Wow! Spring Turkey hunting chatter already on the forum! I love it. IMHO there is no more fun type of hunting. Man, getting a big old gobbler in close and sending a swarm of #5’s at his noggin or skewering him with a 2” Rage….well, it definitely blows my skirt up.

I’ve been spring turkey hunting now for about 12 years and I’ve lost track of how many birds I’ve killed and called in for family and friends but I remember that first bird like it was yesterday. At the time I was doing a lot of duck hunting and one morning before we hit the duck hole I happened upon a hunting show that was about spring turkey hunting. I thought to myself….DAYMMMM that looks like fun. I ordered a Quaker Boy box call and a two reed mouth yelper from Cabela’s that week and started practicing. Before April, I found an ad in the Dallas Morning News advertising turkey hunting for $50/day out in Eastland County. Got all the info from him about how to get to his place, where I could camp, and the pasture I could hunt and off I went. First morning I woke up, dressed and walked about 200 yards toward a creek and just as I stopped it happened……I heard my first gobble….ever. I was shaking by the time I sat down and pulled out my box call and scraped out probably some of the worst sounding yelps ever. Luckily I must have been dealing with some retarded turkeys and 5 minutes later I had two big birds doing the Thunder Chicken shuffle 15 yards in front of me. Somehow I kept the bouncing bead of the Remington 870 on the first birds head and dropped him. I could not stand up.

From that first gobble, I’ve been beyond “hooked”…….I’m a full fledge addict who owns practically every call known to man and has a turkey vest that looks like I’m ready to go to war. As Ted Nugent says on the trailer of his show….”I crave this stuff”.

Let’s hear about your first time……

I've never had an opportunity to kill a turkey until this year. I went to Wise County to deer hunt with a friend, not knowing that they even had turkeys. Saturday morning at first light I heard gobbling. I could see the turkeys 150yards away on the other side of the property fence, jumping on each other and sparring. They walked out of the trees, but turned up the hill and disappeared.

When I got out of the stand that day we drove to White Settlement to academy and I bought a box call and a double reed mouth call along with the upland bird endorsement. I never had used a mouth call so I bought the box call as a back-up. Good thing that I did. I practiced all the way back to the camp, but didn't get good at it. We didn't do an afternoon hunt, but the next morning I was back in the same stand again.

When it got bright enough that I could see I called. I was immediately answered by a gobbler and then another. I called again and was answered by alot of hens. This calling back and forth went on for about 15 minutes, until finally I saw 5 birds flying in, then 5 more, then 10 more, then I was thinking when is this going to stop. I ended up with about 50 birds in front of me about 35 yards away. I shot one with my .270(remember I was deer hunting). The turkeys didn't fly off they just ran around in circles. I shot 2 more times and missed. I was trying to hit them in the base of the neck, so that I wouldn't miss up alot of meat. I connected on the 4th shot at 115 yards. I ended up getting a double on my first time. I was pumped. Turkey hunting is exciting and I will be hunting again this spring.

My first one was last year, and it was crazy. I'll try to give you the condensed version or otherwise I could write a novel on it. I started the same way, bought my camo, gun, and a box call and went at it, not really knowing what I was doing. I hunted my friends small ranch for two seasons with no luck, coming close but couldn't close the deal. Last year, I took my brother in law. Got to the pasture before the sun came up and listened to them gobbling up on the roost. After the sun came up and they were off the roost I started calling and immediately got cut off by a group of gobblers. I called five big toms to within 30 yards of me strutting all the way. One unlucky one stuck his head out just long enough for for me to take him out. I've never been so excited, I ran over to the bird and called my brother to tell him what I had just done. I was on the phone with him telling him how big the beard and the spurs were when the bird just stood up and started walking directly at me. In a state of shock, I dropped the phone and started backing up, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to shoot him again at that close of range because I didn't want to mutilate him, I wanted to get him mounted. I thought I'd grab him by the neck and wring it, but then I thought about them big spurs and thought otherwise. With the bird still coming at me and me backing up I reacted. The only thing I thought to do is bash the bird in the head with my shotgun. Bad idea. That woke him up and he turned and ran. I was heart broken watching that big tom running away, then I reacted again. I took off chasing him. I'd catch up shoot, and miss. Missed three more times. That turkey ran me all over the place. The whole time my brother in law is rolling on the ground laughing. I finally gave up absolutely exhausted. I thought I was going to die. The turkey was out of sight now. I stood there trying to collect myself when out of the corner of my eye I see the turkey coming back and to my amazement, turned and started coming straight to me. I had one more shell in the gun and I waited till that sucker got about 10 feet in front of me and dropped him for good this time. I let out a scream they could have heard in the next county. I couldn't believe what just happened, if I hadn't have shot that bird, it would have run over me, it was the craziest thing. I went back to get my phone and my brother was still on the line wondering what was going on. This is one I'll be able to tell my grand kids. I wish I knew how to post the pictures. Sorry about the long post.

