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

………...and what gun, shell, call did you use to kill your first spring bird ??

Turkeys only moved into our area in 1979. Couple small game hunters kicked a hen up out of a brush row. First gobbling bird I ever heard was in 1981 and I hunted him. Finally figured it out in 1984. Called in two and killed one at about 18 yards. Called them in with a home made tube call (35mm film canister, rubber surgical glove, electrician's tape) and shot with a Winchester 1200, factory full Winchoke tube and a Federal 2 3/4" magnum #2.

Here in Michigan when I started hunting turkeys in 1976....had to apply for a tag in only a couple areas in Northern Michigan....season was 4 days....shot a jake the 4th day...with a Browning A-5 3" Full #4 shot used a mouth reed call...

We didn't have them here in huntable numbers until about 1990. Killed my first one with a Winchester 1300, I'm thinking #4 shot.

1993 Massachusetts... used my Browning 10 Gauge Goose Gun with hand loaded 2 Oz. copper plated #5 shot in a Precision Reloading steel shot cup, buffered. I was prepared for a 40 to 50 yard shot (In my mind)... shot my first turkey at 10 yards, he dropped like a rock... almost missed... could only find 2 pellets in the neck. Now I use an Encore 20 gauge... nice and light! To this day my favorite calls are the paddle style box calls. I never really got the hang of the mouth calls.

I can't remember the exact year but it was the first fall season offered in MN which would have been around 1990. I applied in the lottery and won a tag.

I used an Ithaca Mag-10 with Federal Premium turkey loads. They were 2 1/4 oz of #6 shot. I used a Tru-choke Modified choke.

I did not use a call as it was fall and I had no idea what I was doing. I relied on ambushing the bird and was lucky to do so and bring home a poult.

My first spring bird was in 2000. It was the second year I hunted in the spring. I used the same Ithaca and loads to take that bird. I used a box call which is my favorite and most productive to this day. For the life of me I can't recall the brand though I think it is a Quaker.

Somewhere around 1980. I went to eastern Montana with a friend and knew absolutely nothing about them. We camped in an area where they gobled all night. I did get one, but it was pure luck. Since then I have hunted them quite a bit in the spring. Few people realize what a thrill it is to hear birds gobbling in the roost, then try to call them down and into a decoy. I have been able to get quite a few nice birds with all kinds of shotguns and bow and arrow...

I hunted turkey on and off since the late 60's.. But where I live requires a long drive to get to turkey country, so I wasn't too successful until I retired.. I shot my first turkey in the fall with a .243.. Since then, I've killed a bunch.. Mostly with rifles, but 40 or 50 with shotguns..

My first turkey was 1985 with a 20 gauge 870 with a 1 1/8 ounce load of 7 1/2 shot. Moved to an 870 express 12 gauge for a while. Lately I've been happy killing them with a 20 gauge flintlock. I started with mouth diagram calls and added box, slate, and various friction calls to the repertoire. Somewhere along the way I picked up a couple of hen decoys. When I added a jake to the set things got real interesting.

GORGEOUS birds, sir !!!


Shot my first trio Merriam's this past spring in Wyoming and Nebraska. Beautiful country !! beautiful birds !!! However, the Wyoming public land ones rank as the most IGNORANT turkeys I ever tried to make die...…….

Started in 94.

Killed a tom 3rd year, 1100 Magnum, 12 ga w WW3" #5's. 30" full choke.
10.5" beard, 21#

7 days total turkey hunting over that period.

April 19 1983. 12 ga Sears Ted Williams (Winchester 1300) with pollychoke shooting a 3” federal #4. I used a old home made scratch box call I was given. Didn’t have any chalk so I grabbed some blue pool stick chalk from our pool table. Didn’t know how to call nor had I ever hunted them before. 12” beard and 24lbs. I was walking on air.

It's almost 40 years ago now.

My First Turkey Hunt

Back then, there weren't too many turkeys, and I only had one half-day a year to hunt them. That was because I was a working stiff, and couldn't afford to take off during the week. You couldn't hunt on Sundays, so I'd set aside the first Saturday of season, and drive out Friday night after work. I'd have to pitch a tent around 11 O'Clock and be up at 0430 to hunt. Ohio only allowed you to hunt until Noon, so I'd come out and drive home.

