Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting "Want" vs "Need"

When different gear/equipment is talked about for the use of turkey hunting, no doubt "want" far exceeds "need". I "want" a certain gun, because you sure don't "need" a modern shotgun to kill a turkey and anything that takes a shell is a modern gun. I "want" camo, I "want" decoys, I "want" a portable ground blind, I "want" a stool or chair to sit on, I "want" a satchel instead of a vest, I don't "want" expensive shells... you get the idea. About the only thing I think you "need" is a valid tag/license.

So, every post about any certain type of gear/equipment, there's always the you don't "need" that crowd. Please remember, just about all of this is "want". And especially the crowd that says, or infers, that if you don't use what they do, there's something wrong with you. The beauty in all of this, is that you can make it what you "want". Go as far as you "want" it to.

I "want" to post the imogy of the guy winking his eye and the thumbs up imogy, but I don't "need" to, so I won't.

Did I "need" to be an ass about this? No, but I "wanted" to.

So... flame on! If you feel you "need" to!

I need everything I want. NEED!

Want vs need is something most can't differentiate these days. That's why you find people think they need a 3000 sq. ft. house with only 2-4 people living in it and the electric/heat bills to go with it, new cars and smart phones for everyone, a TV in every room with a 60 incher in the den, 6 freezers, a new gun every time they buy a loaf of bread etc. etc.... Then they'll bitch that they can't afford to retire till they're 78.5 years old. I thank God my dad raised me to be frugal and practical. Course he knew all about being frugal and practical with six of us living in a 1500 sq. ft. house in a singe income household. Funny thing I never felt cramped and we always had what we needed if not everything we wanted.

About 6 years ago, I pared down a 15 pound turkey hunting vest to about 8 pounds.
Until I started through it, I had no idea just how much "crap" I was hauling around.
Out in my storage shed, there is a nearly brand new set of "Pretty Boy/Pretty Girl" Knight & Hale turkey decoys!
I ain't hauling that stuff around anymore! 😐

But I've also gotten to the age where "want" isn't as important as it used to be and "need" is beginning to turn into "necessity"! LOL!

P.S. - I STILL have lot's of wants, not all of them connected to chasing "thunder chickens"! LOL!

I hear you there MS! Lol!

Blacheart, I grew up, 5 of us, in an 1,100 sq ft house with 1 bathroom. We didn't have a whole lot of wants, but just about had everything we needed! Both my parents were depression era survivors, I was very content with my third time hand me downs. Thought I was king of the world when my grandpa got me a banana seat for my bycicle, lol. Wouldn't trade my upbringing for anything!

I don't begrudge anyone anything, unless my money paid for it. Like some lazy ass collecting welfare when they can work, or paying someone's student loan. But if someone wants to spend that last nickel they earn and not save a penny for retirement, more power to them. Me? I've been blessed that I can do both, save for needs and wants. If my circumstances ever change, I'll make adjustments. Until then, I'll buy what I want that I can afford without incurring any debt and that's that. Nobody's business but mine.

I hang out on both ends of that spectrum.

Spent 17 years in a for-schidt 1100 ft, 8-room farmhouse and swore that when the day came I left it, I'd never, EVER be cramped again. So, me and Momma and 2 teenagers now reside in a 3200 ft ranch and I haven't had to pull my elbows in to get anywhere in over 4 years. I don't care WHAT the heating or electric bills are.

My daily driver, however...............is a 190K mile Silverado and until 4000 pounds of spruce tree broke off in a wind storm and crushed the bed........... I was hoping for ANOTHER 190K miles. Now, I'm kinda in a pickle of "need".

As far as my turkey hunting goes................. I'm a box call addict. Probably not in my best interest here to say how many I have accumulated. But, I've told my wife that if I croak before her, she'll LOVE my auction. 97% of them have never seen the woods, nor will they. My turkey gun for the last 5 years (with ZERO plans to change, going forward, EVER) cost me about $150. All my prior dedicated turkey guns (5 or 6 or 7 of them) are still in the safe.............maybe to go out a day somewhere as a nostalgia thing. What I take to the woods on any given hunt is only what I need. My belt pack doesn't total a pound, fully loaded. My stool goes down over the barrel of my slung shotgun. And my shooting stick doubles as a walking stick. I wear a good pair of quality boots and my camo is a name-brand pattern on quality garments....... but nothing special.

Sounds like we grew up similarly. I'm most thankful that I grew up in the country with a few thousand acres to hunt, fish and trap right out the back door and had the freedom to do it.

good post

I couldn't agree with you more on this!!!

HS 58

That's why we turned out normal.

I used to get up at 3:30 AM and put 3-4 miles on the farm tractor (I was 2-3 years too young for a driver's license) running fox and coon traps.

Builds character.

