Spring Gobbler Season

There is nothing like being in the woods early in the morning as everything begins to wake up. The sound of birds and rustling leaves, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon and the sound of dew dropping from the leaves on the trees. It is one of the most peaceful experiences in the world.

The first gobble really gets your blood flowing and the hopes to entice a gobbler close enough to shoot gets more intense as the gobble gets closer. The goal is to prey on a the Turkey's greatest weakness in the spring. The desire to find a willing hen is overwhelming for a gobbler this time of year. Sometimes you use decoys to make the romantic moment seem more real to this dominant bird of the forest. You can even put a gobbler decoy out to make the aggression pour from the strutting bird. Then it gets within range and as the hunter you slowly pull the trigger and down the bird goes.

At least that is the way they show it on T.V. It doesn't always happen that way. But the hopes of having a hunt like that is why I get up at sometimes at 3:30 am to go into the woods.

I relate Spring Gobbler hunting to our spiritual lives. The hunter is the devil who uses our weaknesses in hopes to devour us. It reminds me of 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith . . ."

You know why turkey hunting is so hard? It is because of how self-controlled and alert a turkey lives life. Even though they are being preyed upon at a specific time by a specific weakness they approach the sound of a willing hen with caution. They approach decoys with alertness. The ones who become thanksgiving dinner are the ones who let their guard down and let their emotions get the best of them.

The enemy wants to prey on your weaknesses but we have to be alert and self-controlled everyday, standing firm on our faith in Jesus.

Here are a few highlights of my spring turkey season:

1. Hunting with a new partner- Cole (my middle son), He is going to be quite the hunter some day. I just wish he would have gotten a shot at a bird. He saw a lot, but none close enough.

2. I got a shot, but missed. I will never live that one down, Cole reminds me often.

3. We saw and heard the bear. At our family farm in West Virginia Cole heard the bear growl ending the turkeys journey to his blind. We then saw it in the field that evening as we were coming from the farm. Maybe our next hunt this fall or winter will be bear. A bear skin rug would look great in front of our fire place.

4. Just being in God's creation. I love seeing what he has given us to enjoy while we are here on this earth. I can't wait to see what he has in store for heaven.