It took until 1984 before I saw my first dead bird at the check-in station.

It took until 1988 before I got to see my first strutter. He was about 300 yards away, and gobbling like crazy. I was sitting with my back to the back corner fence post of the property and I couldn't get him to cross the distance.

I got my first shot at a gobbler in 1993. He honored my call at 200 yards, way off on the neighbor's property and I'd long since given up on him. 2 hours later, he poked his head up behind a fallen log at about 10 feet. We scared each other rather badly. I stood up and emptied my magazine at him as he flew off.

In the early 90's, Remington 870 12 gauge 3" using Remington Long Range Express #5's. Used a Dick Kirby Quaker Boy box call back then but didn't like how it took up both of my hands. Exclusively mouth calls now for when they're close, same old box call for locating. Took a couple years to "figure it out" (hahaha), and over the subsequent years have used pumps, semi-autos and a muzzleloader, a myriad of different shot sizes, choke tubes, different length barrels, open sights, optics.... all the "stuff"! Even picked up a bunch of different turkey specific reloading stuff from Ballistic Products in Minnesota and loaded up my own turkey shells. Didn't really find any advantage to "rolling my own" other than I liked it and got to spend more money! Lol! Have only hunted Eastern birds in Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Got drawn this year for Wisconsin and Illinois, thinking about Missouri but their NR tag has gotten a little pricey.

It is hard to hold your water, sitting near a roost and hearing these birds...

Shot my first in '03, dad never did it so I wasn't able to really get into it until I worked for a place who's owner was a big turkey hunter. Jake at about 55 steps with an 835 with Federal 2 1/4oz #6s. He called it in for me. Didn't get my first longbeard until my 2nd season. Called a pair in with a Pittman Sapphire right at dark, was actually headed back to the truck when they started gobbling.

We mowed this weekend, it was too wet though. Rolled tire off the rim of tractor, then stuck truck trying to load the tire up to take to get fixed. Put tire back on to use tractor to pull truck out, that took countless attemps and angles. Ran into town, got it fixed, then after we started mowing again, fuel line popped up the gas tank and we lost it all. Fun day.

In the fall of 2003, I was dating my wife and met her family at a birthday party... and I got along with her dad because I was a hunter. He was sliding a WI turkey hunt application to me the next time we visited and I applied. Either he liked me or he was going to secretly kill me in the turkey woods while he called for me

Obviously I survived. it pays to be armed with a 28 inch 12 ga browning BPS full choked and running 3 inch #5 winchester supreme shells just in case. I got my first turkey a 1/2 hour into the hunt about 20 yards away.
I hunted several years with him, but he lost interest because he preferred snow-birding in Texas and kept coming back later and later every year.
My last hunt was in his back yard sitting in his utility trailer...still hammered a bird. Just not much fun.


I took a couple years off after getting married, relocating, and found a spot to hunt in MN just south of the cities.

now im dabbling with 3 different shotguns and non-toxic shot because of federal land no lead rules... and I get birds by luck because I hunt pinch points and don't do any run & gun or locating or "putting them to bed". I just scout for turkey tracks in the snow in March and go there in April.

Late 80's killed a bird 2nd day ever hunting

I started about 1982. Had a guy who I helped cut wood wanted to go out muzzle loader deer season. We were driving down a pumper road and ahead the road was black. When we got closer realized a huge flock of turkeys were crossing the road and we took in after them with our muzzle loader. Never got one but that started the turkey hunting bug in me.

Ok since we are all going down memory road, this story I posted about 4 yrs ago that my son wrote for his English Honors class at the time really puts it all in place. My turkey hunt mentioned above has always been one of my best hunting experiences, until this hunt with my son happened .
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../8624693/re-from-a-kids-view#Post8624693

1976, used a 243 winchester with a reduced load. It was legal back then in Oklahoma to use a rifle in the spring. I used a Lynch box call which is still the one I use now.