I' ve heard quite a lot of good things about Tom Kelley' s " The Tenth Legion" ...I plan on getting it eventually. One of my favorite books for " turkey strategory" is the soft cover " Turkey Tactics" that, (for me) has really paid off in some useful info for both spring and fall. Many of the newer books seem to just rehash old stuff.
(I' m looking for a book with some really nasty tricks [>:] to pull on a tom next spring--any suggestions?)
I' ve heard there is a Jeff Foxworthy type book called, " You Might Be A Turkey Hunter If..." Sounds like it might be fun!
I just finished Lovett Williams' book, " The Book of the Wild Turkey" . It was informative and educational, and had a section dedicated to turkey hunting, but it was not full of tactics or strategies. In fact, since it was written some time ago, it seems the strategy of the times was to use rifles. Williams describes his first ever turkey hunting experience as basically blasting a hen out of her roost, something that modern turkey hunters would probably view with horror as unsporting. Still, if Lovett hadn' t gotten addicted, I doubt we would have as much knowledge about our favorite gamebird as we do, because that experience and that addiction has driven him to be a preeminent turkey biologist.
I also just finished The Sultan of Spring by Bob Saile, and I must say I really enjoyed that book, finding myself mentally nodding in agreement at many of his observations and thoughts about turkeys and the sport of turkey hunting. I commend it to all of you, especially late this coming winter, as I believe it will soothe the spring gobbler fever we all will be suffering about then.
I think the best " tactics" resource, however, is turkey hunting videos or turkey hunting shows on television. I have a significant collection of turkey hunting videos that I watch in the late winter to assuage my spring turkey hunting fever and to educate/reeducate/refresh myself on tactics. I remember watching either Knight or Hale run their Fighting Purrs pushbutton calls to bring in a gobbler, for example, and that taught me a new tactic. I' ve learned that, when a gobbler responds to a locator call, you must always do two things. You must flinch/hunch down, and you must point in the direction of the gobbler. These are things every video depicts. So last spring when I was hunting with my wife and I did that, she asked " Why are you doing that?" and I told her that that is what all the pros do on their turkey hunting videos. (Kind of like poking at the dead deer with your rifle barrel, something I see on nearly every deer hunting video/television program.)
Have a great day!!
__________________
Peace.
"Always do the right thing- this will gratify some and astonish the rest."-- Mark Twain
I don' t know what it is/has become with NWTF' s Turkey Call television show, but they' ve got their hunters coached to be yapping all the time as that turkey comes in. Sheesh!! It' s so phony. " I think I heard one!!" " Let' s see what I can do with this box call." " He' s coming!!" " I can see him now!!" " Look at him strut!! Isn' t that beautiful?" and on and on and on and on. I guess somebody in charge must think that a running commentary is important or makes the show better, somehow.
No, I don' t say much, though I do whisper some instructions to the novice hunters that hunt with me, like, " Aim for the base of the neck," or " When he goes behind that tree, get your gun up," or " Wait," or " Take him!!" But when I' m by myself, I only hunch/duck down and point on shock gobble responses. No other yakking. (And I' m kidding about hunching down and pointing. Only did that for my wife, as a joke, ' cos I think all those guys on the videos are funny when they do that--as though a 2 inch duck down is going to diminish their visibility/make it so a turkey won' t see them--and like pointing at where they think the gobble came from has any relevance/meaning to their companions, who also heard the gobble.)
__________________
Peace.
"Always do the right thing- this will gratify some and astonish the rest."-- Mark Twain
One book I read years ago was from John E. Phillips " The master' s Secrets Turkey Hunting. The was a number of different things in there too learn.
Another Book new out is from Ryan Tucker " Turkey Hunters and the people We meet" ...BT
My favorite is " turkey Hunters Digest" by Dwain Bland. Came out in the mid 80' s. Full of tips, knowledge, humor. I still read it 3 or 4 times a year, other favorites are
1. Tenth Legion- Tom Kelly
2. Spring Turkey Hunting-John Mcdaniel
3. Some Turkey Scratchings-Dwain Bland
4. Old Pro Turkey Hunter- Gene Nunnery
Heck got a slough of others in the closet i can' t think of at the moment. But those are the books that shaped my hunting carear.
__________________
What u get out is what u put in!
I was given Tom Kelly' s " Tenth Legion" as a gift last week, signed This is a GREAT book. I have to agree with several friends who have stated that this is the bible for turkey hunting.
Cuz' s " The Truth" is a good and funny read. Not a how to book but very enjoyable, hard to put down and keeps you laughing.
Have read two of Lovett William' s books so far and have enjoyed both. It' s nice to learn about the turkey instead of the hunt every now and then
__________________
" A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
What' s your favorite turkey hunting book?
