Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting What year did ya start ???

Growing up on our farm in southeast Kansas, there were no turkeys, you could go about 30 miles in any direction and start seeing them. I remember one morning grandpa calling my house "look out your bedroom window" he said. It was a hen turkey walking across the yard. The first we'd seen close by. That was in the late 80's. The population increased to quite a population from then.

First hunt was in 1999, I'd came home from college to see 2 gobblers strutting behind my parents house. I drove to walmart, bought a slate call and turkey tag, and started hunting. First set of notes I played, I had those gobblers come running fast. I was set up to shoot to the left, they came to the right. I moved. They left the county. The next day I set up on another spot, made some notes, got some gobbles, again, they came to my right, I was facing left, I moved, they left the county. Lesson learned on what they would put up with. Hunted them for 2 more years before I finally got one. Most years I'll get 1 or 2 now.

Absolute most memorable hunt was a few years ago, set up on a river bend on a field my buddy owns. We park the trucks in the city limits and walk across the field. Gets light enough to start calling, have gobbles all up and down the river bottom. One flys down off the roost, lands about 100 yards out in the field. Immediately goes into a full on side stepping strut. Dragging wings. Drumming. Spitting. Gobbling. All the way into the decoys. Drags his wings on the ground the entire way, circles between the decoys and me and dad before dad finally lets him have it. Put on quite the show for about 10 minutes. Loaded up and headed back to the house before the sun had came up.

I first started turkey hunting around 40 years ago- first two turkeys I killed were on the same hunt, in S. Texas. I was in a tree stand, hunting for deer, but with turkey permits in my pocket. A tom came out of the thick brush, and I shot him with my .25-06. A few minutes later, a second tom emerged, and started pecking on the dead bird. His last mistake.

Since then, I have hunted for turkeys in my home state of CO, as well as Texas, Wyoming, S. Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
For the past 8 seasons, I have hunted them on my farm along the Arkansas River in E. CO, with great success. Favorite call is a Quaker Boy mouth call, and I use Primos hen and jake decoys. My weapon of choice is a Mossberg 935 12 ga. with Winchester Long Beard XR #6 shells. In the past, I have used archery, handgun, and rifle, where legal in spring. So far, subspecies taken are Rio Grande, Eastern, and Merriams.

2015. 44 years old. A Carlson's choke in a Winchester Ranger and LB#6 got the first one. I've gotten 3 more since then.

4 years ago with a 870 supermag, 3 1/2 magblends and wet clothes. Didn’t know how to or have any calls. A buddy and I stalked and crawled to within 20yards or a few gobblers. He got one the first day and mine came to second. I was hooked from them on. I’m no expert but seem to get lucky occasionally.
I now have to many calls to fit in my vest and have been loading my own shells for the past two seasons. That’s what I enjoy most now. If deer and turkey season was the same time I prolly wouldn’t kill anymore deer

I started Spring gobbler hunting in 1987. I had a lot to learn and for the most part it was all on my own as I knew very few turkey hunters to get advice from and this was long before hunting shows and youtube videos. I hunted all that Spring and did kill one gobbler ( i screwed up several other opportunities) ....since then Spring gobbler hunting has become my favorite hunting, I have been fortunate enough to hunt Eastern gobblers in Virginia and Kentucky every year and to date have killed 114 Spring gobblers with no signs of slowing down, I cant wait to get started again this Spring 👍......Good hunting....Hb

1978, Used hand made cedar scratch box and a Rohm brothers mouth call that I mail ordered from an ad in a hunting magazine. Gun was Grampa's Ithaca Field grade 12 gauge SxS. 2 3/4 Magnum 6's. Called some up, but didn't kill one till 1980. Dad and I had to drive about 75-85 miles over to Lincoln to hunt. Very limited areas that had good populations of birds back then. 4 day season, and you could only hunt til noon.

Now I can walk from my house and hunt good birds. Feeding them all winter in the back yard.

Still have the shotgun.

I was 13 years old. Dad got a new 870 and gave me his old Revelation 2 3/4 pump 12 gauge with a selecta choke. I was shooting Federal high brass. Sitting behind a fence row with my Ashby push button box. Called in a 7 inch bearded Tom from what felt like 250 miles away. To this day I have yet to experience a bigger adrenaline rush.

