boar" every time you shoot a stupid hog.  That one bugs me.

Quote from: KentuckyHeadhunter on January 29, 2020, 09:34:27 PM
And don't use the phrase "wild boar" every time you shoot a stupid hog.  That one bugs me.

Ha, me too.  Its a worthless pig and its feral.  Maybe a boar, maybe not.  Course where I come from they are a major PIA.

Quote from: Happy on January 29, 2020, 06:36:24 PM
I haven't watched hunting on TV in ages. I still hear the term "stud" from the wife a lot though. Long as she isn't thinking of shooting me I am ok with that.

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Your hearing must be getting bad, I am pretty sure that is dud that she is saying.

Quote from: Sir-diealot on January 30, 2020, 04:39:14 PM

Quote from: Happy on January 29, 2020, 06:36:24 PM
I haven't watched hunting on TV in ages. I still hear the term "stud" from the wife a lot though. Long as she isn't thinking of shooting me I am ok with that.

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Your hearing must be getting bad, I am pretty sure that is dud that she is saying.

Maybe. Just maybe.

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I don't like it, don't like hearing snow geese called sky carp either.

I don't care for these made up terms to describe the wildlife I respect and love to hunt.

Quote from: dirt road ninja on January 29, 2020, 07:29:22 PM
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "swamp donkey"?

The term originated in Canada as a nickname for moose, the head of a moose looks very similar to a donkey. Then people wanting to sound cool started using the term for deer.

Quote from: CAPTJJ on January 31, 2020, 10:25:01 AM

Quote from: dirt road ninja on January 29, 2020, 07:29:22 PM
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "swamp donkey"?

The term originated in Canada as a nickname for moose, the head of a moose looks very similar to a donkey.

Bingo.
Up here in my neck of the woods Swamp Donkey = Moose

I don't use any of those descriptions for deer or turkeys.
They always sounded dumb to me, but I never lose any sleep over someone else sounding dumb.

 I don't like many of those descriptions either, but I think much of that crap is just the "hey look at me" and "it's all about me" mentally of hunters that seem to be everywhere these days. They have no respect for other hunters and certainly no respect for the game they chase.

  I've never been impressed by catch phrases, but I will admit Will Primos saying "roosted ain't roasted" always got a laugh outta me. Maybe because I've had way too many of those "sure thing" hunts....where the gobbler just didn't follow the script.