Ballad of a Turkey Hunter

Written by the founder of Spring Legion, Hunter Farrior, the eleven chapters constructing Ballad of a Turkey Hunter mentally illustrate the sounds, feelings, and obsessions associated with die-hard turkey hunters nationwide. Intended to preserve the tradition of turkey hunting in modern-day literature, those who "get it" will appreciate the homage paid to both legends and pioneers who made the outdoors such an impactful way of life for generations to come.Covering anything from woodsmanship, lessons learned the hard way, stories unfolding the toughest bird east of the Mississippi, calling and not calling to longbeards on the limb, college town hunting, public land scouting, how to read nature, youth weekends, and embracing the challenges which fixate a turkey hunter's state of mind to the spring woods year round, the book will be hard to put down to say the least.Each chapter is a story, lesson, or highlight in itself - so whether you read only one or all eleven in a single sitting, you will find both entertainment and perspective regardless of experience level or attention span.A Look Inside Ballad of a Turkey Hunter:CH 1: NOT SUBJECT TO CHANGE"Within the eyes of a turkey hunter, beneath the stains of bloodshot that grow with every passing day, there is inevitable restlessness building by the hour. Some are admired, some are hated, and neither of them care."CH 3 : CURIOSITY VS PERSUASION"The separating divide between the good and the great of those who have relied upon a gobbler’s curiosity for years, is an individual’s ability to make the gobbler take “just ten more steps” three or four additional times, or until they are no longer needed."CH 4: THE LEARNING CURVE"Since then, I have always looked at quiet mornings in the turkey woods to be advantageous midday scenarios if you time it right. And more importantly, to utilize other wild birds and small game for a tip on when that timing might be getting right."CH 5: WOODSMANSHIP"If the decision ever comes down to drawing straws on which side of the bird to pick for your morning’s setup, pick the west side of him. I tend to lean on this when indifferent, solely because I believe turkeys would rather not travel into direct sunlight until the sun is high enough that it will not affect their vision when walking or flying eastward."CH 6: NOXUBEE"Memories such as these reside on a one-way street, and like all good things, come to an end. Some friendships remain, some have moved on, and some were never heard from again. The chapters of life are written quickly and can only coincide with another for so long, but along the way you live and you learn – more about yourself than anything else."CH 7: TWO EMPTY COFFEE CUPS"I immediately stopped and found a good shaded oak tree to sit beneath, with a good limb to hang the bird upon, to avoid the risk of it becoming covered in fire ants, and sat there resting, reflecting, wondering, and ultimately cussing myself for the debacle of which I was in."CH 9: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN"A turkey hunter is a different breed, and for those few weeks out of the year, he is not his own. He is instead at the mercy of a compulsive, involuntary, internal drive toward the pursuit of experiences that are only had when it is just he, the will of God, and a bird, exhausting themselves in a field of battle as it nears its inevitable conclusion."CH 11: DAD"It brings humility with every success and is an endeavor rarely chosen by its participants, but rather one in which chooses who may partake. It’s both brutal and beautiful, as it finds a way of adjoining complexity and simplicity, anxiety and therapy, love and hate." Read more