"Now we're hunting"

Within the first ten minutes of my rookie turkey hunt I bagged my first bird.

Bird: Turkey

Sex: Male (aka Gobbler)

Height: appx. 30"

Weight: 18 lbs

Beard: 9"

After spending the weekend of March 17th turkey hunting with my father-in-law, the expert outdoorsman and fanatic collector of turkey calls, I believe Im hooked on hunting this elusive creature.

The rush of hearing a yelp and gobble echoing through the dimly lit pre-dawn woods is an exhilarating event hard to match elsewhere. Personally it was more leg-shaking than spotting a massive buck strolling across your path (not that Ive seen many of those in my short hunting career).

I believe I prefer it for the same reasons I prefer fly-fishing to cast-fishing. Catching a turkey is much more interactive, challenging, and up-close than other types of hunting.

Much thanks to Mr. Mark, the Turkey Whisperer, for calling the bird for me. I was very impressed with the connection he seemed to have with the animals. He was inately attuned to their behaviors and language. It seemed as if he was having a conversation with them.