Turkey hunting rituals/traditions: got any?

[2006HighSierra]

I know we've had this thread in the deer forum and i know some people have traditions for hunting practically everything, supersticiouns(sp?), etc etc. Lets here all the crazy things you guys do. Right now as far as turkey about the only thing I do is say a prayer before shutting the truck up and every time i get a new box of Federal wadcontrols I get a fine tip sharpie marker and name each shell. After this when hunting I dont check the order they go into the shotgun so after the killshot I can see which name goes with the bird.

[TEmbry]

i have a really odd ritual of shooting every tom that comes within shotgun range. other than that i just go hunt.

[Tyrus21]

I had a buddy write GOBBLEPOPPER on my shell as a joke and I put it in the gun that morning and shot a nice tom with it. I write GOBBLEPOPPER on my shell now before I go out.

[half rack]

My wife and I were Osceola hunting a few years backwith about a dozen other guys in camp with us.Some were guides and some hunters.I was hunting and my wife was going to watch and learn.Most all the guys made her feel right at home.One guide gotan opening and offered to take her out the last day.All the guides got together and came up with a plan to put 3 jakes they had seen all week in front of her the last morning. Well she took the nicest bird of all in camp.They never made it to the jakes.They got cutoff by two nice longbeards on the way.
She was one happy lady,and enjoyed being one of the gang!Later that night we had a knock at the door.One of the guides Anthony Brown (a Kentucky boy) told us her hunt wasn't complete yet.He said we had to "Honor the bird".In came about half the camp as Anthony passed out these little bottles of what else "WILD TURKEY"! We all toasted the bird and to the hunt.
That ment a lot to my wife and to me.Those two half drank bottles will always set in the gun cabnet as a reminder of the hunt ,the bird,and the guys!
You can find afew of those little bottles at the bottom of my turkey bag.I brake them out on special hunts in honor of Anthony.

[SwampCollie]

A nap. MUST have a nap at 8:30.

[mauser06]

not a ritual or anything but when i was 12 and was hunting my first season dad, his buddy and i went to the mountains for a week. climbing a mountain his buddy bends over and picks up a rock. says its a "lucky stone" (just a white/clearish rounded stone...we call them lucky stones around here..not sure why?) but he gave it to me. i put it in my fanny pack i used as a vest at the time. when i got my first turkey vest it went inside..hasnt left it. not sure how lucky it is. but its there..once in a while ill dig it out of its little pouch and rub it.

[Arrowmaster]

We have a tradition on Turkmas Eve, we eat turkey and party it up.

[zubba]

I always set everything out the night before...together. Unlike bowhunting, I have a little of everything everywhere. But with turkey hunting, I have my backpack packed with decoys, my gun in the case, all laying next to my cloths/camo that is nicely folded up in a pile.

In the morning, i always take a thermus of Chia Tea. It is my superstition.

[RIStrutStopper]

Just getting ready for the season for me. I use a different barrel but the same scope for my slug gun as my turkey gun, so I have to pattern, get all my calls out and roughed up, start making my wife nuts with my practicing, go out and buy more "old boss hen" calls, practice with them in the car and have people at red lights think I'm nuts... Talk to my decoys (did I just say that?) Who says turkey hunters are crazy?

[r33h]

I have always carried the empty shell that I shot my biggest gobbler with in my pouch. When I get out to my property, I pull it out and kiss it for good luck...

I like the naming of the shells in random order...that is funny!