The bird that started an addiction!

[Turkey fryin]

A few years ago I was bow hunting in early deer season in my favorite stand. I had been there for a couple of hours and had not seen anything. It was a beautiful morning and I was hearing turkey all around me, and then I remembered the slate turkey call in my pack that was given to me by derby city game calls (awesome call by the way) so I figured to pass the time I would try to get them worked up a little and maybe learn how to actually mimic their yelps. Every time I struck the call those birds went crazy! I called back and forth with these birds for 30 or 40 min and finally decided I was going to go see if I could find exactly where they were. I had never hunted turkey before this so I really didn't know how I was goin to get one even if I did find them. I worked my way down the mountain stopping every 50yds or so for a few mins to scratch the call and everytime just as before the whole gang would go crazy. I shouldn't have to say but it was pretty exciting to hear! My heart was racing! I found myself coming up on a bend on an old dirt road and just as I came around there they were. I jumped back behind a big rock just before they could spot me. I knew I had to act fast so before I even thought about it I took a deep breath, pulled back on my bow, stepped out and put my sights on the first one I seen and released. Nailed it! I was so pumped I could not stop shaking! I couldn't believe I got my first turkey. It was just a hen but you would have thought I just dropped a record Tom. After I shot I checked the distance and it was 40yds! My first bird was with a bow at 40yds! I knew at that moment I had found a new passion but didn't know it was the beginning on an addiction. From that day on when I think of hunting I only think of turkey anymore.
  Just wanted to share this story of how I got started hunting turkey and would like to hear any other first birds hunts from anyone wanting to share.

[spur collector]

 

[TnRidgeRunner]

It was the second day of a 2 hunt with my brother. We woke up late and the amount of frustration over losing one of my two hunts is too much to describe. In his normal way he cast aside my doubts about starting the morning at 9am. I never believed him and the beginning of the hunt confirmed all my beliefs...two hours later and half way back up the logging road we had walked down previously we heard a gobble. He directed me down a point to a tree were I was to set up... the bird stood on the other ridge and gobbled for over an hour, incessantly, to the point I thought it was another hunter messing with us. My brother yelped maybe twice and spent most of his time scratching leaves or other parts of himself. After an eternity the bird stopped gobbling and I thought for certain the hunt was over...ten minutes later I spied an image I will never shake. That blue head easing over the end of the point will stick with me for the rest of my life. The shot was un-eventfull, 15 yards and wide open. The event was learning a small part of how the bird works, and doing with my brother.

[WV Ridge Reaper]

I don't even know where to begin or when I first went as I was always in the woods with my pap...But I always remember skipping the first day of school to go and waking up super early.

We was never successful,as I grew older I begin to go alone and just kind went with the flow all the way up until my sophomore year in high school..I would try to get to close and spook birds off,boy do I wish I could take all of those times back.

Anyway I ended up going with a boy I went to school with before school...well it started to get late to the point we was running out of time until we had to leave for school....we could hear 3 birds just going crazy a long ways off and when I say a long ways off in WV I mean at least a hour walk.

We decided that we was going after a bird...Once we finally reached our point,he began calling..Right off the bird gobbled back at us.

Things got quite and I started hearing that drumming sound then I could see the bird...And he cut loose 20 yards from us and it felt like someone shook the ground I was setting on,I ended up putting the bird down.

I am a bow hunter as well and I will say that nothing comes close to bow hunting other the spring turkey season...and some days I would almost put that spring turkey hunting before bow hunting.I refuse to pick up a gun for anything until turkey season.

[steinea286]

I remember when I was about 10 and my dad decided it was time to try and take me turkey hunting. We would scramble around the night before the season trying to find everything we needed before we would head out for the opener here in NY.

I will never forget the first gobbler I called in with a push button call. A bird had gobbled across the road below us about 400 yards distant. We were set up in open hardwoods and heard 3-4 gobblers on the ridge above us. I made a call and the gobbler across the road was all of a sudden a little closer. Called again, he gobbles and I remember looking at my dad and him whispering, "Don't move". The bird had gobbled as if it was in an enclosed room with us and literally shook my chest. The bird came up from below, gobbled one more time and my dad ended up missing him at 30 yards.

