What did you learn this year?
 

Each day after my hunt is over, I sit at home and reflect on what went right and what went wrong and how I can do it better next time. I also jot my thoughts down in a turkey hunting journal that I have been keeping for the last three years. By doing this after each hunt, I'm able to record many details that I would probably forget had I waited until the season was over to think about and try to remember. When the season does end, I take my journal and read over each entry and try to come up with the most important items that I learned during my hunts. Here is an example of what I learned this year. Think back over your season and share with us the most important things you learned.

1. Weather can affect nesting times and later nesting means real hens for the gobblers to follow making it tougher to call them in. Another related point is a high hen to gobbler ratio makes for tough going.

2. The odds of calling in a bird go up if you have the patience to pick a good spot, call periodically, sit still, and listen. I now understand what I had read some time ago that patience and sitting perfectly still will kill more birds than fancy calling. On 5 separate occasions, I had gobblers come into me because I stayed in one spot, where I knew their were birds, and had heard no gobbling on the roost in the morning.

3. I personally need to practice my close in calls (cluck, purr, soft yelp). I did good with the fairly loud calls in getting toms to commit, but think I could have done better when they got to about 50 yards or so. I was taught this lesson by a real hen on the last day of the Pa. season. She came in behind me and began clucking to my soft yelps. I started immitating her and we held a conversation of clucks for about 10 to 15 minutes. I was very surprised at how her answers were really only loud enough for me to hear. She didn't cluck any louder than necessary. When she headed down over the ridge from me, she yelped, but again only loud enough for the turkeys in her immediate area to hear. I also immitated her yelp and about 5 minutes after she left, a silent tom came sneaking into my cousin who was set up about 20 yards from me. He downed it with one shot.

4. As stated on another post somewhere that I read and I agree with, a tough turkey season will make a better turkey hunter out of you in the long run. You get to try more things and hopefully find some new things that will help you in the future.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned no matter how many there are stay away from road gobblers.They've been spooked and called to so much they aren't even interested in calls.Severe case of call shy.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that persistence, patience and sticking to it will eventually bring about the outcome I desire.
I learned that doing the right thing, even when it's hard, will always make me the winner.
I learned that helping others will come back to me ten fold.


This was a MAGICAL season for me.

Bill

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned to be very carefull hunting on public land.

Some one else might shoot your turkey after you call him in.

Oh well next year.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned to have Confidence in Calling
I Learned to be very sneaky setting up as well as listening intently for that gobbler
I learned to scout the birds before hand
I Learned that shooting a turkey is the greatest feeling in the world :)

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

i learned to go to land i havent hunted, i can be just as successful......i also learned i know a great bunch of folks.....thought they were, but i got proof , lol.....

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that I'd forgotten that "always" and "never" don't apply to turkey huntin'....

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

1- many turkeys can be worked AFTER 9 or 10 am
2- foggy morning, hunt the fields
3- a bird can be 30 yds away gobbling his head off and sound 1/4 mile away when the "green is up"

4- if you think you know how many birds are on a given piece of land, add 3 or 4 MORE that you didnt know were there...

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

Hunt every chance you get all season long
Have as many places to hunt as you can
Pay attention while you are out. What happens today can greatly determine how well you do tomorrow

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that doing what other hunters won't usually do because of the extra effort required will sometime get you the bird. Ex. Hunted the Black Hills for two days with the same results that the other hunters were having - Birds would answer and them go the other way! Decided to try a different tactic - took an hour to climb to the top of a small mt. and worked my way down from the top. On the trip down I had a Tom goobling like crazy below me in the first five minutes. He was headed in and I went to set up and rolled a rock from under my foot and the Tom departed. Tem minutes later another Tom answered and was coming hard. This time I got set and he steped into view at about 10 yds. and I thumped him.
I believe my making the effort to do something that required extra effort was the reason for the change. I have found that road side Toms will respond differently when I circle and approach from the side away from the road.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

One of my favorite posts to reply to on this forum!
:eek:

Get as close as you possibly can to a gobbling tom before calling.

Get on the same level that the gobbler is on.....very difficult to call them "downhill" in open woods.

Prepare a "mental checklist" i.e. proper sight picture, & safe firing zone BEFORE firing.

If you have any doubts about your shot.....DON'T TAKE IT! ...you can always hunt him another day.

A wounded tom can HIDE in grass that wouldn't cover a rabbit[:-]

Make EVERY effort to find a wounded tom....JUST KEEP LOOKING!

Sometimes gobblers will "beat up" a wounded tom (saw this for the first time this year[:-]

If another hunter is in "your" area, it is safer to just leave.

It feels great to PASS UP a gobbler (catch and release)!

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

Biggest lesson learned: Remember the three Ps---patience, persistence, perseverance---and practice diligently.

Other lessons:

1) Hot toms can travel long distances quickly. I had heard of gobblers covering 200 yards in 5 minutes, but I had a few that covered 1/4 to 1/2 mile in 15 minutes. Simply amazing when you consider that turkeys were not built for speedy locomotion.

2) Know where the birds are, and if not, do everything in your power to get them to shock gobble on the roost. All the sign in the world will not tell you where that tom is located right now...

3) There is no such thing as call shy gobblers. It's more about the right place and the right time with the proper calling cadence ;)

4) Just as with deer hunting, your best opportunity to harvest a bird on a new property is the initial hunt. Do your homework.