1990 used a Remington 870 ,640 hasting choke and federal premium number 4's. I have been hooked ever since.

First hunt was 1997, dad never hunted turkeys so my education came from hunting shows and trial and error. First harvest was 1998, I was 16. Called in two jakes with a Lohman box call, shot one at 30 yards with a 870 express "turkey" and Winchester Supreme 3" #5 thru a XXX full comp-n-choke. Still using that gun and load 20+ years later.

Started hunting them some in the spring back around 1985 or so. Not very serious with it though. First SPRING bird was a jake I still hunted up on while moving thru a line of timber bordering a clearcut. A5 x Heavy with a 30" full choke barrel. 2 3/4" Winchester Magnum #6 copper plated. Had 8 or 10 pellets down in the upper breast that completely overpenetrated. First called bird was around 1994 with a 10 gauge BPS 2 1/4 oz Remington #4. First turkey ever was way back in the days when in the fall if it was a turkey it was shootable season or not. So I'll confess my sin of youth. 16 years old and dog deer hunting at home in Alabama with a bunch of older guys that hunted meat. 1966. Was a driver on that day and we'd been bumping turkeys pretty far out front of us all morning. Hearing a shot from the standers fairly frequently after a flush. A fairly dumb hen didn't flush until I was 25 or 30 yards away with Sweet 16 full of #1 buck. Came crossing in front of me and not shooting never crossed my mind. Got her with 4 or 5 pellets including one in the neck and she tore down most of a canebrake on her way to the ground. Was an extremely excited young man. Got over the outlaw hunting pretty quick but I'll always remember that turkey folding in midair with feathers going everywhere.

Started in 1985 with a Lynch Fool Proof box call and a Mossberg 500. Took me a few years (and many scared off turkeys later) to actually get a bird and I have been hunting them ever since. I still get out 15-20 mornings each spring before work and on Saturdays. Love that time of year.

Started hunting around 1994. Saw the first turkey on the property when I was deer hunting. Went out the following spring. Got my first bird with a Mossberg 500 with a 28" barrel and Xtra Full choke, using 12 ga 3 inch Winchester 2 oz lead #4 shot. I've had excellent results with this load, one shot = one bird for 28 birds.

Can't use it anymore, no lead shot allowed in CA.

I use a Perfection wooden box call. I tried mouth calls, but they make me drool like a Saint Bernard with a mouthful of peanut butter. I had to switch to a box call to keep from drowning.

I started the spring of 2000. I read/watched everything I could find. Decided i NEEDED a Mossberg 500 12ga Turkey or it just wasn't going to work. Had decoys, 200 calls in my new vest, Realtree Camo head to toe, some sort of 1200 pound small folding chair I carried around.

Missed a running Jake on day one. Shot a beautiful tom the next 10 with perfect 11" paintbrush beard and some damn nice spurs I didn't measure because I didn't know I was supposed to.

Now I mostly carry a diaphragm call in my pocket and a Rem 870 20. Don't really use dekes anymore and mostly of the time don't carry anything other than a diaphragm call.

There is absolutely NOTHING like it! Nothing! It will get my blood pumping every single time!

My first Turkey hunt was in Colorado in around 1965 while I was going to gunsmith school there. We heard the Turkey season was on so about 6 of us piled into my old Chevy station wagon to hunt. We got to the sport we were going to hunt and spread out like we were hunting Quail in a line across a meadow. About half way across a Game Warden pulled up and asked us what were hunting? We told him Turkeys and we could hear him laughting as he drove away. Retired and started hunting them with the help of a good outdoor writer in 1994.

Spring 92.

Took my first bird 95. Carried one call in the pocket of BDU pants and an 835 ulti stomper. Now I feel lost without several pot calls, way too many mouth calls and the same box call I used way back then. Now that I think about it, it’s probably the oldest piece of hunting gear I own.

Back when everyone would say "you're hunting what"?! Used my 870 pheasant gun, a Dick Kirby Quaker Boy box call, and 12 gauge 2 3/4" Remington Express Long Range #5's. Since then, a plethora of different guns, shells and calls! After all these years, a gobble in the pre-dawn woods still gets the adrenalin flowing!

ah about 52 years ago with dad.had a jc higgins.dont rember size etc but was a time i wont forfet.dad been gone36 years now but memorirs still there