After a lifetime of turkey hunting, many old timers just go out for the hunt. The sounds of Spring, morning gobbles, Whippoorwills, and sunrises are enough. For other First Timers, the proof of turkey hunting is in the kill.
Wild turkeys are not the best to eat. They do not have monster breasts and juicy Butterball thighs. The meat is dark, and the legs are sinewy. They must be to survive and trek the forests, fields, and mountains. What they lack in taste, they make up for in excitement and beauty.
When God made the Wild Turkey, he worked overtime. He must have gotten tired when he got to the head though. Turkey heads are just plain, ugly, gnarly, and warty. Sorry, they are so nasty that you do not even want to touch them. That huge red head does make for a good aiming point.
You never forget the first time! My friend Rick tagged his first gobbler recently. He had seen turkeys before but had not targeted them before. Now that he is retired, he came to the call of the wild gobblers. The excitement of getting up before sunrise, hearing a gobbler bellowing across the ridges, clucks, kee kees, cackles, purrs and putts. The sounds and sights of turkeys are seared into his memory forever.
Turkeys do not come easy. Wild birds have amazing vision. They can hear from a great distance. Though strong flyers, they normally march around their territory. If spooked, they run faster than a racehorse. To shoot a turkey, you need to hit that ugly head. The thick feathers are often like a suit of armor. Other shots tend to only cripple and ruin this glorious trophy.
Gobble, gobble, cluck, cluck!
Montana Grant
For more Montana Grant, cluck him up at www.montanagrantfishing.com.
