What Does Killing A Turkey Mean To You?

[mountainhunter1]

I think that Eggshell and Happy said it well enough for me as well. It used to be all about killing - but the good Lord has done surgery on me as well. These days, it is just being able to play the game with a turkey. If they are gobbling and doing their thing, I have already won regardless of actually pulling the trigger or not. Just to engage them is meaning enough most days now.

I find great satisfaction is calling a bird for someone else to harvest. These days, often far more meaning than if I shot the bird myself. But I have also found great meaning in more recent years by letting a number of birds walk off the ridge as I put the safety back on and watched them leave. A couple that really stand out - I called the biggest bird I have ever seen in the wild into range three years ago (after a nearly 4 hour chess match) and just could not pull the trigger and let him go. On another hunt, I called a big bird after a long morning duel to 4-5 feet of my gun and also did not kill him. I say this to say one thing, I have learned to find greater meaning at times in the ones that I did not kill or that maybe just outfoxed me and got away without my help. Some of those mean more to me than the many that I did bring back to the truck. 

[Zobo]

It means less and less each year, free time to spent in the woods means more and more

[3bailey3]

A old guy but it still means a lot to me, never know if I will kill another one! I still love to eat them and just found a half in the freeze and had a new recipe and it was the best I ever had. Please let me got one more!

[Gooserbat]

It's the finalization of the excitement but it's not the end of the hunt.  That's the table fare and congrats around a rusty tailgate.  I've shot my share and I intend, Good Lord willing to shoot more, but it's about taking a deep breath and spending time with friends, family and disconnecting from the rat race.

[Davyalabama]

Those out just killing to post something on the internet: Facebook, youtube, etc.  I know you read what these folks are saying, but "hear" them.  Hear what it means to take a turkey fairly, to call them to the gun, to have a chess match with an animal.  I realize the word "fairly" means something different to a lot of people, but just think about what is a fair match, not just, "I killed one!!!!!!!!!"    Hear, even when they aren't saying it, the hours put in scouting, locating, sitting with mosquitos biting, "nothing happening" but it could in the next instant, the respect given to this bird.

Notice, not many that have posted, are all about just killing, turkey hunting is more than that, I promise you.  You want to just kill something, there are plenty of coons, possums, coyotes, hogs, in some places deer, ducks, geese, etc. 

To me, turkeys are a challenge, it's me vs him in a no holds barred match, it's a fair match (no tents, no blinds, no decoys --- I have bought them, found they aren't worth the hassle nor the way I was brought up hunting (I need to sell them and get them out of the attic), no TSS 100 yard shells - I do shoot #4's for full penetration ---

I want say it for all that have posted, but for me ----- young and stupid vs older, wiser and not trying to prove how great I am.  Now, I can say this for only me:  I've learned that every hunt is a blessing, every time I get to go scout, spend time out there, and if He blesses me with a bird, I know it came from Him, not my greatness.

[bbcoach]

Just a little icing on the cake!  As I age, 68 now, I enjoy the chase, the interaction and the woodsmanship, WAY more than carrying a bird home.  We are fortunate to have 2 tags in our State.  When and if I fill that first tag, I really find myself go into THROTTLE DOWN mode and TRULY enjoy the TRUE essence of this sport.  Matching wits, analyzing my calling, being stealthy, learning from what works and doesn't work and TRULY ENJOYING God's gift.  For me, the EXCITEMENT and ENJOYMENT of turkey hunting is in EVERYTHING leading up to punching that tag.  I have NOTHING to prove to myself but the SHEAR ENJOYMENT of this GREAT sport we all LOVE! 

[shaman]

It took me nearly 20 years to kill my first turkey.  It took me 5 years just to see one strutting.  There weren't many turkeys around me. I used to have to drive 5 counties over.  I'd get one half-day per year.  It was more like a religious pilgrimage than anything else.  For more than 40 years Easter and Turkey Hunting have kind of merged in my head.

Fast forward 40 years.  I'm laying in an ICU, being told for three days not to move.  I've got a blot clot in my leg that will kill me if it cuts loose. A chunk of it has already broken off, and knocked me clean out. Luckily, it knocked loose and blew out and my heart started again.  They dissolve it with anti-coags and the doc comes in on the third afternoon and tells me I can go home.  I have to inject myself with an anti-coag twice daily, but I'm okay. 

My first question: "Can I go turkey hunting?"

I had to explain exactly what I was doing in detail, but the doc said he saw no problem.  Two days later, I'm out on the KY Opener.

The next week, the test results started coming back.  Those clots were from cancer. I had a knot of it sitting on top of my kidney.  I went in, signed the papers for chemo, and left for turkey camp.  I nailed my gob the next day.  It took me 2 hours to drag him back in the 1/2 mile to the cabin.  I was too debilitated to go more than 10 yards at a stretch. I didnt know what the future held, but I was making sure I got to hunt.

If you ask my family, they'll tell you that turkey hunting and deer hunting were the only thing that kept me living.  From my viewpoint, I'll tell you that focusing on hunting was the best way I found for dealing with it all.  This year, I'm going to be 4 years past the chemo.  I still treat every trip out like it could be my last.

They say I had miracle turnaround. They say God stepped in. From my view, I can't tell if it was God or just my own cussedness.  I was too sick to tell, but I surmise it was all one in the same thing.  I probably had Jesus sitting with me in the blind, and boosting me up the ladder into my stand, but couldn't see.  All I know is I'm glad I'm still hunting.

[bbcoach]

It took me nearly 20 years to kill my first turkey.  It took me 5 years just to see one strutting.  There weren't many turkeys around me. I used to have to drive 5 counties over.  I'd get one half-day per year.  It was more like a religious pilgrimage than anything else.  For more than 40 years Easter and Turkey Hunting have kind of merged in my head.

Fast forward 40 years.  I'm laying in an ICU, being told for three days not to move.  I've got a blot clot in my leg that will kill me if it cuts loose. A chunk of it has already broken off, and knocked me clean out. Luckily, it knocked loose and blew out and my heart started again.  They dissolve it with anti-coags and the doc comes in on the third afternoon and tells me I can go home.  I have to inject myself with an anti-coag twice daily, but I'm okay. 

My first question: "Can I go turkey hunting?"

I had to explain exactly what I was doing in detail, but the doc said he saw no problem.  Two days later, I'm out on the KY Opener.

The next week, the test results started coming back.  Those clots were from cancer. I had a knot of it sitting on top of my kidney.  I went in, signed the papers for chemo, and left for turkey camp.  I nailed my gob the next day.  It took me 2 hours to drag him back in the 1/2 mile to the cabin.  I was too debilitated to go more than 10 yards at a stretch. I didnt know what the future held, but I was making sure I got to hunt.

If you ask my family, they'll tell you that turkey hunting and deer hunting were the only thing that kept me living.  From my viewpoint, I'll tell you that focusing on hunting was the best way I found for dealing with it all.  This year, I'm going to be 4 years past the chemo.  I still treat every trip out like it could be my last.

They say I had miracle turnaround. They say God stepped in. From my view, I can't tell if it was God or just my own cussedness.  I was too sick to tell, but I surmise it was all one in the same thing.  I probably had Jesus sitting with me in the blind, and boosting me up the ladder into my stand, but couldn't see.  All I know is I'm glad I'm still hunting.

AMEN BROTHER!!!  So many more things in life MORE IMPORTANT than punching a tag!