5) Adult gobblers are tough! My second bird, a huge 3-year old, took 3 shots of Winchester's X-tended Range #6 from 35 yards and under. He had also been shot at before, and had leg scar tissues which encapsulated #4 copper shot...just plain ole' tough!

Concepts reinforced:

1) Patience, period. Two of my three birds were killed with nothing other...

2) A comfortable & appropriate setup is one of the key elements in success, and worth the extra 5 minutes to find.

3) There's no such thing as, "too many calls"...

4) Expect the unexpected, and you won't be surprised at the outcome.

5) Enjoy yourself the entire time. If you need a day off, take a day off. Enjoy the birds singing, and the spring blossoms. If it feels like a job, it better be your occupation, because otherwise it's a passion and a hobby...

6) Pattern, pattern and pattern your gun. Make even the smallest change, go pattern again.

7) A great caller not only knows how to use all the calls, but when to use the calls...

8) If the gobbler is "close enough", wait a few minutes and let the bird get even closer. Five yards is easy to misjudge at ground level, especially on a field edge or over uneven ground.

9) The only way to kill a turkey, is to get your butt outta' bed and hunt a turkey. 3:30am really sucks sometimes, but if that's what it takes---then that's what you do...

10) Share, reward and thank those that helped you during the season. From family to friends to landowners to state DNR, thank everybody. Remember yourself on that list, because you are the one that eventually harvested the bird...

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned never say I got you now, until after you pull the trigger and you have a boot on his neck.:D

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

Wow.......GREAT POST!
okay i learned alot for two states.
OHIO: Most birds i kill in Ohio, are from 110:00-1200(quitting time)
-If one gobbles around 11:30 and he is close, i WILL kill that bird, its a done deal, he just dont know it yet.
-I learned what a "putt" sounds like for the first time(never heard one) LOL.
Kentucky: I learned that evening hunting is just as good or better than morning hunting.
-I learned that opening day is usually the jakes gobbling there heads off.
-When i dont see any toms in the fields strutting, its stilll too early in the season, and it can change in a period of 24 hours!!!
-I learned that listening to the gobbles in the dark sitting in the morning dew, there is just something REALLY special about that.
-I learned if a tom comes up on you and you have your gun down, its better to raise your gun slow and shoot quick,so he dont take off flying.
-I learned that a muffled gobble.........means he is coming and is REALLY CLOSE.

-last one, i learned that i have a natural ability for calling in turkeys. I should have my own show like Rob Keck!(im serious!):D

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that a month of getting up at 4:00 AM and hunting away from home every weekend, all weekend will really test your marriage

I'M STILL IN THE DOGHOUSE!! [:'(]

BHW

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

:(
I KNOW what you mean!!!

(Confucius say, "Man in doghouse end up in CATHOUSE!;))

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that while my fiance is not a hunter,
she is a great hunting partner,
she had no problem getting me up and out at 4;00am
she wont hunt with me, or eat any of the game,
but she loves my passion for the sport, and supports my hunting and scouting.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that me and a Primos Piggy Back stacked frame yelper make a deadly combo:D

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that there are no guarantees in turkey hunting:D

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned that success tastes a whole lot better than tag soup. I also learned that quality insect repellant (like thermacell) and a little seat to keep you comfortable work wonders for keeping you from fidgeting. Also, I learned never to underestimate the value of Knowing where the birds are roosted...makes the hunt a whole lot easier.

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

if you want to fill a tag try not to get stuck on one individual turkey.....this year i found a big ole bosstom strutting......i was walkin around tryin to fire one up.....when i turned a bend around a field and there he was...full strut....75yds away......he didnt see me....slipped the orange off....sat down....started working him.....gobbled once after 15 mins of off n on calls.....started coming after an hour or so.....and then he RAN OFF......a herd of cows charged him.....and he ran!......i knew right where he would be roosting....and hunted him most of the rest of the season.....got him in VERY close....never had a shot close though....enver saw him up close.....saw him that time.....and once at around 50yds he wouldnt come off a ridge....strutted around all morning.......big ole bird.....just never worked out that he got to meet me........boss tom...king of the woods.....hed gobble once and no other bird would gobble after that.....he beat up a few jakes one day on his way to come to me.......awesome to hear.....would been great to watch.....but it never worked out......and i went birdless........dont care......biggest bird ive ever seen......and i learned alot of tricks trying to fool him.......

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I learned never trust your best friend because when you are still he is moving and gets caught ! Right Jalvja :D and scraper will testify to that too ;).

Then to top it all off he takes the Thermacell and places it on his side of the tree and ya wonder why the bugs are eating ya up [:@]...BT

RE: What did you learn this year?
 

I always enjoy this post also!!!!
One thing that continues to amaze me is most all the clicheick things we talk about here on the board,(sitstill,scouting,camoflauge,calling/calls,etc,etc,etc)continue year after year to play a major roll in our success afield!The birds themselves teach and force us to do things out of the ordinary once inawhile but even if we dont neccessarily bring something new to our repitiore afield I'm constantly reminded year after year why I love to hear those early morning gobbles and see the smiles of some new or young hunter holding up his/her first tom!Hunt safe all!!!!Bob