I have to admit that I'm not new to the game, and I learned to Turkey Hunt quite a few years ago. That said, you may just think its the ramblings of an old fool but I'd make a few observations on the state of the union of Turkey Hunting today...

TV Shows: First, for those who are new to our addiction/sport, what you see on TV is not real. Unless you are very fortunate and lucky, getting your bird in 30 minutes with a call being struck, blown, or box lid struck every 30 seconds and killing him at full strut with 4 buddies with him is not a very likely outcome. As much as I enjoy watching these half hour fantasies, they demonstrate none of the true techniques of turkey hunting and by and large are fantasy.

Skills: The normal approach today seems to be a constant search for every new gizmo and gimmick available to mans creative mind. The worst of these is our focus on long range shooting. In my mind, we have not advanced the state of the art with choke tubes and ammo that will deliver a lethal dose of shot at 60 yards. In fact, I think its a bad idea and encourages bad decisions. The quality of the hunt used to be delivered to the hunter who was cabable of calling and waiting and working a bird into range, no more than 30 yards and taking said target cleanly.

Today young hunters and new hunters see shots taken at long range and consider this the norm. In fact, in many cases turkeys are hunted in timer where you cannot possibly see over 40 yards and a gun/choke/ammo combo that delivers these "impressive" results will shoot a shot pattern from 15 to 40 yards so tight that a wounded or missed bird becomes more likely.

Calling: This is one area that TV is killing the spirit of newcomers....The real world is that the less you call, and the more you simply stay still and quiet after you sit down is far more important than that incessent noise making that we see on TV and in these videos. Someone needs to market a video and TV show that is honest.....for you newcomers....for goodness sakes....go to the bird when you here the gobble....yelp a couple times, and shut up, sit still and keep your eyes open.


I have no idea what brought on this rant...but I do feel better.

I kinda have to agree with you on the most part. I hunt with an old Mossberg 500 picked up at a pawn shop, outfitted with a scope, not the state of the art high prised camo guns of today. I use 1 mouth call, and 2 slates, an original slate and a crystal. I scout before the season and pic a place. I have only had 1 hunt in the fall that would be representedby avideo show on tv. That said, all the rest have been patiently sitting in 1 or 2 spots calling and waiting, many a day going home empty.And then calling one in to under 35 yards to make a clean shot, and every bird I have taken have been with one shot. My calling is not perfect, and if one listens closely, one would hear that turks do not sound like those calling contests at all. But more soft, and infrequent, and also not perfect! hats off to those who reconized the true sport of turkey hunting.

Not to mention that new hunters think u have to have a decoy or flocks of them to kill a turkey.

I have to agree with what everyone has said.

Woodust - you have spot on aproach!

for a while now all this hype with "Magnum" and "Hevi Shot" has taken its toll. Turkey huting done correctly is really a shot less than 30 yards......so why the hype for this shot!

Shots taken over 30 yards do infact kill - but you have a better chance to wound if you had not done your homeweork and even then it may still happen.......

So I cringe when I hear - "Killed that bird @ 55 yards"! or more......

Not what this sport is about....but ti will take othes time to learn as to why......

JW

prime example of this was my seminole ranch gobbler that was filmed, we watched the dvd the other day and the guys were saying you should of shot it, you should of shot it as soon as i got up behind the brush pile, i just looked at them and told them if i had done that , then they wouldnt of had 15 minutes watching him gobble and strut....it's not about the kill, it's about the dance.......