Today is the last day of season in Minnesota,,I'm definitely out at first light waiting for a heavy pea soup fog to lift and wondering if I dare bring out my pricey Mann and watkins in this dewpoint. An hour or so passes before you can see and I reach for the stumpy ceramic which I know can handle the weather, No tree yelps this is the last day and I want to be heard loud and now!. After banging away a while I get the answer but the late May full green foliage confuses the sound direction. He answers every thing this is too good,,finally I see him pull out on the path still along ways away two hens in tow. Evidently the convenience of having a guaranteed hen sandwich still wasn't enough to compete with everything the stumpy was promising. He's coming very slow a little wary of all the dense foliage but he's coming, Giving me time to think???, just little flash mini thoughts,,it's the last day,,one of the worst winters in Minnesota history,,, this guy is a few hours from beating all that,,I'm fortunate to have 6 NY strips and a Ribeye in my fridge do I really need to eat him,,is a picture of a 19-21 lb bird gonna get me admired. He beat mother nature's worst and he's about to make it through the last of man's traps. For all purposes he just ran a 26 mile marathon and he's inches away from the finish line all I have to do is stick my leg out and trip him.
Maybe it was conscious or maybe it was not wanting to spend 1 1/2 hour plucking a bird??
But I couldn't do it ,,I let him walk through the red dot sight and off into the woods!!
In my mind I bagged him,,,and in my stomach I'm waiting for one of the NY strips to defrost and treating myself to steak and eggs brunch.
Very satisfied with the season finale.
If he came into range then you beat him and he should have died. I do not want anyone letting me win.
Every person has his own personal fulfillment. If it was a Longbeard I would have ended the season with a BANG,cleaned my bird when I got home,and still ate New York strips... :funnyturkey:
Congrats on a fine season. I hope to hunt MN one day.
I totally get and respect your decision. You won.
I've never killed one that I didn't have some regret. Well done ...it's not nessecary to kill him to have beat him.
To each their own, but if I wasn't there to kill a bird, I'd carry a camera.
I hope to get to this level one day. Many a gobbler will die before then :(
Awesome brother! I totally get it. I'm the same way especially at the end of quail season. Dogs work beautifully, stick a small covey, I break my gun open, walk in and just count. Good luck and make lots of babies. I think there's a very special feeling knowing you could have and didn't.
I completely understand your decision. You definitely beat him.
There's nothing wrong with letting a bird walk. I've done it many a time over the years, but never on the last day of the season with an unfilled tag. If a guy feels better about not pulling the trigger in a given situation, good for them. :icon_thumright:
...However, your post suggests that you didn't shoot that gobbler because you felt that somehow his existence was the key to future turkey numbers in that particular spot. If that is what you were thinking, you might as well have gone ahead and pulled the trigger.
Spring gobbler hunting is based entirely on the premise that, if you time the season properly so that the hens are bred before you start shooting the gobblers, the male segment of the population is expendable. Despite your noble intentions, allowing that one gobbler to live will have absolutely no impact on your turkey numbers there.
Of course, if he makes it through another year, he will be there for you to consider shooting next spring, but that is the only difference your decision not to shoot him this spring has made. Again, nothing wrong with that, but don't confuse benevolence with benefit. :)
I have done that a lot if he's called in a close enough to shoot I feel just as good as if I pulled the trigger an I don't need or care for what anybody else's thinks I hunt hunt to satisfie me not others
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You are a better man than I. I will let a jake walk in that situation, but a longbeard will get some action, lol. Well done brother :funnyturkey:
Guess I'm getting to old I let several walk this year just couldn't make myself shoot i think its time to hang the gun up.
I get it, you can count coup since we haven't figured out catch and release turkey hunting.
I'll let some walk to extend my season some years. I have had something go wrong at the last second, not to mention flat out missing, often enough to not have any doubt as to whether calling one up is the same as killing it. BUT, the hunt is between the hunter and the hunted. It is whatever you make of it.
Congrats you won. I have let many gobblers walk. I prefer quality not quantity.