Pancho...most all turkey hunting stories are long but most aren't that dang funny. LMAO.

Man, where's the stories from Hoytman, TXcornhusker....Fourtrax??? I know you guys like thumping the yard birds. Now Pancho has opened up a whole new ball game for this thread....first or funniest turkey hunting story.

My first time was hunting in Brady, TX in the spring. I was 16 at the time and using my dad's SxS 10 Ga. The whole week up to the hunt I was practicing calls with mouth and box calls. The Saturday morning hunt I didnt see anything but herd plently of gobblers. After lunch I headed to a windmill to practice some more, just playing around really . I set with my back to the windmill tank in very little cover and started with the box call. About 4-5 mins into calling two Jakes coming running from my left (I barely caught them out of the coner of my eye) they come into range in line and I pull trigger #1 and both birds flopped . That was my very first spring turkey hunt and I havent had that type of luck with Turkeys since, lol.

well the very first time i was sitting there opening morning... i'd call and a hen would call back, it took me about 30 minutes to figure out me and the guy across the fence were "talking" to eachother.

later though i called and thought i heard a gobble, i could hardly hear him... i called again and it sounded a little closer (sounded like a mile away to me) each time i called he was closer and closer. it took probably 45 mins for him to get to me but when he finally did he stepped out form behind a cedar about 20 feet from me. i almost messed my drawers, he walked about 10 ft in front of me and i had to sit tight and let him go by so i could get my gun up. at about 25 yds he passed behind a small bush and when he stepped out i let him have it.

yep it was pretty cool!

My first time was sitting with my Dad when I was 12. Anyway, we were sitting in a blind made of tree limbs and it was colder then you know what. The sun came up and we were freezing, thinking about getting up to move around a little when we heard them, so we stayed put. Anyway, in a single file line from around an opening they started coming in. We had 30-40 in front of us at about 75 yards. My Dad said are you ready, so I stood up and took aim, which the cool part was this was my first big animal (bigger then ducks/dove/quail) to take and we shot at the same time. Mine was 9 1/5 inch beard and his was a 10.

He had just given me a 30-30 for Christmas and I was a little excited so I was surprised I hit it.

Great morning

Dad bought a place in Coleman County. I decided I needed to try and get a turkey. Bought the gear, got a little call practice time and then hit the bottom pasture. Could hear them on the roost. Would answer but seemed more interested in hens that were around area. Stayed after it and finally after laying on my belly spread eagle for about 2 1/4 hrs had a group of 4 toms approach my decoy. Problem was, I was so stiff i could barely move! Finally got so I could raise and fire on the biggest. He dropped as well as jake behind him. The pic on my sig. is the biggest. Memory I'll never forget. From that point on turkey hunting has been funner than any deer hunt I've ever been on.

The first Turkey wow Let me see it was 3 yrs ago. My brother in-law talked me in to going. LOL he said said ill help you its hard to see a turkey much less kill one. So his help was heres a call heres a choke and go here LOL...So I did and I sat I could here them so I know I was a good place. Now evey time i got home he wold call me and say any luck Id say NO. He said its ok it took me 4 years to kill my first one and laugh. Each day I went and sat and called and i listened to them. By the 5th day I was getting to know where the was and where they was going. On the 6th morning I was there early I found me a good spot and I sat down and waited until the sun was up. Then I made my first call and gobble gobble he went. So i move a little deeper in the woods. and I called again GOBBLE wow he was very close I sat very quit and still LOL I think my heart was going to explode I called one more time he was there now i can here him....I looked at a place I thought he would come into view...and there the head walking right in front of me I had the gun on the head BOOM the bird flopped and flopped.. soon it was over I got my first bird my first year out LOL...19lb 1" spirs and 9" beard. I was proud... To everybody getting there first bird...

