Always seems to me that some of the funniest things in life happen while out hunting and fishing, and many times, these incidents and mishaps become forever etched in our memory. Sitting here looking out the window at a snow covered ground, counting the days down to hearing that first gobble of the spring, started me to reminiscing about some past hunts and some of the characters I have been privileged to meet along the way in my 35 years of turkey hunting. These chance meetings and relationships have provided the opportunity to hear words that become an instant "quote" that defines that precious slice of time, and serves as the vehicle to retrieve the memory as well as bringing a smile to your face when heard. Sure you all have some that can be shared.

"If he is in sight, he is right"
Told to the late L.A. Dixon by his nephew. L.A. called, the bird came out in a field ~ 200 yards away strutting toward a decoy. The nephew shot the instant the bird came into his sight. L.A. asked, what possessed you to shoot at that turkey completely across the field.

"If you had killed that turkey, you'd need to throw that shotgun in the trash 'cause it would have strained the crap out of it !!"
The late Ray Sherron speaking to the late Leroy Pennington in the mid 1970's, after several of us went back to look at where he had shot at a big long beard strutting in a logging path. From where Lee was sitting to the tracks left in the dirt by the departing gobbler were 127 long strides from a 6" 2" man.

"Call him back Daddy"
Me speaking to my Dad in April 1970 during my first ever encounter with a big ole spring gobbler, who slipped through pines undetected and then stepped in dry oak leaves at about 15 yards. Startled, I jerked my head around and threw up my hand upon hearing the unexpected crunching of leaves so close by. The gobbler didn't stick around to see why I waved....and did not come back!

Great post Earl...

Just a few of the recent ones off the top of my head. I know there are more that I can't remember at this time. My memory is terrible.

"I'll run him down for you!" - Hody talking to Max after Max had shot a time or two at a gobbler that was quickly departing the scene after Hody had shot his partner. We have the video of this one... priceless. BTW, Hody caught the gobbler.

"Freddy, that turkey is HUGE!" - GN as a big gobbler stepped over the ridge into view at 25 yards after about and hour and a half of working him. GN was right, the turkey weighed 27 pounds, had a double beard and currently resides on my wall.

"Should I get up and move down the hill about 50 yards?" - Anonymous (to protect the guilty party) I had called in a portion of an entire flock we had busted 30 minutes earlier. Hody and I were sitting behind the hunter and could plainly hear a gobbler yelp and several other turkeys with it. In just moments a longbeard came over the hill at about 40 yards and gobbler yelped. The hunter then slightly turned his head and said the above qoute. To which my reply was "No, shoot the one standing there at 40 yards!" The gobbler spooked but with a combination of some soft calling and leaf scratching by Hody the small flock circled around and came back for another look and the hunter killed a bearded hen.

"I don't know how I missed that turkey!" - Anonymous, Multiple. Haven't we all heard that one!

BY far the best and first that come to my mind...From the mouth of our own Hody in MT 2003. " I'll run him down for ya" Long story a VERY memerable moment with 2 great buddies and hunters!


Another one from last spring and out of longbeard magnets mouth while replying to my question of "did you get him?"while i was sitting beside him in a turkey blind after he shot his Rio longbeard in TX..... "I tattooed him" he replied!


there are more but those 2 stand out for most.
[/b]

Oh yeah.. I forgot... from our beloved Freddy himself... that turkey is 1/2 mile away! spoken the first time he saw what was to be his first merriams from the setup where the ole boy was taken. Another priceless hunt!

I like this turkey hunting!
You call'um...I shoot'um!
What my son Travis said during his first three seasons.

Hear What?
My reply when listening.

I swear that shell didn't have any shot in it!
Good excuse as any for a miss.

GS...

That first shot was to get him flying faster, what I say quite often when pheasant hunting.
He still has milk on his lips, my wifes comment when I caught a 6in. bass.
Keep em Gobblin!
Struttinbird

There are so many every year.. here a few for last year from me

Don't worry about it son, it will always be like a video in my mind
What my old man said after I realized that I failed to hit the record button last year on a beautiful hunt in WV when he hammered a long beard after a 5 year drought..

I took one for the team
Hody in Texas last year after Max's recoil gave him a smack in the head while downing a gobbler because it was the only way to a get a good clean shot off without spooking the bird

You wont' believe the Hooks this rascal has, I told you I saw a full fan
CallinTurkey after he shot an old gobbler we teamed up on and I thought it might be a JAKE when he shot it cause I couldn't see a beard.. turns out it had beard rot and 1 1/2 inch spurs

You Forgot to Count! Max after I had to run down his turkey in MT not giving him a good shot because I did not count on our first double. Although Max was not right beside me AS HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, I will never live this one down.



Thank god for Rental insurance
Anonymous after turning in 2 vehicles. One in MT and one in Texas. Both were Baja vehicles one was even a van..ha ha

Several of the other ones I recall are already posted!!!!

If the shot didn't kill him, the fall sure did.
My Dad after he and I watched a flying fall bird fall from above treetop level to the bottom of a hundred foot + cliff roughly 15 seconds after he was shot.

You....wait for a better shot???
My buddy Shotgun after watching me botch a nice longbeard several springs ago.

To heck with deer hunting...this spring gobbler stuff is what it's all about
My buddy Shotgun after calling upand waxing his first spring longbeard.

Hunter to me after killing his first gobbler last spring.


Hunter to me after killing his first fall gobbler last fall.


Hunting partner's comments after trophy Osceola gobbler killed.


Ronnie Jolly to me before my first lesson in belly crawling.


Me to various hunting partners regarding certain behaviors of less than friendly gobblers.


Me to hunting partner after 4 hour marathon hunt in mountains of WV

He vanished in thin air!What hunting buddy said to me when the gobbler walked behind a big white oak. We sat there poised for the shot for what seemed like forever. He had casualy walked off the ridge keeping the tree between us.

thats what my hunting partner said to me after hunting one morning and thats just what happened



heard that one several times in 03 at least 5 times that spring they would always seem to be just out of site

"i know there in here i could hear 4-5 yesterday"

kept telling a friend that after talking him into hunting on some public land with me didnt hear anything all day. got in the car to leave and there was a big gobbler running across the road[/quote]

I though tof two more good ones:

One More Step Me to Freddy and Robbie as Robbie and I were about to double. The birds walked off keeping a tree between us not allowing either of us a shot. Then they would not so much as give us a courtesy gobble for the next hour. This turkey was also nicknamed hammer after we watched him gobble 150 + times on the limb.

Daddy you scared the Turkey My 4 year old daughter to me after we bustedd a gobbler coming in. I was trying to get us a few steps closer in a better set up so her movement would not be noticed. The gobbler periscoped as we sat down and away he went. Abby was still happy as she got to hear him gobble and see him as he flew away