Mr. Herb and I met this year in Perry, GA. We hit it off immediately!! Both of us share a lots of the same thoughts and philosophies about turkeys and turkey hunting! This was evident soon after we started talking. Mr. Herb brought me two small mouthpiece bones from a hen turkey to Nashville this year, then mailed me another a few weeks later. I toyed with the question as to what to do with these bones. I wanted to do something for him in return and I also knew he wanted me to have them as well. So I decided to make a matched set of callers, one for him and one I would keep.
I got to present him with his call this weekend. He had extended an open invitation for me to come up hunting with him. So, Thursday morning, I awoke at 5:00am to get ready for work. After work and the 2 1/2 drive home, my wife and I hit the road to Dahlonaga, GA. We arrived at 1:00am. Mr. Herb had told me he'd meet me at McDonalds at 3:00am. I didn't go to sleep that night! We were sitting atop one of Georgia's finest mountain tops by 5:45, waiting on the day-light. He has spent many a hour hiking those trails to be able to navigate them in the dark!! We heard 1 gobbler break the silience. He answered the call, but wasn't coming. He gobbled 8 times that morning, making no headway in our direction. Hen sign everywhere!! We tried 2 more places, with no luck, before retiring for the day. 4:30pm found me back at the motel.....bone tired from climbing those mountains which is taxing on an aging flat-lander; and, sleep depraved!!! I caught about an hours nap before we were to meet Mr. Herb for supper. 9:30 found me in the bed, 2:30 am comes awful early. Next morning, we head out. We slip into the hunting woods in the preeee-dawn hours and wait for it to get day-light again. Gobbling time is getting real close and then we catch the sound of other hunters racing to the area. They stop by for a quick word and are off and running again. We soon left this spot for another, only to find someone already there. We head to another spot and got a little hen talk going with the basins resident hen.
I know Mr. Herb was looking forward to me killing one of those mountain gobblers and I was too. But, like I told him, that would have been "icing on the cake"; but, my favorite cake is pound cake. I had a wonderful time hunting and learning from a true turkey hunter this weekend. I am humbled and honored that he extended this invitation to me. We certainly deeped that friendship that started in Perry this year. Mr. Herb is one of the true old time turkey hunters. Not may of them left these days that haven't been influenced by the commercialization of the sport.
I look forward to next year! And in the mean time, I'm going to re-read his book, now that I have experianced some of those places!!!
Mark