These are not my words but the words of the great Kenny Morgan:
"A person who tries to kill as many turkeys as he can in a single day is without a doubt what is known as a slob hunter. He lacks self confidence or something. Our sport of turkey hunting should be above this stage by now".
I don't want to tag out on two year old birds. I will learn nothing from them. It's that monarch of the woods who is unkillable that makes you a good turkey hunter.
You are a true hunter,sir! My hats off to you,we need more like ya
Quote from: Rapscallion Vermilion on May 31, 2018, 11:22:40 AM
I totally get and respect your decision. You won.
Oh heck yes. I'm totally unimpressed with "tagged out in
fill in the blank. Got over that >20 years ago. HH get its...
I totally respect your decision, but man I love to eat wild turkeys(and deer, squirrels, rabbits and ducks). I don't care what else I got in the freezer, If ol' longbeard steps within range in my sights, I'm fixin' to put the seasoned flour to him and fry him in olive oil.
If I could bring back to life every bird I killed, i would do it so I could try them again. Nothing wrong with giving one a pass.
Mannnnnn
Quote from: codym on May 31, 2018, 11:59:56 AM
Awesome brother! I totally get it. I'm the same way especially at the end of quail season. Dogs work beautifully, stick a small covey, I break my gun open, walk in and just count. Good luck and make lots of babies. I think there's a very special feeling knowing you could have and didn't.
Best reply here.
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It is a personal decision, one I have made many times and I only regret making the decision one time. A gobbler gave me a morning to remember before finally landing fifteen yards from me and I just couldn't do it. Half an hour later he was poached on an adjacent ridge. I found where he was shot and followed the blood trail to the property line.
One can learn a lot from them by watching them eyeball-to-eyeball until they saunter off. The new breed are too caught up in the killing by often nefarious, albeit "legal", means.
I have had a hunting license for 54 years and seen a lot of game fall before my gun and bow. Sometimes it is more fulfilling to let them walk. I passed on a couple jakes and a couple long beards that were a at the range that they could be crippled. I hate loosing a wounded bird so these days I pass on marginal shots. I do usually take pics of of the ones I let walk. I do have to say that I do think it takes a few years under your belt before you get to this point. I went thru the kill everything then it has to be a trophy to now what makes it a good hunt.
Quote from: chcltlabz on May 31, 2018, 11:40:18 AM
To each their own, but if I wasn't there to kill a bird, I'd carry a camera.
what he said
Could've + would've + should've = didn't. You don't win until the bird is on the ground. Too much can happen.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 31, 2018, 12:11:17 PM
There's nothing wrong with letting a bird walk. I've done it many a time over the years, but never on the last day of the season with an unfilled tag. If a guy feels better about not pulling the trigger in a given situation, good for them. :icon_thumright:
...However, your post suggests that you didn't shoot that gobbler because you felt that somehow his existence was the key to future turkey numbers in that particular spot. If that is what you were thinking, you might as well have gone ahead and pulled the trigger.
Spring gobbler hunting is based entirely on the premise that, if you time the season properly so that the hens are bred before you start shooting the gobblers, the male segment of the population is expendable. Despite your noble intentions, allowing that one gobbler to live will have absolutely no impact on your turkey numbers there.
Of course, if he makes it through another year, he will be there for you to consider shooting next spring, but that is the only difference your decision not to shoot him this spring has made. Again, nothing wrong with that, but don't confuse benevolence with benefit. :)
I agree... Letting the bird walk for conservation reasons was likely nobly ineffective... End of the season, that bird has done his thing (or not) to insure his genetic line.
But, I have found myself in the field and not shooting for other self-satisfying reasons... Waterfowl hunting on two separate occasions (one with my father, the other with my grandfather), we had large grinds of geese right on us... Literally a tornado of geese on each event, and due to being more interested in watching something (that was unusual), we decided to watch instead of shoot on both occasions.
Granted, not on the last day, but I once let a tom go, cause it was too easy... He flew down, came in, and walked right up to me gobbling (early in the season) without me calling. It almost felt like shooting a domestic bird... Plus, I did not feel like a "player" in the game.
