Veteran hunter and the young guns.

[Greg Massey]

How many times do we hear i carry only 3 shells and just one or two calls most of the time i guess your a young hunter that just runs and guns and that fine. For us veteran callers it's all about being versatility in our calling with a variety of calls. Changing your selection of calls gives you a better chance of sounding like multiple hens. You can use the tree your setting again to change up your sound as if it's coming from different directions around the tree or even bounce the sound off the tree making your calling seem like it's coming from more than one place. Different calls create the sounds there are a number of hens on the ground. That's why sometimes a gobbler will only respond to a particular type call. So i guess that's why i carry a variety of calls and stay in one location a lot more and than running and gunning with 3 shells and 2 calls. Also never forget the bottle of water a package of peanut butter crackers and a lot of patience because as we become veteran hunters we refer to our self as been a little more lazy. It's all about endurance for use veteran hunters...

[hobbes]

Nothing wrong with patience and staying in one place, but unless the situation calls for it I don't do it.  Im far from being a young gun, and I carry more than three shells and two calls.  Big country requires big legs more often than not.

[Marc]

3 shells in the gun, and three extra in the bag...  If I cannot kill a turkey with 6 shots, it is time to go home anyways.  My gun is loaded as soon as I leave the truck...  Walking out in the dark in mountain lion country, to me a loaded gun is more safe.

I carry a large variety of mouth calls and two very different sounding box calls (looking into a trough call)...  Never got into the pots calls (cause I keep loosing the little sticks).  GPS, iPhone, snacks, water, binoculars, and poop tickets go with me as well...

If there was a lot of gobbling activity in the morning, I will stay put if I think I am in a good spot.  If the birds were quiet, I will cover some country and try to drum up a gobble.  If I head out for a walk, I leave my seat (normally attached to the vest) and any decoys behind.

[hobbes]

Great photos treerooster.  I carry a camera for the same reasons.

[Farmboy27]

My uncle is definitely a veteran turkey hunter and up until a few years ago he didn't even carry a seat cushion.  1 mouth call, 1 slate call, and a handful of shells.  No vest, gloves only if it is a chilly morning.  And he is far from a run and gun hunter.  He learned long ago what he needs and what works for him and that's all he carries.  He always says that they can't make a call or gadget that works better than patience! 

[Happy]

I think a lot of it is based on where you hunt as well. If your area is covered with birds then you can take less calls, move less still have a great chance. Now if you hunt an area with a low population then it would make sense to take a variety of calls and cover more ground.

[SteelerFan]

Like these pics that were taken at or near where I killed the bird.

NICE PICS Treerooster!

[silvestris]

I carry several different types of callers and practice being proficient with each.  Different callers usually have a call that it produces better than others.  I attempt to determine what call is most likely to be attractive to a gobbler in the present situation and choose the caller that best produces that call.  I only mildly subscribe to the "give them something that they haven't heard" theory.  I do subscribe to the theory that one shouldn't give them something that they heard previously upon being alarmed.

[Farmboy27]

One of the fun things about turkey hunting (in my opinion) is the individual factor.  We all do things a bit different and can still be successful.  I find that the older I get, the less stuff I carry. I know what my go to calls are and what I use the most.  A few years ago I picked up my vest and thought "man, that's heavy".  Then I started pulling out all the things I hadn't used the year before.  My vest got a lot lighter and I haven't missed the removed items/calls at all.  But I know some guys that use a ton of different calls and tools and they wouldnt dream of going to the woods without them.  We all have our own system.  That's what makes this game fun!

[fallhnt]

Took a new guy with us one fall on his 1st turkey hunt. He said," I have 13 shells. Will that be enough?" I told him I enjoy your youthful enthusiasm.

[Dr Juice]

Awesome pics. Congrats.


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[Dtrkyman]

I believe I killed my first turkey in 1991?  So hardly a young gun, I carry a few mouth calls a slate and sometimes a box, 4 shells is all. I would say I am in between, I run and gun often but can old school the heck out of em if I have to, if they are vocal I am after em wherever they are, if there quiet I will ride a good spot all day! 

[Greg Massey]

On the steel horse i ride..running and gunning...3 shells and a call..we all love turkey hunting...that's for sure

[wvmntnhick]

Well, probably young by the standards of many but I'll be 35 this year. I like to run and gun as much as the next guy but there's also limitations here. Can't cover much ground on the local farms I hunt. You can hear it all once you get out of the truck. Push them too hard and you'll blow your chances. Best to move smart and bide your time on these farms. When I can get back home on the club, it's all about covering ground. When we go,me listen for a bird early. If multiple birds sound off, we split. If only one bird, we'll tag team him. If nothing, it's every man for himself again. My vest holds more calls than I could possibly use but there's bound to be something to get the old Tom going. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

4 pot calls, 4 strikers, 1 box call, 1 wing, 4 shells (2 in the gun 2 for extras) 2 mouth calls clippers and a bottle of water with a cliff bar can all be found in my vest along w clippers, a facemask and gloves.

I prefer to run and gun but you can't do that on every property without disrupting your birds. Gotta hunt how the situation dictates but I like to have a variety of calls on me regardless of how far I'm traveling from the truck.

Contrary to your post, the veteran hunters I know carry fewer calls and less gear in general than the younger guys.  Most of them carry a box call and 1 or 2 slates.