A Miss to Remember!  I stop by the Ol Tom web site frequently to read new articles and to see what products are being promoted. My last visit I read the article from Mr. McGraw and a good memory came back to me that I would like to share!Missing a turkey is a part of the sport and if you don't think it can happen to you...you had better think again! This past spring we had a special guest at camp and when it was said and done I had the hunt of a life time!!!!! The host of Hank Parker 3D, Mr Hank himself was in town and looking to film some footage for his show. After a brief introduction and some good lies over fried crappie the crew had the opportunity to sit down and pick Hanks mind on hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. To this day I've never met a man with as much outdoor knowledge as he. I sat like a kid in a candy store as he told stories about turkey hunting in SC, fishing in FL and hunting trips with the late Dale Earnhardt. It was hard to sleep after all the laughing and knowing that I was about to sit in a blind with Hank Parker! The alarm went off and I was dress and ready! We all had a cup of hot coffee and load the truck for the 20 min ride to site we were going to hunt. Hank said, "Today boys, our goal is to kill a bird before the school bus runs", and that what we set out to do. After drawing straws I was the lucky one who set out on foot with Hank and the camera to hunt a big gobbler. We arrived at the clover field where the birds had been sited days before, and the song birds were just staring to wake up. Hank and I settled into the blind and the hunt was on! After a few instructions and a little Q & A, I was able to sit back and watch the master work. Any time you have the chance to hunt with someone who has spent as much time outside as Hank it's kind of over whelming. I was taking notes on ever move and before long we started to have some action. At the far end of the field (300) yards from our set up a cluster of hens emerged from the timber after several minutes they all ended up in front of our blind dusting and putting on a show. All of the sudden, Hank became real serious and said "you ready, there he is". MY HEART STARTED BEATING AT A NEW SPEED. Sure enough at the far end where we first saw the hens there stood Mr. Tom. We never made a call and with all the hen action around us there was no need to. After about 30 minutes, the big gobbler committed and was just seconds from being put on national television. To this day I have no idea what happened! Hank clucked on a slate call the birds head came up at 20 yards on cue and he said shoot……I did and the bird flew off. Just as fast as it started it was over. Not only did I miss a bird of a life time, I missed a bird in front of a legend and his camo camera, WOW! To break the silence I'll never forget the words that came from Hanks mouth. He said, "Bryan don't worry about it. You'll remember this hunt more a year from now than you would if you had killed that bird". You know what, after 7 months his words could've never been truer. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and you always learn from your mistakes. The memories from that day are as vivid now as they were when the hunt unfolded. I never in a million years would've guessed I would miss a turkey at 20 yards, however I did. There are moments while hunting that are unexplainable but those same moments are what drive me back to the woods every spring! Good luck to each of you who enter the woods in search of a Tom and if one day your shot is off the mark, don't worry, just be thankful you had the opportunity to be outdoors! Any views expressed by third parties on this Website are solely those of the third party and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ol' Tom, its staff and associates. Ol' Tom, its staff and associates assume no responsibility for the accuracy of any statement made by a third party. |