Personally, I applaud anyone passing on game when it "does not feel right." The satisfaction of taking game should surpass the remorse of taking a life... When it does not for me any longer, I will find a different activity.
When I get down to my last tag I pass birds in order to keep hunting usually find a particular target bird to chase something challenging to reset the whole chess match and occupy me the rest of the season. I hated the year I tagged first week in both states one season only got like 8 days in the woods that spring because I was out of tags after 5 and only was able to get other people out on 3 occasions.
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I've let a few birds slide in the past, so I could bring my son back to try for them. He has absolutely the worst luck ever when it comes to turkeys. Been a few times I didn't feel like pulling the trigger because I thought "if I shoot I won't ever hear him gobble again" so I get your sentiments in O.P.'s post. Sometimes the thrill of the hunt is sweeter than the success of the kill.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 31, 2018, 12:11:17 PM
There's nothing wrong with letting a bird walk. I've done it many a time over the years, but never on the last day of the season with an unfilled tag. If a guy feels better about not pulling the trigger in a given situation, good for them. :icon_thumright:
...However, your post suggests that you didn't shoot that gobbler because you felt that somehow his existence was the key to future turkey numbers in that particular spot. If that is what you were thinking, you might as well have gone ahead and pulled the trigger.
Spring gobbler hunting is based entirely on the premise that, if you time the season properly so that the hens are bred before you start shooting the gobblers, the male segment of the population is expendable. Despite your noble intentions, allowing that one gobbler to live will have absolutely no impact on your turkey numbers there.
Of course, if he makes it through another year, he will be there for you to consider shooting next spring, but that is the only difference your decision not to shoot him this spring has made. Again, nothing wrong with that, but don't confuse benevolence with benefit. :)
Best post on here. Whatever makes you happy is my reply. I would have pulled the trigger, myself.
But, I also don't buy into the "I have reached Turkey nirvana status by evolving through the 'stages of hunter development' " argument either. Almost as big a turn off as the incessant number touters.
It's a Turkey. They were put here to kill. If one allows me to ethically get within shotgun range, he has disgraced himself as a Turkey and needs to die. :z-guntootsmiley:
There was one i could have passed on this year.I had some big studs scouted, maybe i should have waited for them.I took the first bird to cime in.Good bird, but not epic.
Quote from: Hooksfan on June 01, 2018, 03:49:02 PM
It's a Turkey. They were put here to kill. If one allows me to ethically get within shotgun range, he has disgraced himself as a Turkey and needs to die. :z-guntootsmiley:
:TooFunny: :TooFunny: Now that's just plain funny! Good one! :laugh:
Couple things do you just like them baked better was wondering why spend that long cleaning a bird unless its your preference. I'm done in less than 15 min. Taking breast legs and thighs. 2nd saving that one gobbler didn't help your population any those hens would have got bred by another he was not needed for the job. I have let smaller birds walk but last day and I call him in on good setup he's getting ride home in truck
I guess I just never figured out the whole "feeling bad for something that you're trying to kill" thing. I've felt bad for things I've had to kill over the years but never felt remorse for those that I was actually hunting and trying to kill. If I'm not gonna kill it given the chance, I sure as heck ain't gonna weigh myself down with a gun! Photography is always an option.
Tom Kelly wrote of this very thing in Tenth Legion which most turkey hunters have read ,or should read.
There's no way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand just like I will never understand why some people will do anything legal/illegal ethical or not to kill a Gobbler. I've always thought of these people as mouth breathing idiots which they are ....but I also think they have missed out on what makes turkey hunting special to some.
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 01, 2018, 09:11:28 PM
Tom Kelly wrote of this very thing in Tenth Legion which most turkey hunters have read ,or should read.
There's no way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand just like I will never understand why some people will do anything legal/illegal ethical or not to kill a Gobbler. I've always thought of these people as mouth breathing idiots which they are ....but I also think they have missed out on what makes turkey hunting special to some.
Lol. I really never understood how tom Kelly became the undisputed authority on turkey hunting! I could write 50 books on the subject, making up stories as I go.