I also remember looking at his gun barrel right before the shot, and it was shaking like a leaf. That was the first longbeard he had shot at since he was a kid, but I have been hooked every since. I am lucky enough to enjoy taking him every opening weekend since I graduated college and we have had some GREAT hunts together!

[JALA Strut]

My buddy and I were and still are die hard bow hunters...we both live for hunting the whitetail rut and after a few years of bowhunting, more years ago than I like to admit, we decided to try turkey hunting.  The birds were becoming more prevalent in NY and we would actually see some during deer season.  Well our first year was a bust...in fact we didn't even hear a gobble the whole season.  The following year we seen some birds at a distance and heard some distant gobbles but that was it.  So first two seasons didn't work a single bird.  The following year I was determined that I was going to get my first gobbler.  I read more about turkey hunting in magazines and books (Way before the days of computers) that off season than I did the previous two years combined.  I bought a slate call and practiced incessantly with it until I was satisfied with the turkey talk coming from it.  Then, finally the season was approaching - about a week away.  I walked into scout an area I planned to hunt and found what I thought could be a roost site.  I prepped a tree in the general area that I would use to sit against, clearing the ground of leaves and debris and cleared a quiet path to make my way to the tree in the dark.  When I was done, I figured what the heck, I'll crank out the crow call just to see.  I about crapped myself when a gobbler hammered back.  I quickly snuck out of there.  Opening morning of the turkey season about a week later, sitting by my tree in the dark waiting for daylight, I just kept thinking of that gobble and prayed he was roosting nearby.  As the day dawned and the songbirds were waking up the forest I finally heard some gobbling off in the distance, way off in the distance, but I remained hopeful that they would head my way at some point - afterall, the gobbler that I heard a week ago was in my area later in the day.  As it got lighter I let out some a series of soft yelps and some clucks.  No response.  I repeated the series again with no response and then I decided that I would just call about every 15 - 20 minutes.  So, as impatient as I was, about 10 minutes later I did another series of yelps and clucks.  Again, no response.  Then, as I sat there I caught movement to my left.  My heart jumped out of my chest when I realized it was a turkey, then I saw a short beard sticking out of his chest.  It was a jake and he was coming in quietly looking around for the hen he had been hearing.  As he walked behind a tree about 20 yards away I brought up my gun and leveled it on the other side of the tree waiting for him to step out.  A second or two later his head appeared on the other side of the tree as he stepped out.  I steadied my bead on his neck...BOOM!  He dropped and flopped around.  I jumped to my feet and ran to him.  I stepped on his head and grabbed his feet as he flopped around a few last times.  Then, I hoisted him up and FINALLY had my first turkey!  I was hooked for life.  He was a jake but I couldn't have been happier with him!       

[KYFrid]

I got started in turkey hunting later in life than I would have liked. It was in 2003 that I watched a hunt with Will Primos that ignited a fire in me to turkey hunt. At the time no one else in family turkey hunted (only deer) and to be honest they probably thought I was crazy for trying it.

I hunted hard my first season with no luck and it came down to the last day. The alarm clock went off with rain in the forecast and as I laid there contemplating whether to even go out, a voice said just go its the last day.

Most of the morning went much as the same, no luck and little gobbling. It was 11 and I was begining to walk back to my uncles place when I found a spot that was tore up with sign. Something just said to sit here and call for the last hour, you never know what could happen.

I ended up getting a gobble from my Primos box cutter far off on my second series of calls. Little did I know at the time but that one gobble would change me forever. The gobbler slowly closed the distance but he moved off to my left. After what seemed like forever I decided to do a few clucks on a mouth call and he lit up not 40 yards below a little nowl I was on. I quickly swung my gun around just as I see a fan rising up from below. There he was, head as big as a softball, spitting and drumming and beard dragging the ground. He strutted all the way up to the gun and I took him at 15 yards. Ran up and put the boot to his head. I sat there for a few and admired the bird and just took it all in. I even got a little teary eyed from the joy of it all. I knew from that moment that I would be changed forever.

[turkey_slayer]

I was 11 years old. Went hunting by myself and called one in and killed it. I went thru a period where I would get bad tunnel vision when I seen one coming in. Now that's tore up lol

[RutnNStrutn]

Great story!! Welcome to the addiction!!