GMMAT

Turkeys. I'll admit it used to be just something that was in season when everything else wasn't. I took a couple while living in SC's lowcountry....with a shotgun......but never got the fever.

One year of going after them via archery tackle......and I'm "beginning" to understand the passion may of you guy shave for turkey hunting. They're so damned ugly......they're beautiful. I called Rob last night on the way by my opening day field.......when I saw 5 hens and 3 HUGE gobblers, there. Hopefully we'll get one on film......whethr we take him or not.

Man I am beginning to love turkey hunting, now. It's SO different from my approach to deer hunting.....and that's likely the appeal. To me it's MUCH more relaxed. No scent control worries. I'm actually TRYING to be a little vocal. I WANT my location known.

Each bird, to me, has his/her own personality. What works for one may not work on the next one. Never knowing is "cool".

Now add in the fact that you are going turkey hunting....and you have a bow in your hand.......and that's awesome. For someone early in the bowhunting journey.......that's enough.

Coming clean.....I have never understood people's PASSION for turkey hunting........but I'm getting there.

rybohunter

My first turkey hunting experience was one of the most insane things I've ever experienced and one many seasoned hunters would love to see first hand.

It took me about 8 years after that before I decided to give it a serious shot again. And now I've been at it about 5 years and can say it is something I really look forward to come spring. It's rivaling and often times surpassing my love of trout fishing.....which means its huge.

GMMAT

That's cool, Rybo. I haven't flyfished in years.....but I almost went this morning. Too much to do arund here, though. I'm gonna go, soon......because I miss that, too.

Turkey season, though, is on me. Two weeks from yesterday.

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Double Creek

I've tried and tried to get into it, but its just not for me... I've got a property full of them and just don't care anything about it.

Rob/PA Bowyer

I know what ya'll are saying (except DC). I know when I started and I said to myself, I cannot believe I haven't been doing this for the last ten years or more. It's one thing to hear a gobbler off in the distance. It's another to hear one gobble down your neck within range when you might not have known he was there. There is a reason they call them Thunder Chickens and Kings of Spring.

It's an amazing time to be in the woods too, at first light when everything comes alive and one thunders in a tree not far above you.

il coyote

I've talked to many people who have been bitten by 'the bug'. Calling it the greatest thing since toilet paper.

Me, I grew up hunting in an area with a VERY small( more likely zero) turkey population. Where I hunt now has enough turkeys to make it a very worthwhile hunt, but they're still just ugly, noisy birds to me.

One of these days, though. I promise.

buckeye

Much the same as me... HeckI get bigbirdsstruting behind my house all the time, they roost a lot in my woods....

I say it every year... Maybe I will go, maybe I won't. I have went once in my life for a total of about 15 minutes...

quiksilver

In some degrees, I have more appreciation for, and understanding of turkeys than I do for whitetails. Honestly, I got really good at turkey hunting long before Ireally "figured out" bowhunting for deer.

By the time we were driving without Cinderella licenses, we were some of the best, mostsuccessfulturkey hunters in the area. That's not me tooting my own horn, it's just the truth. I lived for turkey season, and I know I'm good at it.

Deer? I didn't start specifically waiting out a nice buck until I was around 20 (and I use the term "nice" loosely - it's relative). I was just happy to tag out with the bow with an average deer every season. There just aren't big bucks standing behind every tree around here. There was a time when shooting a 3x3 around here with a bow was a major accomplishment.

See, we do have a few private deer hoarders around the area who have some pretty nice deer herds, but they'll take that to their grave. No chance in hell they'll let anyone hunt it (outside immediate family). So, I've always had a lot of trouble getting on land that has big whitetails. On the other hand, almost anyone will let you hunt turkeys if you ask nicely. Better yet, if you offer to take them out and call one in - you've made a lifetime contact.

So, while we couldn't reallyget into "good" deer hunting, we ALWAYS had access to big turkeys. Even the public turkey hunting around here is fantastic. Suffice it to say that I've amassed some really nice turkey hunting areas and good landownerrelationshipsover the years. They trust me to go in there and turkey hunt, even while the cows are calving. Nice people.

In a lot of respects, I've always looked forward to turkey season MORE than I look forward to deer season - because I know I have the opportunity to kill a world-class gobbler on any given day. I have no chance of killing a world class whitetail. You just can't kill what isn't there.But we've taken a few "turkeys of a lifetime."

The weird thing is that I'm reallyoptimistic about the upcoming bow season, and that's overshadowing turkey season a little bitfor me this year. If you guys would see some of the stand sites I've found in the past couple months... Damn. October can't get here fast enough.

I'm not sure if it's the new deer hunting prospects or what, but I'm not getting "up" for turkey season like I usually do. Well, I am, but in a different way. For some reason, I have almost no interest in shooting one this year. Unless Ilocate a truly world-class caliber tom, I may just take friendsout all season. Weird feeling, really. I'm still going through the same routine - practicing my calling everyday, riding around and checking out the activity, scoping some new areas - but my heart just doesn't feel like it's in it. Not for me, at least.I've truly reached a point where I'd rather see my friends shoot the birds than me. Honestly, if I go out and shoot a 60 pointer, I'll just saw off the spurs and throw the beard in the big box with the rest of 'em. Meanwhile, that's the bird of a lifetime for a lot of guys - and it goes straight to the taxidermist.Relative value...

GMMAT

I hear ya, Fran. I've been seeing them in the fields, lately....and I just came by and saw them, again. I told Rob there were a couple in there would go 22#'s. They're bigger than that

They've been hanging out the last few days about 150-200yds from where I'll be set up opening morning.

Who knows?.....lol They sure stumped me, last year.................almost