Quote from: Farmboy27 on June 01, 2018, 09:26:22 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 01, 2018, 09:11:28 PM
Tom Kelly wrote of this very thing in Tenth Legion which most turkey hunters have read ,or should read.
There's no way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand just like I will never understand why some people will do anything legal/illegal ethical or not to kill a Gobbler. I've always thought of these people as mouth breathing idiots which they are ....but I also think they have missed out on what makes turkey hunting special to some.
Lol. I really never understood how tom Kelly became the undisputed authority on turkey hunting! I could write 50 books on the subject, making up stories as I go.
Thanks for posting a perfect example of the point I was making. And from your other posts looks like you'd have to make them hunting stories up killing one gobbler a year wouldn't be much of a book lol.
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 02, 2018, 09:46:26 AM
Quote from: Farmboy27 on June 01, 2018, 09:26:22 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 01, 2018, 09:11:28 PM
Tom Kelly wrote of this very thing in Tenth Legion which most turkey hunters have read ,or should read.
There's no way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand just like I will never understand why some people will do anything legal/illegal ethical or not to kill a Gobbler. I've always thought of these people as mouth breathing idiots which they are ....but I also think they have missed out on what makes turkey hunting special to some.
Lol. I really never understood how tom Kelly became the undisputed authority on turkey hunting! I could write 50 books on the subject, making up stories as I go.
Thanks for posting a perfect example of the point I was making. And from your other posts looks like you'd have to make them hunting stories up killing one gobbler a year wouldn't be much of a book lol.
I find quite a bit of irony in how you start off by touting the virtues of letting a gobbler walk by invoking no less an authority than Tom Kelly, and end with a narcissistic taunt of a fellow Turkey hunter for killing only one gobbler a year. Wonder what ole Tom Kelly would think of that?
Without getting philosophical about it, it's your call in the woods. That s one of the many things I like about turkey hunting, and hunting in general. You are in control of what you do or don't and why you let a gobbler walk or not is about you. Some might let a small buck go and others won't. Their call in the woods. Very noble thoughts but as one said, won't make a difference in the numbers. Maybe so. But in the end, you have to do what you think is right based on your values and thoughts about it. Doesn't make anyone a lesser person because you did and they didn't and I know that wasn't your platform. My judgements in the woods are the ones I have to sleep with. If it's legal and you want to do it, do it. I would have shot him personally but in your opinion you did the right thing, then you did. Guess I did get philosophical after all, didn't I? Just my opinion.
Quote from: Hooksfan on June 02, 2018, 10:38:43 AM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 02, 2018, 09:46:26 AM
Quote from: Farmboy27 on June 01, 2018, 09:26:22 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on June 01, 2018, 09:11:28 PM
Tom Kelly wrote of this very thing in Tenth Legion which most turkey hunters have read ,or should read.
There's no way to explain it to someone who doesn't understand just like I will never understand why some people will do anything legal/illegal ethical or not to kill a Gobbler. I've always thought of these people as mouth breathing idiots which they are ....but I also think they have missed out on what makes turkey hunting special to some.
Lol. I really never understood how tom Kelly became the undisputed authority on turkey hunting! I could write 50 books on the subject, making up stories as I go.
Thanks for posting a perfect example of the point I was making. And from your other posts looks like you'd have to make them hunting stories up killing one gobbler a year wouldn't be much of a book lol.
I find quite a bit of irony in how you start off by touting the virtues of letting a gobbler walk by invoking no less an authority than Tom Kelly, and end with a narcissistic taunt of a fellow Turkey hunter for killing only one gobbler a year. Wonder what ole Tom Kelly would think of that?
Why don't you call him an ask him what he thinks.
Never said anything about virtues in turkey hunting you just think I did, that's your mistake. And yes if you barley kill one gobbler a year I doubt you'd have an opinion on letting one walk lol.
Ok , this is my opinion.Sometimes you should not shoot.Ive seen these boneheads on tv, wound birds.You should not shoot, if it isn't clear, and reasonably close. If you scouted a 30 pounder, don't shoot a 18 pounder. Don't shoot a bird near a house, or cattle.
