Who was your mentor?

[Spitten and drummen]

Glen Ray Whetstone of Woodville, Mississippi and Ken Morgan of Jackson, Louisiana.  Quite an education.

I knew mr Kenny also. I would say between those 2 you got a wealth of knowledge.

[THattaway]

Darn fine thread here.
I had hunting and fishing mentors, or as I call them sponsors, as a kid. Most all went beyond just hunting and fishing and instilled far more important things as well. Most of us like to think of ourselves as self made but usually there are many who helped us along the way.

Eddie Godwin-Neighbor who took this red neck kid fishing and also let him borrow his john boat, fishing rods, even his tackle boxes, to go on his own. When I transitioned to fly fishing only years ago I gave that man the best bait casting rod I had as a pitiful attempt to honor him for his years of generosity.

Floyd Worthy-An Uncle who taught me much about bass fishing and shared much until his untimely death from a brain tumor. Spent a lot of good times with him and he was just a great joyful man to be around.

My Dad-We learned to hunt deer and turkey together. He was an avid quail hunter, taught me much about it and you would be surprised how that knowledge will enhance turkey hunting. While he didn't have experience with turkeys and deer, he did equip me well enough to be a functional hunter who could learn on his own.

There were many others who simply gave me a ride to go hunting or fishing on my own before I could drive myself.

I remember all those folks when I see a kid or young fella who could really use some of my old gear that's just gathering dust, a little encouragement, advice or such.

[Bowguy]

I also didn't have a over the shoulder mentor. In fact i knew only one guy who hunted turks n back than the secrets were held tight.
I ask Jimmy Diames who shot in an archery club w me a few questions. He'd not give me a 1-2-3 but he'd guide me through my failures n tell me what to try next time.
When I was getting close I remember him getting excited.
I owe Jimmy a thanks, haven't seen him in many many years. Once we were at a United bowhunters dinner together. I didn't recognize him n don't think he myself. Someone afterward said they saw him.
Haven't heard of his being around since.
Anyway if you're out there buddy thanks!

[silvestris]

Glen Ray Whetstone of Woodville, Mississippi and Ken Morgan of Jackson, Louisiana.  Quite an education.

I knew mr Kenny also. I would say between those 2 you got a wealth of knowledge.

Probably hunted over 30 times with Glen Ray who was a super woodsman.  After the first couple of times, I would call as I had practiced the sounds, a result I presume from my duck hunting teens in the Arkansas Pin Oaks.  Although I could make decent turkey sounds, Glen Ray could never sound that good on anything other than a Lynch Fool Proof.  I, the ignorant one, can still hear him say, "call now".  What he lacked in calling ability he more than made up for it in his patience, ability to walk quietly and to pick a spot to call from usually with me facing a bank.  I learned much from him and am forever indebted.

Ken Morgan became as good a friend as I ever had and never a day goes by that I don't think of him fondly.  He taught me the language of the Wild Turkey as well as any human being could.  We only hunted together twice during the 36 or so years of our friendship, he, and soon I, truly believing that the sport was a "one man game".  We did spend countless days in the woods together both pre and post season and I learned much from those forays.  What was learned from the thousands of hours we spent in conversation and personal "calling contests" is incalculable.

I have been truly blessed.

[TRG3]

Back in 1987, a guy who has now given up hunting in favor of golf took me turkey hunting. In the early morning, we ran from roosted gobbler to roosted gobbler, setting up a plastic fold-out hen decoy that had sides that were held apart with a metal "stick", and trying to call one in. We never did. I recently found that decoy in the attic and when I tried to open it up, it cracked and busted apart. Over the years, I've purchased a big box full of turkey "stuff" that failed to live up to its advertised potential; however, since that novice period of learning how to hunt turkeys, I've had great success with mixing hen yelps with gobbles.

[ilbucksndux]

I didnt have a turkey hunting mentor. My grandpa,my great uncle Bob and my dad taught me to be a woodsman. My grandpa was a squirrel hunter,and my dad and uncle were trappers. I learned to deer hunt by trial and error and my grandpa did get excited about that late in life. 20 odd years ago I decided I wanted to try my hand at turkey hunting so I got some calls and a tag. Using the skills I had learned and even more mistakes turned me into a turkey hunter.

[wvmntnhick]

As flattered as I am hick. If I am your mentor then you are screwed. Guess you at least have seen a lot of what not to do tho. Ha ha!

Hey, I've learned a ton and I think we've seen just about every possible scenario when it comes to these eastern's bud.

[fallhnt]

I learned on my own. I had to go to MO. because IL didn't have spring turkey hunting where I lived at the time. I read Ray Eye's book and watched videos. I hunted spring and fall with a bow and learned what was real and what was BS on the videos and magazines I read.

