One of Ronnie's Strangest Hunts

EDITOR'S NOTE: Longtime, avid turkey hunter, Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland of West Point, Mississippi, vice president of Mossy Oak's TV and video production, talks this week about his new turkey-hunting book, "The Truth About Turkey Hunting."

Question: Ronnie, tell us a little about the superstition chapter in your book, "The Truth About Turkey Hunting."
Answer: I've always been superstitious. The strangest hunt I ever had was with Joe Byers, an outdoor writer from Maryland. He'd come down to hunt in the Mississippi Delta. When I picked him up at the airport in Jackson, Mississippi, we got in a sprinkling rain. By the time we got to Greenwood, Mississippi, rain was falling in sheets, sideways. When I took Joe inside the camp, he and Will shook hands and I sat down, looking disgusted at the weather. Well, 10 minutes later he showed up full raingear -- Mossy Oak head to toe -- ready to go hunting. We tried to convince him to wait five or 10 minutes -- at least until the weather slacked up. He said, "I came a long way, let's go hunting." To top it off, he had a black-powder shotgun that he had loaded and then wrapped the hammers with Saran Wrap.

As I went out the door, I thought, "What are the odds? Number one, what are the odds of even seeing a turkey when you can't even hear yourself think? And number two, what are the odds of getting that Saran Wrap off and getting that gun to go off?" Although I went protesting, Will said, "I know where there's a greenfield." So we went to the edge of this greenfield and Will stuck a decoy out. We got back behind Joe about 10 or 15 feet and started calling a little. I can remember that hunt like it was yesterday. I had that tube call, and the rain was coming off my hat so hard that it was forming a spray. I told Will, "There's no way a turkey can hear us; I bet Joe can't even hear us." But we kept calling and letting him sit in the rain.

In about five minutes, Joe's black-powder gun went off. I turned around, and he had a really good gobbler down. After we took our pictures, I asked Joe, "Do you have any idea how much luck we've used up on this hunt? I may never see another turkey again. I certainly won't spot another one this year." Sure enough, we hunted the next couple of days and all we got was a plague of mosquitoes. Too, I almost stepped on a water moccasin. I just knew the turkey gods were watching when we shot that gobbler in the rain.

To order Ronnie Strickland's book, "The Truth About Turkey Hunting," which Mossy Oak has published, call (888) MOSSY OAK. To learn more about turkey hunting, go to Night Hawk Publications' home page, and click on books. You'll find information about three of John E. Phillips' turkey books -- "The Masters' Secrets of Turkey Hunting," "Outdoor Life's Complete Turkey Book" and "Turkey Tactics." These books explore the minds of some of the nation's top turkey hunters.

Tomorrow: Another Exciting Story from "The Truth About Turkey Hunting"