It was a cool day back in '06. I was deer hunting on a buddy's land down around the Cisco area. I was nestled in a 10' tripod well hidden amongst a small wooded area covered in brush and vines and bordered by a ravine. After a long and disappointing morning hunt I began lowering my self down from my perch when I heard a noise in the undergrowth behind me towards the ravine. I went to investigate, my heart racing with the excitement of tracking my formidable foe through the woods when I cam upon him. Tangled in the vines and undergrowth was the majestic turkey. i raised my 308 to eye level lined up the crosshairs on the head of the feathered beast. I exhaled as I squeezed the trigger and stood dumbfounded as it flew off into the ravine. I chose to follow after it, feeling like a mountain man, running through the thicket and jumping into the 20' (give or take 10-15') ravine. Thinking that I had lost my quarry I took a second to view my surroundings to see if I could catch a glimpse of the bird when my eyes caught movement. There laying on the ground with its neck upon a root of a tree was my bird. I stood over kill and saw with regret that it was still alive. Not wanting to have to explain why I had shot twice and have to return home with my shirt tail cut off, I made the decision to break its neck. grabbing my rifle with the barrel in the air and with the might of THOR I brought the butt of the rifle down upon its neck crushing between the rifle and the root. I took a step back to recapture my composer when the bird lifted its head and gave me a threatening glare. Insulted and a bit concerned I approached the turkey once again in order to facilitate its passing. Knowing that I was dealing a bird spawned from Satan with a deviant quest of world domination I chose to take another shot, knowing full well the consequences. I lined up the shot and quickly pulled the trigger for the second time. Imagine my astonishment at finding out this feathered bird of prey had powers similar to those of a well skilled Jedi and could deflect the bullet from it's intended target. At this juncture I knew drastic measures were needed I grabbed the feathered herald of death by the neck with both of my powerful hands and bent its head back so that it was looking at its own spine. I held the bird in that position for about a minute and laid it down to reflect upon my brush with the winged bird of fury. I grabbed my prize by the legs and admired it grand wing span, I began walking through the ravine towards the camp house when the possum playing bird began thrashing around as if attempting to pitch my legs out from underneath me, in order to get at my throat. Being the man that I am I quickly gathered my self (after of about 10 minutes of screaming and swinging my arms around me in attempts to deflect this onslaught). I attempted again to wring it feathered neck with the same results as the first time. I knew then this bird was too much of a match of an advisory for me. I headed to the camp house for back up and caught my buddy on his way to breakfast. I quickly retailed the story of my epic battle with this winged master of battle. He laughed a little and followed to the ravine. Once there we noticed the bird had moved another 10 yards. I grabbed the bird and squeezed its neck together when both parts were in the same hand. Again after playing possum the bird thrashed around. The killing blow was finally delivered with the help of a sharp edged rock. My buddy and I sat for a moment to recoup our strength as we did we took a look at our surroundings. Upon skinning the bird we saw no bullet holes, the darn thing looked like a butterball turkey.

Turns out I scared the poor bird it flew into a tree knocking its self out. thats were I found him laying on the root of the tree. After going to the range we found that my rifle was also off by about 2".

So all in all I am still getting crap from my first Turkey hunting experience.

I had gotten lucky and jumped up and killed a couple of jakes but my first long beard took three hours to get in and had me shaking so bad I couldn't keep the bead on him at 35 yards. I called him across a 90 acre pasture, past two feeding hens who ignored him in the field, across a ditch and into the trees. He was gobbling when he came in every other step and the adrenaline dang near gave me a heart attack.

Nothing else like it and this year it is a bow kill or bust.

OH yes....my first time...well it all started when I was sixteen and this lady in a blue dress was selling cigars door to door....I didn't smoke cigars but after she showed me....er....um....wait are we talking turkey???......::::::scrolling up:::::.....oops my bad......... great stories though!!! Maybe I should try it!!

My first experence on spring turkey hunting took place in Menard County in '91. We had been invited to hunt a place that we were interested in buying. I got out that afternoon and had set up in an oakmont, but had no luck getting a tom to respond with my mouth call for which I was new to. So later in the day I thought I would move to a water hole not knowing if that was the thing to do or not. Half way to the waterhole as I was calling ever so often, I got one to respond but the problem was I was in the middle of a pasture with no cover. I ran to a fenceline as quick as I could, but still there was not a lot of cover. I started calling, with him calling back like I had done this before. The only true cover I had was the tall grass, there wasn't any good trees to back up to, so I laid flat on my back and began calling. The tom seem to come in on a string and the only option I had was to spread my feet and shoot laying down, the result was a twenty-two pound, eleven inch bead tom. The funny ending to this story is that the gun recoiled into my nose and resulted in two black eyes. But I didn't care for I had a very nice turkey, talk about beginner luck.