The word “turkey” when used as a slang term means that something or someone is a loser. But for sportsmen who test their hunting skills against this wily bird the term is grossly uncharacteristic.
Wild turkey season will open in Dillon County April 1st, according to some, an appropriate day. This information came to me from an unlikely source, one who only knows about turkeys found at Food Lion. But there are those who find this game bird a formidable foe, one who is wary and who has not survived predators even those with shotguns by being stupid. These creatures have plenty of smarts enough to outwit most with a hunting license and a formidable arsenal.
I have lived more than my share of years, and I have to say I am a normally observant motorist but have only seen one (1) flock of wild turkeys just one time. I was on the Old Hamer Road nearing Kentyre Road when a flock of these elusive birds hurried to beat the path of my oncoming car. ‘Road Kill’ will be as near as I will ever get to claiming a trophy bird.
My source who is more at home with a computer than a weapon says that these are highly sophisticated rituals one must go through plus an abundance of luck if the hunt is to be successful. There is the required camouflage clothing, covering nearly every square inch of the body (Turkeys are also highly scent sensitive.). The hunter must be able to identify immediately the differences between a tom and a hen and a jake from a jenny, often times as they are running up to 20 miles per hour in nearly impenetrable underbrush or even flying up to an amazing 40 miles per hour as they quite frequently pass by unscathed. Then there is the ‘caller’ device that must be mastered to attract these survivors of the wild. Someone has said that the true test of a hunter is his prowess in bagging a turkey or a beaver, both challenging prey.
As the saying goes, I like turkeys (the un-wild Tyson kind), preferably baked with dressing served ordinarily at Thanksgiving. Forget the expense, guns, license, tags, apparel, callers, decoys, long stretches of uncomfortable boredom and such.
All one really needs is a credit card at the checkout.
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Bill Lee
PO 128
Hamer, SC 29547