Quote from: High plains drifter on June 02, 2018, 12:21:12 PM
Ok , this is my opinion.Sometimes you should not shoot.Ive seen these boneheads on tv, wound birds.You should not shoot, if it isn't clear, and reasonably close. If you scouted a 30 pounder, don't shoot a 18 pounder. Don't shoot a bird near a house, or cattle.
There are a number of ethical and safety reasons that a hunter might take to not shoot... Safety reasons should go without saying. Ethics are personal.
Last season with an opportunity to goose hunt, the owner explained how I could sneak up on the geese and kill a bunch... I explained to him that this is not a fun method for me, and that I prefer to call them in, and have them work into a decoy spread...
He looked at me sideways (as if I were crazy). Knowing he was a golfer, I asked him if he would enjoy playing a perfect round of golf at Pebble Beach by hand-dropping the ball in each hole? He got it then.
The only bird I will shoot "not in flight" is a turkey... I prefer to call in waterfowl to a decoy spread as opposed to jump shooting (a very personal preference)... I far prefer to hunt quail and pheasants over my own dog. Quail, pheasants, dove, and waterfowl have to be in flight for me to have any desire to shoot.
Turkeys... I have to feel I fooled them... Or at least outsmarted them in some manner. Last year, walking back to my truck, I rounded a bend, and there were 4 turkeys (with a good long-beard). I instinctively mounted the gun, and was ready to shoot... They hesitated long enough that I could have taken an easy shot, but it would have been a hollow victory, (as I basically "dumbed into them") and they got a pass. I suppose for turkeys, I need to shoot them on my terms, and that is part of what makes it fun for me... I suppose everyone on here has slightly different personal terms.
Boy, you can really tell turkey season is over now with the contents of this thread.
I will put this very simply......I would have killed him, but every shot is a choice and you exercised you God and law given choice, hooray for you
I find all the reasoning in replies as simply personal preferences also. I wonder if you felt you had to qualify your choice by making it a biological reasoning? If you truly felt this way then good for you, but I believe like Gobblenut, your view is in error and there is no biological reason to pass. You do not have to explain why you passed, because of peer pressure. Just say my hunt was fulfilled and I chose to give him grace.
Turkey hunting is a quest and a game. The law sets the game rules and the object is to win. Winning is finishing and doing it well by the rules. The reward is personal satisfaction and meat to eat or even a trophy on the wall. I would not play a game of football or any sport and not keep score. I am not a fan of participation trophies either. with that said if participation is all you are after then may you be blessed with a lot of it.
After 45 years I still hunt with the objective of killing a gobbler and filling my tags with what I want ( a well worked gobbler) is how i keep score. Numbers do not matter, I do not even tell others what I bag unless they want to know or I am in a hunters group who respect my game. I do not stop at the local sporting goods for pictures, but I also have no fault with those who do.....it's the part of the game they play for.
Most of all I don't care for those who randomly want to refer to people as idiots because they simply share a different view of the game. I have never read Tom Kelly and have zero desire to. My standard is within what I read in the law and what is basic honor of doing what I would want others to do towards me. I have zero tolerance for lawbreaking and poaching....the game laws are written to insure a species' survival and that is the standard. If it excites a hunter to kill a gobbler he happens on and they are excited to take it home and enjoy it......wonderful, he has done nothing wrong.
So I accept that some would see me as an idiot and slob, but I think most of you would be happy to share the same woods with me. I would honor your position and move on if I knew you were on a bird, I would be sure of my target before I shoot and if we crossed paths I would even tell you were you could find a bird and as we parted I would wish you good luck and mean it.
Quote from: eggshell on June 03, 2018, 09:14:25 AM
I think most of you would be happy to share the same woods with me. I would honor your position and move on if I knew you were on a bird, I would be sure of my target before I shoot and if we crossed paths I would even tell you were you could find a bird and as we parted I would wish you good luck and mean it.
