turkey guide

Turkey season in Missouri is still 3 mondays away, Mon. April 19, will open our 50th year of turkey hunting in Missouri, but only the 27th year that I've hunted turkeys. My first turkey hunt was my senior year in 1984, my first turkey 1985. With two seasons per year and two birds per season I could be killing my 104th -108 birds this year. But I haven't killed that many, and I haven't even propery kept track, but a good estimate would be 60. I don't always kill both birds in the spring. I usually lose interest after the first one, especially as I get older, and when the morels appear. And many times I don't even hunt the fall turkeys, even though they seem easier to get.
I can't wait though to get out this year and try out the new gun, on it's first turkey. I also will have two guests hunting the 25th and hopefully they will both get one, if not two birds each.
It's really some kind of torture to hear about all the birds already taken in other places. But it's great to know so many are enjoying the sport I've loved for so long, even as I semi retire from hunting and find other things to fill my time, like teaching new hunters, and more fishing. And I'm already looking forward to my 32nd deer season this fall.
I used to marvel at how knowledgeable those old men were who seemed to know everything about hunting and could help me choose the right gun, the right spot and help me succeed, when they didn't even hunt. I'm now beginning to understand how that works. As I get older I'm spending less time hunting for myself and way more time helping the younger people hunt. I don't believe I'll ever quit completely, but I find just as much satisfaction in other peoples success. I have nothing to prove, but plenty to teach. I guess I'm becoming one of those old men.