Thursday, April 18, 2013

My first time hunting...

I have never been hunting. Turkeys are in season right now and Brad asked me if I wanted to go hunting with him. I felt that at some point I was going to have to cave and go “hunting” with him. For Brad its more about the peace and calm out in the woods he likes more than actually shooting animals. I agree to go. He tells me “Turkeys are very smart stupid birds.” That didn’t make sense to me, but whatever. Brad told me that turkey can see very far away and they spook very easily so you have to be quiet (which I’m sure he said to shut me up) and you have to be still (does he not know I have ADD?) He also told me turkey can even see the whites of your eyes moving. This is very important because this little tid bit saved me from freaking out in the woods.

We drive down Friday afternoon with his cousin Drew. Lucy decided to make her daddy liar when she took off every time we let her outside. This is something Brad said she never does and it must be because either 1. I’m here or 2. Jodie (brads uncles dog) is not here. Whatever the case she was very bad. We wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and start to get dressed. I am covered in camo from my head to … well my ankles. Brad looks down at my leopard print rain boots and asked me what I am doing with those on. Well DUH I am not wearing my new tennis shoes in the woods nor am I wearing my cowboy boots from JC Penny, so this was my best option. Apparently leopard print doesn’t count as camouflage! Still, they allow me to tag along. We ride up the road to the Lyons farm. This is where Brad likes to hunt. Its beautiful. I am not sure if the stuff on the ground was lilac or something else purple but the field was full of it. As far as I could see there was purple looking flowers/weeds on the ground. Right away we could hear toms gobbling. I had no idea how loud they were. It echoed through what Brad called the “holler”. I am still uncertain what exactly a holler is but if I had to guess, he meant that drop off into woods was the holler. That is where we were going, into the holler.

We start walking and all is fine, that is until we reach a barb wire fence. Ok Drew rolls under with no problem. Now let me set the scene of exactly what I looked like. I have on Brads camo overalls that are too long and the crouch area is somewhere near my knees. I have a camo jacket on and on top of that I have a vest on that has a butt pad that folds out. I looked like a camouflage busted can of biscuits! I get my big self down there and roll under the fence and all is well. We find a spot in the woods and we just sit. Brad had put the decoy up and he and drew start calling the toms in. I hear them gobbling all around me but I never see one. They decide the sun is up and the toms had found there mate, lets go back to the cabin. I get up and we make our way back. That afternoon we decided to go fishing. This is me looking like the Pillsbury dough girl! You can also see my leopard print boots!!



The next morning we repeat the process but in a different area. We sit down and wait. This time I am hearing a lot more other animals in the woods. A woodpecker is having the best day ever and I keep hearing a squeaky noise. I fall asleep several times. It was so easy to do. The gentle noises of the animals, the perfect weather not too hot not too cold made dozing off easy. I wake up and my eyes dart straight back at the decoy because in my mind a turkey can see the whites of my eyes. Don’t move, be still, don’t talk… etc.. I remembered what Brad said and I was determined to follow the rules and be a good sport. Brad gets up from his area and walks towards me. I get up and walk over to him and the decoy. Brad asked me “Kelli, didn’t you hear me making noises?” “No” I reply. Brad then tells me there was a bob cat about 10 feet from us and he was making noises in an attempt to draw him away! And this, my friends, is why I would never survive in the wild. I never even saw the cat! I would have been a fancy feast!

All in all it was awesome to be in the wild and with my husband and share something with him that he loves to do. I now understand why he likes it. It was so pretty being out there in the untouched woods. We did not come home with a turkey this weekend but I would say it was a success.

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