You're my kind'a guy. Of course, I have known that for a long time. Fortunately, I think there are a bunch of our types that hang out here on O.G. :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Quote from: eggshell on June 03, 2018, 09:14:25 AM
I will put this very simply......I would have killed him, but every shot is a choice and you exercised you God and law given choice, hooray for you
I find all the reasoning in replies as simply personal preferences also. I wonder if you felt you had to qualify your choice by making it a biological reasoning? If you truly felt this way then good for you, but I believe like Gobblenut, your view is in error and there is no biological reason to pass. You do not have to explain why you passed, because of peer pressure. Just say my hunt was fulfilled and I chose to give him grace.
Turkey hunting is a quest and a game. The law sets the game rules and the object is to win. Winning is finishing and doing it well by the rules. The reward is personal satisfaction and meat to eat or even a trophy on the wall. I would not play a game of football or any sport and not keep score. I am not a fan of participation trophies either. with that said if participation is all you are after then may you be blessed with a lot of it.
After 45 years I still hunt with the objective of killing a gobbler and filling my tags with what I want ( a well worked gobbler) is how i keep score. Numbers do not matter, I do not even tell others what I bag unless they want to know or I am in a hunters group who respect my game. I do not stop at the local sporting goods for pictures, but I also have no fault with those who do.....it's the part of the game they play for.
Most of all I don't care for those who randomly want to refer to people as idiots because they simply share a different view of the game. I have never read Tom Kelly and have zero desire to. My standard is within what I read in the law and what is basic honor of doing what I would want others to do towards me. I have zero tolerance for lawbreaking and poaching....the game laws are written to insure a species' survival and that is the standard. If it excites a hunter to kill a gobbler he happens on and they are excited to take it home and enjoy it......wonderful, he has done nothing wrong.
So I accept that some would see me as an idiot and slob, but I think most of you would be happy to share the same woods with me. I would honor your position and move on if I knew you were on a bird, I would be sure of my target before I shoot and if we crossed paths I would even tell you were you could find a bird and as we parted I would wish you good luck and mean it.
Very well put. Wouldn't mind sharing hunting camp with ya in the least.
Congrats on your decision...you just attained the rank of an "Old Pro Turkey Hunter" as defined by Mr. Gene Nunnery!
I passed a greenhead floating into the decoys one time. I got caught in the moment and it was just too beautiful to spoil. My buddies ragged me hard and still do to this day.
Passed on an archery deer for the same reason. Don't regret it at all.
Never have intentionally let a turkey walk. You are a much better hunter than I for sure! :you_rock:
Your hunt, your decision. I won't let a longbeard walk away but that's just me.
I do get a chuckle out of hearing some folks say, "I could've killed him ten times but I didn't" Yea and you could've also missed, misfired, or wounded him too. You'll never know since you didn't attempt to pull the trigger so don't tell me what you could've done. :laugh:
Happy hooker--- I have no problem with your decision. Everybody sings to the beat of their own tune--so if you are happy with it--good for you. I mean that sincerely.
For me however---When I gear up and leave my warm bed in the pre-dawn hours carrying several pounds of equipment inclusive of a shotgun--I am turkey hunting--not turkey watching, not adhering some idealistic set of circumstances that must occur before I decide to shoot. If a long beard gets to within 40 yards, I do my dead level best to kill him.
What you take and don't take is totally a personal choice. I have made one myself, I was not able to hunt for 17 years and in all that time I constantly thought of taking a big mature tom, not a jake, so I decided to wait to take a tom for my first bird. Before my accident and not being able to hunt for all that time I would have been satisfied with a jake, but not now, not for my first anyway. There is only one other male turkey I know I do not want to take, one with his tail feathers up, I want to get my first mounted if I can and don't want to ruin all those beautiful feathers.
Sir-diealot, I sincerely hope your goals are met. I understand more than you know how a disabling accident changes you. I think severe trauma takes something from you that you never recover. I have knocked on death's door and was blessed to live a few more years......nothing has been the same since. If you have not been there you just don't know, you may think you do, but you don't. I think what you are saying is you have learned this.
