My first Turkey hunting experience 50 yrs ago

[Gobbler Chaser]

I had my first exposurer to Gobbler hunting as a 10yr 14yr old kid with my dad way back in the late 1960s in the northern Windham NY mountains. While working outdoors in the early spring he would announce I'm hearing Gobblers and we're going out in the morning. We would head out in the dark and listen and when he heard a gobbler we'd head towards it and sit by a tree and he would call with a box call, that was it, one old worn box call. He hunted with a Marlin bolt action .22 magnum with a 4 power Redfield scope mounted on it. Not sure if that was even legal back then, but I'm not  even sure my dad ever even bought turkey tags or hunted in season either. As far as he was concerned, when the turkeys gobbled the season was on and I remember it being real cold on some of those morning out with him. He took several birds with me in tow and even let me take a couple while he called them in. He'd shoot them right above the back leg and they would drop and flap for a minute and be done. I remember him taking shots at what had to be 80 yds with that Marlin. We didn't wear camo or face covering but he was smart enough to have us wear anything bright either. He had a buddy who used a .222/12 ga Savage break barrel back then. All highly illegal and dangerous today, but that's how things were back then I guess. 

[Pygmy]

Back in the 50s and 60s,  many people like my Dad and yours were children of the Great Depression....They grew up when meat was expensive and scarce, and  they got it when they had the opportunity....I'm certainly not one to moralize  regarding them...

[mowin]

On 5/9/2020 at 2:38 PM, Gobbler Chaser said:

I had my first exposurer to Gobbler hunting as a 10yr 14yr old kid with my dad way back in the late 1960s in the northern Windham NY mountains. While working outdoors in the early spring he would announce I'm hearing Gobblers and we're going out in the morning. We would head out in the dark and listen and when he heard a gobbler we'd head towards it and sit by a tree and he would call with a box call, that was it, one old worn box call. He hunted with a Marlin bolt action .22 magnum with a 4 power Redfield scope mounted on it. Not sure if that was even legal back then, but I'm not  even sure my dad ever even bought turkey tags or hunted in season either. As far as he was concerned, when the turkeys gobbled the season was on and I remember it being real cold on some of those morning out with him. He took several birds with me in tow and even let me take a couple while he called them in. He'd shoot them right above the back leg and they would drop and flap for a minute and be done. I remember him taking shots at what had to be 80 yds with that Marlin. We didn't wear camo or face covering but he was smart enough to have us wear anything bright either. He had a buddy who used a .222/12 ga Savage break barrel back then. All highly illegal and dangerous today, but that's how things were back then I guess. 

My dad was the same way.