Voices Of Prois...Comradery and Chasing Spring Gobblers!
By: Prois Staffer, Ruth Ireland
Spring turkey hunting….it is one of my favorite hunting seasons…. up there with deer season. Those calm, early mornings, listening to the spring woods waking up and the anticipation of that first gobbler to sound off in the morning. Your ears listen, waiting for that sunrise gobble, and you mentally put together plans of how you are going to hunt that bird and consider all the possible scenarios.
What’s more fun than hearing a love-sick gobbler sound off and initiating a plan to hunt him? Sharing it with others, regardless of whether the plan works out or not! Disclaimer: just when you think you have good plan, those spring gobblers will change it real quick!
I recently went out to Missouri on a women’s turkey hunt and spent a few days chasing huge Eastern gobblers with an outfitter (Woodlot Whitetails). All of us women hunting were all from different states and while we all had the goal of tagging a nice Missouri gobbler, we all had something even better in common….. comradery.
We shared early mornings, long hours out hunting, gobblers that tested our patience and will power and yet every day that we were together, whether with each other sitting up against a tree, waiting out a bird, or gathering around the dinner table and sharing laughs and stories from the day, everyone supported and encouraged each other; everyone shared in the challenges and/or successes the day brought no matter what! We were all comrades in the Missouri turkey woods, sharing the real joys and/or frustrations and most importantly, the encouragement to look ahead to the next hunt with optimism.
On this hunt, I was fortunate and blessed to put tag on an absolute beauty of a Missouri gobbler…..a one in a life-time bird with 6 beards! The best part of this though was not pulling the trigger and seeing the bird drop without a flop….it was truly the excitement, joy, high fives, hugs, and fist bumps shared afterwards with my guide, David, and fellow hunter Sheryl, especially when we discovered it had 6 beards. These moments are what help create memories for a lifetime!
The next day I tagged along with hunter Carrie and her guide, Justin, hoping to watch her put her first Eastern on the ground. After a challenging morning with uncooperative gobblers, Carrie successfully pulled the trigger on a beautiful bird and my heart was so happy and excited for her achieving this! Hugs, high fives, fist-bumps, and photos all ensued.
This is what hunting together is about….not how many tags are filled but about the comradery shared and friendships made during the hunt!
