Growing up and hunting in Michigan throughout the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, there were no wild turkeys to be had. My first encounter with the mighty Thunderchicken was in the Manistee National Forest up in the northeast area of the lower peninsula around 1975.
Trekking mile after mile of wonderful rugged wildground habitat pursuing the elusive Ruff Grouse and Timberdoodles with my amazing Irish Setter birdmasters, we stumbled upon a flock of about 12 Eastern turkey hens one afternoon, and I was rather surprised and delighted to say the least.
A few years after that we could apply for a spring gobbler permit, and my exciting hunting for this magnificent big-game bird was off and running.
I killed a few with my shotgun, then went deep into the darkside of bowhunting this most elusive and challenging of quarry, and the thrills have just kept on coming.
I have been extremely fortunate to arrow many Easterns in Michigan, Merriam’s in South Dakota, Rio Grandes in Texas and Osceolas in Florida.
If you can get to full draw on a wild turkey, you are confirmed to be the ultimate stealthy predator.
Ixe2x80x99ve also killed Rios and an Osceola with my Glock 10mm handgun, and that adds a whole new fun-factor challenge altogether.
The absolute predator stealth needed to get past the wild turkeyxe2x80x99s omniscient radar is the most demanding in all of the hunting world.
Total camouflage, total stillness and perfect timing for the shot are all critical.
I have found that turkey hunting with the bow and arrow is the ultimate lesson for success on all other game.
As the Texas turkey season was coming to a close on the last afternoon, I was perched way up high in an ancient Live Oak tree hoping to get an arrow in one of the prolific exotic critters, or maybe a hog that thrive on our home SpiritWild Ranch.
Mesmerized as always by the comings and goings of beautiful white-tailed deer, Fallow and Sika deer, and a parade of fidgety blackbuck antelope, I was contemplating whacking a female blackbuck when all of the animals in sight jerked their heads up and stared due east.
Covered up pretty good in the dark shadows of my little leafy cubbyhole perch, I wasnxe2x80x99t able to see the incoming newcomer, but was ready for anything.
Much to my surprise, having failed to even see a single longbeard all spring, a handsome, shimmering Rio Grande gobbler was pecking his way toward me, and I was as excited as Ixe2x80x99ve ever been on any hunt.
Concealed well in my tree, I was eventually able to get to full draw undetected as the trophy Thunderchicken entered my prime shooting lane at 30 yards.
Envisioning the square of glowing dayglow orange tape on my full body 3-D turkey target at the range that I religiously shoot every day, I went into kill mode auto-pilot and the sight pin on my new 50-pound Mathews Vertix settled in nice and low behind the drumstick, and lo and behold; thar she blows!
The lighted nock told no lie as the mortally whacked big bird flip-flopped about 20 yards and lay still, dead within a very quick few seconds.
I was dazed! Stunned! Very, very happy to say the least.
Last day, last chance, last hour, bingo!
I hear from so many very happy fellow hunting friends from pretty much all 50 states about their turkey hunting successes this spring 2019.
That is certainly a cause for grand celebration and we can thank American hunting families and the great National Wild Turkey Federation for restoring this fantastic big-game bird to numbers unprecedented in the history of our country.
Truth be told, if you want a wildlife species to thrive in abundance and be managed and conserved forever, open a regulated hunting season on them and they will never be endangered.
Meanwhile, the Nugent family will have a little extra midyear Thanksgiving celebration with a hard-earned, organic, wild butterball of our own.
Multi-platinum guitar legend TED NUGENT has a new full-length album THE MUSIC MADE ME DO IT, released on Friday, November 9, on Round Hill Records. The album is available now for order everywhere, and the title track xe2x80x9cThe Music Made Me Do Itxe2x80x9d is available to download and stream wherever music is sold.
Ted Nugent xe2x80x93 xe2x80x9cThe Music Made Me Do Itxe2x80x9d (Official Music Video)
With more than 40 million albums sold, rock legend Ted Nugent is equally well known as the nationxe2x80x99s most outspoken proponent of our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, conducting thousands of pro-gun, pro-freedom, pro-American interviews in major media worldwide. Nugent is a New York Times best-selling author whose works include Ted, White & Blue xe2x80x94The Nugent Manifesto; God, Guns & Rock xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 Roll and Kill It & Grill It.This year, his award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebrates its 500th episode! For all things Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com