Listen & Learn

As the evening sounds of the forest begin their symphony, he sends out a hoot and a howl. His cigarette burns between his fingers as the ash grows longer. We hold our breath and listen, hoping for the sound that gets our hearts pounding - the gobble of an old Tom turkey.

Deciphering the myriad of sounds from the   woodland critters takes a trained ear. One must be able to hear the right sound through the fray. The forest can fool you, tricking your ears and your eyes into hearing and seeing things that are not actually what you believe they are. Learning to see and hear the woods clearly, takes time and patience. Talking to the game is a whole other level of skill.

Although he’s only been hunting wild turkeys for a few years, my friend Rip, has learned how to talk to the thundering birds of the forest and get them riled up with owl hoots and coyote howls. This past weekend, he taught me a ton about these magnificent birds: where they like to be, the best times to scout and hunt, how to find them, and a little of how to talk to them.  Even though we didn’t bag a bird, we heard and saw a couple of hens. And it was a treat to see my friend in his element.

In time I hope to learn more of these skills and hunt the wild birds more often. It had been over a decade since I last walked in the woods to find a turkey. It felt great to do so once again - to listen and learn deep in the woods of Mississippi.