First but Not Final

First but Not Final

By Jeanine Sayre

Reverent, I love this word, it has always been one of my favorites.  To me, it is one of the most effective ways to portray gratitude and honor.  Moreover, it is the perfect word to describe the feelings I possess about my first turkey hunt. From the quite sounds in the stillness of the early morning, to the first distant sighting of the bird that’s life might be taken so that I might feed my family, I am flooded with more feelings of appreciation and respect than I could possibly describe.

The excitement was coupled with nervousness as I didn’t really know what to expect.  I was lucky to be guided by someone who I trust immensely, my boss Karen Butler, who took a great deal of time preparing me for the events of the day.  One thing that no one can tell you, it can only be realized when one experiences it for themselves, is the thrill of the answering gobble to your call.  To hear that is to feel pure glee and I don’t think there is anything else in the world quite like it.  Then, when the birds start to come into sight and your heart starts to race, you forget you just saw a snake cross your path and another rear its head, or that your blind was filled with wasps when you first climbed in.  All of the fears completely disappear when you invite the turkeys to visit and they RSVP yes.

I am so grateful for this experience for many reasons.  I am, what many would call, a girly girl.  Think pink, purses, and high heals.  Turkey hunting took me to a place outside of my comfort zone that I will definitely be visiting again.  It helped to instill a confidence in myself that I hadn’t necessarily known before, and made me hungry for more.  I also learned that just because you didn’t succeed in getting a bird doesn’t mean you failed.  We saw hens come in so close I could have reached out of the blind and touched them but the toms weren’t so eager to play with decoys when they were dancing with the real thing.  Still, I hunted turkey, and I will absolutely hunt turkey again.  I don’t know what it’s like to pose with the bird yet, and I have heard that it is an addictive sport, but here is what I do know: I am addicted to feeling reverent.