Although newcomers to the sport of turkey hunting often make mistakes, spook gobblers and miss gobblers, I really enjoy hunting with newcomers who never may have seen a wild turkey before. Watching them see that turkey come in strutting, drumming and putting on a show is one of the things I like most about turkey hunting. I don’t care if my hunter is a wounded warrior, a youngster, a celebrity or a lady who’s just beginning to turkey hunt. By guiding first-time turkey hunters, I get to relive how excited I was when I saw my first wild turkey, and I get to experience all the emotions I felt back in those days. I don’t believe there’s any greater thrill in turkey hunting, other than bagging 
your first one or two gobblers, than getting to see someone else take his or her first turkey. I get to see them breathing heavy - often so heavy you think their lungs will jump out of their body. I get to watch them as they try to hold their shotguns ready before they take their shots. Whether they bag the birds or miss the birds, I can see happiness spread all over their faces. I see the jolt of adrenaline and excitement that takes over their whole bodies and spirits when they down gobblers. This is the reason I still turkey hunt today - not only for my own love and enjoyment of the sport, but also to vicariously relive those first few turkey hunts when I was just getting started in turkey calling and hunting.
I always look forward to the beginning of turkey season. Even though I go hard for several months chasing turkey gobblers all over the country, I really hate to see the close of turkey season each year. If you’ve never hunted turkeys before, make plans now to learn how to call this summer, read all you can about turkey hunting, and watch the “Mossy Oak Turkey T.H.U.G.S.” TV show and other turkey-hunting shows on television. Then when you finally get to go turkey hunting, you'll understand why we all love this bird and this sport so much.
To learn more about turkey hunting, check out John E. Phillips’ eBook and print book, “Mossy Oak Pros Talk Turkey Tactics,” at http://amzn.to/1qZnffi. You also can download a free Kindle app that enables you to read the book on your iPad, computer or SmartPhone.
Day 4: Paul Butski: I Turkey Hunted With Roy Rogers