Within that turkey hunting takes a back seat and it is a blessing just to get to do it. So it actually means more to you and how you do it changes. The choices you make are also influenced. That is why debates over what is "the right way" actually seem silly at times. I respect people's passion, but have it taken away and you'll see things that matter and things that don't a lot plainer. When I thought I was spending my last minutes on earth, I didn't give a dam about turkey hunting, I wanted to hug my kids, kiss my wife and see them all grow old.
I love it! Awesome! "Old Pro Turkey Hunter" by Mr. Gene Nunnery great book!
Quote from: eggshell on June 05, 2018, 07:19:16 AM
Sir-diealot, I sincerely hope your goals are met. I understand more than you know how a disabling accident changes you. I think severe trauma takes something from you that you never recover. I have knocked on death's door and was blessed to live a few more years......nothing has been the same since. If you have not been there you just don't know, you may think you do, but you don't. I think what you are saying is you have learned this.
Within that turkey hunting takes a back seat and it is a blessing just to get to do it. So it actually means more to you and how you do it changes. The choices you make are also influenced. That is why debates over what is "the right way" actually seem silly at times. I respect people's passion, but have it taken away and you'll see things that matter and things that don't a lot plainer. When I thought I was spending my last minutes on earth, I didn't give a dam about turkey hunting, I wanted to hug my kids, kiss my wife and see them all grow old.
Oh yes I have learned this and much more. When I was no longer able to hunt or to put it better when I tried but was unable to or if I did a few hours of hunting would lay me up for days it was incredibly depressing. I felt like the person I was would never return at all. Metallica has a song called "Fade to Black" and there are a few verse in the song that went like this
"Things are not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost, this can't be real
Cannot stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me but now he's gone"
That there explains exactly how I felt. Now I have a part of me back, I still can't do all I could but I am grateful that I can do some of the things that I used to do. Who I was is gone and I will never have that time back again but I am beginning to get some of those things I loved to do back, hunting is a MAJOR one, I am hoping that I can get back to riding my mountain bike again but my balance is not quite there yet, getting on and off are the main concerns. My tailbone is the other concern as that is the worst pain center for me. It was great to go and see my family 2 years ago this CHRISTmas, I was up and walking around and able to do things with my nephews like walking to the school with them on the weekends, that was great because just one year earlier I could not have done that, I was still 200 lbs. heavier and had not started on the pain killers that I am on now that have made all the difference in the world and helped me to start getting my life back again. That means more than being able to go hunting or riding a bike or anything else like that, it is good to be able to do stuff again and yes you realize that certain things are so much more important than you did before hand.
Pic to show how much I lost, those are my old swim trunks
sie-diealot may the Lord bless you with many years of pain free life and mobility. may he restore and keep you. Congrats on all the ground you have already recovered and prayers for much more.
Quote from: eggshell on June 06, 2018, 08:33:52 PM
sie-diealot may the Lord bless you with many years of pain free life and mobility. may he restore and keep you. Congrats on all the ground you have already recovered and prayers for much more.
Thank you very much, I hope the same for you as well.
I'm beginning to feel some guilt about rubbing out so many gobblers.I'm going to let some go next spring, and take some photos, and try to count cou.
I only manage to kill the mentally challenged ones so I am actually doing the population a favor. Still waiting for the NWTF to recognize this and give me my lifetime achievement award.
Quote from: Happy on June 07, 2018, 09:04:39 AM
I only manage to kill the mentally challenged ones so I am actually doing the population a favor. Still waiting for the NWTF to recognize this and give me my lifetime achievement award.
;D ;D ;D
Quote from: chcltlabz on May 31, 2018, 11:40:18 AM
To each their own, but if I wasn't there to kill a bird, I'd carry a camera.
I have to agree 100% with this response.
I am at this level with ducks / geese....shot a bunch in my time...sometimes I just like to watch em fly...Let lots of does / spikes walk as well.
BUT when it comes to turkey hunting when my season starts its like I'm holding my breath every day till I finally kill one then I can exhale...
Like the saying goes I don't choose to hunt turkeys I HAVE to hunt turkeys!