[Tomfoolery]

No one for me either. My dad always brought me hunting when I was young but he never hunted turkeys. Just deer and ducks. We hunted deer (still do) in west texas where there are lots of rios. I killed my first turkey when I was 7 eating corn at 10 yards with a 410 in the fall. Shot several in the fall but always wanted to do it like they do on tv in the spring. When I first saw turkeys I was kinda fascinated by them for some reason. My passion was duck and goose hunting because of how I could have a conversation with that bird and make them react to a call. Well when I was 18 years old I got on a deer lease close to home and they had planted turkeys there 5 years prior with no hunting season. The 5th year the population had grown enough to open the season. I was bored on a spring morning before the season so I decided I would ride out and see if I could find a turkey. 1030 am I drive up to a pipeline and hit a slate call I had just bought in town. BAAAM gobble. I almost couldn't believe it. Hit the call again BAAAM. Wow. I said I better get outa here or he's gonna end up in my lap. Left and stopped back at the store and bought $300 worth of turkey hunting junk. Called my cousin and hunting partner and asked if he wanted to go turkey huntin. He'd never been either  but didn't have anything else better to do. So the next Friday, the day before the season, I got out there before daylight. Started breaking so I hooted he hammered. Pumped up I got outa there. So next day we show up opening morning. Breaks day, hoot, nothing. Hunted until noon never heard a gobble. So kinda deflated we decide to try again sunday morning. Get there, hoot nothing. Walk 50 yards, hoot BAAAM there he is. Not knowing a thing about turkey hunting we sit and get set up. Call and he's cutting me off. Triple and quadruple gobbling. Finally we see a bright blue head in the dark woods. Strutting gobbling at every noise he hears for what felt like an hour behind a tree. Finally he steps out and I shot him. Probably 10 minutes after we heard the first gobble he was dead. And had probably gobbled 100 times in that 10 minutes. Since that day we've both been hooked. Started making the trip to west texas every spring and have bump a BUNCH of birds in the last 15 years of leaning. Still learning stuff to this day but can say I'm a lot more disciplined.  I thought they were all supposed to be that easy lol. My cousin says it's like crack, they give u that first hit for free. Then u hooked and can't get enough.

[guesswho]

Self taught here, but we had a good class.   We started in the mid 60's.  My Mom, Dad and myself.   We have had a lot of success and failures's, but both were equally enjoyable and valuable. And I am fortunate to still be able to hunt with the same class after all these years.   

[Vaughnrp2]

My best friend took me about 15 years ago. I killed a Jake that day. I kill a bird or two every year and I get the same feeling in my gut(gobbler fever) as I did the day I killed the first one. We don't hunt together as much these days as we did when we were teenagers but we still make time to go once or twice a season.

[TauntoHawk]

I grew up turkey hunting every year with my dad but we more or less just chased the birds around and had no idea how to hunt and actually kill them. I didn't kill my first bird I was 18 and that was far more luck than anything. I was introduced through a friend of a friend to a guy who said he'd take me turkey hunting sometime. We hunted 4 days in 2006 and he helped be bag two NY birds. We have become best friends and hunt everything together but when we are in the woods chasing turkeys is always the best he has taught me a ton and I don't know of anyone with better instincts in the woods.

[chcltlabz]

My father and stepfather got me started in the sport, so they obviously played a big part in it, but truthfully, there weren't many turkeys around where I grew up at that time.  I went off to college and hunting had a BIG part in the selection of where I went, and it just so happened that a family friend lived near by.  I kept my hunting gear at his place, and he even came and picked me up on the weekends so I could get out.  Up until then, I was a tag along with my father or stepfather.  Never hunted on my own, and very seldom did any of the calling.  Now, it was "I'll drop you off here, I'm going this way" so I was forced to hunt for myself.  I learned a lot about woodsmanship and the habits of these birds from him, and was forced to do things on my own, not rely on someone else to call the shots.

But I must say, my hunting ways are very different from all of them, and the biggest influence on the way I hunt was Ray Eye, even though I've only met the man a few times.  His aggressive style and calling shaped the way I went about hunting, and success and the sheer fun of it is what made me stick with it.

[M Sharpe]

I've hunted deer most all of my life. My great uncle was my mentor for fishing and deer hunting. However, he was not a turkey hunter because GA didn't have a season till later on. For 31 years I've chased these crazy things!! The only mentor I've had has been the last three years and that man's name is Herb McClure. Me being from the flatlands and swamps, he's taught me quite a bit about mountain turkeys!! Just wish I had more time to spend with him!!

[tha bugman]

Mr. Sidney Shaw of Sturgis MS.  He took time with me as a young hunter.  I would go over to his house in his shop and sit for hours while he built calls and told hunting stories.  Some of the best memories of my life.


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