I too had a vest I hauled around that was weighted down with crap. Most of the time now I carry a face mask, gloves, call, and maybe 2 or 3 extra shells, and a pair of bino's.
Oh and a zip tie to attach my tag with.
I have a LOT of crap that needs to go as it is just taking up space in my basement, but I NEEDED it at the time.....

Oh, I do carry an chair and pad sometimes because I "want it" not because I "need it". I can tell you my butt sure is much happier when I carry them....

Well I didn't have a tractor but I got up a couple hours early to go check traps before school. My parents didn't buy me any guns or ammo when I was kid but fur money did.

Yep.

At 11 years old I was the richest kid in my class. My entire sporting year revolved around my fur check. When XXL coon are $25-$30 ........gray fox are $45 and reds are $50-$70, a kid who knew how to work steel could make SERIOUS bank for the 1970's standards.

Bought a brand new Savage 99C and Redfield 3-9 with my own money at 12 years old and a brand new Winchester 1200 the next fall.

The first one I bought was a Marlin model 989M2 semi auto .22. Got it from the hardware store in town for 59.95. Next was a Mossberg 500 12 gauge with bird and slug barrels. Killed my first legal buck and a shytload of small game and birds with that one. The following year I bought a Winchester 94 .30-30 for my first deer rifle, then an Ithaca 49 .22magnum and a Remington 591 5mm rimfire mag. for woodchucks. I still have the Marlin 989M2. It still shoots good and I use it frequently for small game to this day.

IIRC............ the Redfield Widefield 3-9 was $139. And that was either $10 more or $10 less than the Savage 99C at that time.

P.S. I've got a pair of 5mm's. LOVE them !!!!!!

I put a 2-7x Tasco on my 5mm and had a Weaver D4 on the .22 some of the time { Liked it for squirrels but took it off for rabbits in front of my beagle, yes I could kill them on the run with it}. Beyond that I couldn't figure why anybody'd need a scope to shoot a great big critter like a deer. Probably killed 50 or 60 of them, a few at well over 200 yards with the iron sighted .30-30 and slug gun {we lived close to the rifle/shotgun zone line and I hunted both sides of it} before I ever shot one with a scoped rifle. I still use a .30-30 as my main woods rifle for deer but today it's a Marlin with 1-4x20 Leupold. The eyes just ain't what they used to be.

I've gone through several estates lately and finally In process of doing my mom's farm. Every time I would be up there cleaning clutter (tools, household stuff... not really hoarding) I come back and purge stuff in my place.

But I am a gear junky and design type person so I am optimizing all the time. I part with gear to my deer shack kids so they can enjoy it and I am keeping what I use. Going on the retirement ramp down even if I have several years to go.

The worst want... We split the family farm up and I didn't want the portion I bought, but I did it so my brother could afford his. At least its an investment.

As far as turkey gear....
I'm not a good caller and I fidget so I use decoys, a chair, and fence blind to help me post for my birds. My only upgrades seem to be cutting weight and bulk to ease the hike. I've actually have come back around to cheap foam decoys for that reason. Lord knows a person needs a avian X decoy.

Everyone has their wants and needs. I laugh when my broke ass deer hunting buddies are retiring early and they can't understand why I am planning to go until Medicare pays my premium. Its too expensive to not look ahead and run the numbers.

@ humdinger.....

"... As far as turkey gear....
I'm not a good caller and I fidget so I use decoys, a chair, and fence blind to help me post for my birds. My only upgrades seem to be cutting weight and bulk to ease the hike. I've actually have come back around to cheap foam decoys for that reason. Lord knows a person needs a avian X decoy.

Everyone has their wants and needs. I laugh when my broke ass deer hunting buddies are retiring early and they can't understand why I am planning to go until Medicare pays my premium. Its too expensive to not look ahead and run the numbers. ..."

I'm not ever going to win any turkey calling championships any time soon either! LOL!
My "go to" is the fact that my turkey spot is small enough, I can scout it all a day or two prior to season, figure out where birds come out and set up ambushes.
A little judicious calling occasionally to hopefully pull a curious tom in and that's about it. LOL! But I still love it!

As for the retirement thing....
Gonna tell you a story.
My dad had over 40 years service on the job. Just after his 60th birthday, he had a heart attack.
I asked him why he didn't retire?
"If I retire now, I pay 75% of Medicare and the company pays 25%. If I retire at 61, the company pays 75% and I only pay 25%."

His biggest retirement goal was to, "...wet a hook in every lake in Texas!"

He had a massive, fatal coronary a month and a half before his 61st birthday!
At that point, MY goal was the very first possible moment I could retire, I was out!

We each have our own wants, goals and desires for retirement.
My advice is don't give up to much of "right now" for a "future" that may not be there!
Remember, each day you have is a day closer to your death date.
Morbid? Yeah, but it's the cold, hard, honest truth! 😐