Turkey Time by Mike Ray
Hunting wild turkeys has been a passion of mine for quite some time. It gets stronger every year. I have been fortunate enough to harvest several turkeys throughout my hunting career. For the past two years I have laid my shotgun down. With bow in hand I am determined to conquer the quest of taking all four turkey species within the United States. I have accomplished half of this challenge. During this time, I have taken many turkeys, among them were two Easterns and two Rio's.
As an avid outdoorsman, with a keen interest in our youth, I have also devoted some time to hunt with a 12-year-old boy from our area, Guner Booth. When I invited him to hunt with me, he was so excited! As usual the turkeys were very tough to hunt. In an attempt to pattern them, we were very mobile for the first part of the hunt. The terrain was almost as challenging as the turkeys. We walked several miles. This young man never missed a step. He was anxious and determined to get his first turkey. He wanted it bad!
All weekend we were on edge, just waiting, with great anticipation for the perfect opportunity. It never came. Not that weekend anyway. That didn't deter us. The very next weekend, we were at it again. The first morning out, we had a few close encounters, but remained unsuccessful in our efforts. Later that day, still determined, I decided to change strategies. I found, what I hoped would be, the perfect spot. We set up a blind.
As we were going out that afternoon, much to our dismay, there were already turkeys in the far side of the field. Seeing this, and knowing how keen their eyesight is, we elected to take another route, to get positioned. This, of course, made it even more challenging. After much effort, we finally made it through the thickets. We got down and crawled through at least 30 yards of opening to get to our selected site.
The level of commitment that this 12-year old displayed was commendable. I was not only proud of him-I was proud to be with him. At last we were in the blind and we got set up. I was ready with my bow and made sure Guner and his gun were ready. The waiting began. I began to call, using a mouth call. The turkeys responded with gobbles while running toward our decoys. As they were coming in, the expression and excitement on Guner's face was unbelievable.
Remarkably, there were two, yes I said two turkeys running in side by side. I've never seen anything like this before. I quietly told Guner to be ready and I instructed him that as soon as he heard my bow go off to take his shot on the turkey on his side of the blind. He excitedly shook his head. Our adrenaline was pumping. Yes, this was the moment, there they were-two beautiful Eastern turkeys side by side-a moment I could have only imagined! I drew back, heart throbbing, trying to steady my breath, a quick prayer and release. My eyes follow my arrow all the way through the turkey. Right through the kill zone-I was ecstatic! Before I could even catch my breath, I heard Guner's gun sound-and boom-he landed his bird! There they were-lying lifeless beside each other. A double kill-one with a gun and one with a bow. We were both totally elated! We began giving each other high five's and celebrating like you wouldn't believe.
Of course, one of the first things that this fine young man had to say to me was that his turkey was much bigger than mine. His was close, but mine was the larger of the two. That didn't really matter to me. It was such a wonderful experience-just accompanying him.
Now this story wouldn't be complete without me giving adequate justice to the birds, and of course, to the hunters. Guner's bird weighed in at 22 lbs., had a 9-3/4 inch beard with 7/8 inch spurs. Although his was one to be respected, mine came in at
20 lbs. with a 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. The measurements of the turkeys are definitely worthy of mentioning, but the entire hunting experience was absolutely immeasurable.
I was not fortunate enough to have my first turkey hunting experience when I was a kid, but after witnessing Guner's experience, it has definitely increased my desire to influence and educate our youth on the great outdoors and the cycles of life. I am committed to doing my part in furthering the involvement of our youth in the wonderful world of the outdoors. Please do your part to help us in this endeavor.
My good friend, Ray Howell, has a very unique organization called Kicking Bear Kids' Camp. He works diligently throughout the year to promote the involvement of children from all walks of life, into the outdoor world and the sport of archery. I serve as a member of this staff and am honored to be a part of it. Please join Ray Howell and me, among many others, in our attempts to not only promote the outdoor industry, but to hopefully and prayerfully impact our society in general.
May God forever bless you and yours.
I would like to extend a special thank you to the following organizations that have been so generous as to support me in my endeavors.
Equipment Used;
BowTech Bow
Mothwing Camo
Gold Tip Arrows
Magnus Buzzcut Broadheads
Vital Gear Rest
Trophy Ridge Sights
Benelli Shotgun (Guner)
About
Ray
