I was wondering how many Generation "X"ers are turkey hunters. I'm talking about ages under 30. I'm 25 and killed my first gobbler some 12 years ago. But it's getting harder and harder to find hunters my age. Many of the guys I hunted with growing up don't hunt at all now. This will become a problem in the future as hunter numbers decline and we lose voters to support wildlife conservation.
X'ers are often looked at negatively by hunting elders as well. I noticed this duck hunting at a personal level. The run and gun style of a new breed of hunters, myself included, sometimes rubs the old schoolers the wrong way. I am not an unethical hunter, nor do I disrespect other hunters, but it seems like my generation catches some heat when it comes to a more aggressive style of hunting. Any opinions?

I'm with you, even though I just turned 30....I'm like you, I caught the bug early on, I grew up around some of the best turkey hunters around......My dad started taking me out when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I carried a bolt action 410...even though I never did kill one with the 410, I got to witness and be there for alot of good hunts....and I've screwed a bunch up too but Dad stayed pretty patient with me....over the years I've watched and learned and listened, and seems like I've asked the right questions and got the right answers....That's not to say, that I do it EXACTLY like they do.......Nowadays, me and Dad hunt together as a team, and we do pretty well like that......we'll get on a bird and start calling to it, then we'll end up cutting and calling, or we'lljust flock talk to one another. In other words, we'll sound a couple/three hens and this has worked tremendously well for us.

One of he highlights of my turkey hunting career is taking a double with my dad. We got on some gobblers one morning that ended up seperating. Dad and I sit about 15 yards apart(instead of one us laying back about 40 yards). The turkeys started gobbling and like I said, they ended up seperating, one directly in front of us, and the other about 2:00 to our right. The bird to our right gobbled the most and came into view about 100 yards out. We were both sorta focused on that, when the gobbler in front of us sounded and was no more than 40 yards out. So we both got adjusted back on that one. He came in and Dad ended up dusting it at about 10 yards. After he shot, I immediately looked over to the first one that we had seen, and I couldn't see, but I heard it gobbling like mad, so grabbed Dad and pulled himdown and we started working on that gobbler and called in and I shot him.

But to answer your question, no, I don't feel like they look down on me or anything. I feel now, like I'm a respected peer rather than a kid in training. I think they'd value my opinion as much I would value theirs, and they listen to my hunts as intently as I used to listen to theirs.

I do hunt with some other guys my age, but I'm always the caller, and they're always the shooters, which is fine, and it's like they don't have any interest in learning how to call, but I'm getting ready to ween some of them. Tom Kelly said that it's OK for a while, but continously using someone else to call is like buying a piece of "A" with someone elses money.

I'm one of the baby boomers at 51!!! I don't have problem with anyone's style of hunting, since I hunt at my pace and style. Just don't be in the same woods as me come spring!! LOL!!!

I am 28. I agree with the notion that youngsters in major numbers don't hunt anymore when they finally grow up into their 20's. It is a social problem, but clearly with more info, more acknowlegement and benefits towards hunting, maybe we would see more incline in the numbers with 20's and 30's population.

I'm 26 and have many friends my age that hunt (maybe too many) As far as being respected, I would say that the only thing my elder hunters hold against us is that we are taking away their hunting land. The ol timers I hunt with all talk about the good ol days when they "could hunt anywhere and there were birds everywhere, even in that subdivision over yonder"
Most of them have adjusted to they hunting sytles and have excelled at it.

If a hunter has the room to run& gun, i don't mind, but if there are other hunters about, then i view it as inconsiderate. Besides, with the number of birds around nowadays, its not as much a necessity as it used 2b. Also, with the advantage of experience to draw from, in the long run, u will kill more birds being more deliberate. JMHO The thing i feel badly for the newer hunters is the inundation on videos (from which many newcommers learn) on the use of decoys! Hunt without decoys a few years, that way you will learn get the bird into range by scheming & plotting. Afterall, thats the essance of turkey huntingIf u want to use them that fine, but i think u will enjoy turkey hunting more without them. But there r times & places for them, just not all the time.

maytom , your an Ol Man Bud , you can't keep up with us 20 year olds

BTmaytom

I'm 29.There are no shortage of hunters of any age class over here on our public land,and rudeness doesn't seem to come from any particular generation.

Widow Maker.Keep on doin' the right thing it will take hunters like us to keep it going.I am taking youngsters constantly.When they get in their late teens they end up chasing girls,like I did,and then courting,getting married,starting families,and what not,but then later on in life they settle down,and get back into hunting.I never got out of hunting though.

Some people aren't as die hard as you and me,but if it is in their blood one gobble will bring it back.

I am only 23 and I have seen my friends that hunt shrink from every friend, to only about two. It is VERY hard to find guys that are around my age that are still hunting. It really scares me when I think about how hunting is going to be when i am 50 or so. IF there is any such thing as hunting. Habitat destruction is killing our animals and we are too dumb to see it or don't care. Our population is booming to the point that we are about caught up with China. Its aweful. Even in the deep parts of the country, wal-mart, malls, houses, all sorts of developments and industries are being built in our forests. The logging industry cuts a forest and plants nothing but pines. Animals need food.

I grew up hunting, here in the South, you start the kids early. So by 15 or so, I could hang with the best of them. Granted, I am still learning new things today.

I think that its normal that once you reach my age that people start to get onto "real life" so hunting has to go on a back burner for a little while. Myself, if I'm not hunting, then I'm not happy. So, I've learned to include it in my life.

The thing that bothers me is just like this past deer season. I seen more deer than I ever have in my life, but I had no one to share it with. I have no one to hunt with. I killed a nice bird last year, had no one to share the story with, to show the pictures to. It is very depressing.

As for the older guys not likeing the way we hunt. That is life. Its called a generation gap. Just like your dad wants you to do everything the way he does it and nothing you do is right. Its been there since God put us here.

I do think that the newer hunters in general try to rely on the new technology and gadgets more than they should. They try to get a gun that will shoot a turkey at 100 yards instead of working on their calling. I am not an exception. Its just that I was brought up in the time of every time you turn on the tv or go to a froum it some "new and amazing" product coming out.

Just my opinion.

There have been some good posts on this topic. The main thing being that we need to stick together and educate others about hunting and wildlife conservation. Taking newcomers and showing them how to hunt ethically should be something we all try to do in order to maintain our sport. Generation gaps or not, the overall number of hunters is declining and thus so are the number of people to back legislation in favor of hunters and gun owners. Lets not let generation gaps and hunting styles hinder our fight to keep our rights.
WM