There is something to be said for being driven, to be able to harness that energy to overcome circumstances, to bounce back from near death which I can authentically speak to now after a near-fatal Covid event. The passion of being in the turkey woods shares this drive with many other pursuits and you can translate this into whichever it may be for you, from your own source of inspired living. This in no way lessens the importance of God, family, country, and the love and care of your friends.
I won’t go into much detail about this past late summer/early fall brush with death, but in a nutshell; I was hit hard with Covid-19, delta variant, given a 10% chance of surviving, spent 40 days in four hospitals, 18 of which was sedated in an induced coma. As I write this, I am still actively recovering.
I missed the entire fall turkey season as it was not at all feasible at the time. It was a concentrated effort and succession of small milestones that led to sitting in a blind for deer season, not 80 yards from my home. We live in the woods, so it’s actually a viable choice. I can tell you that I was beyond thrilled to be able to do that much. By the end of deer season, I was able to take an ATV to a favorite sit, although I am far more into hunting all the way in and hunt all the way-out mentality. What walking I could do was on a treadmill in a controlled setting or along the country roads carrying a portable O2 tank.
Fast forward to spring recovery planning, and I would continue to increase walking, and see slow but consistent improvements. There is a blessing in going through such circumstances and coming out the end of it as a survivor. Seeing the ones you love, and friends you sorely miss are the most obvious things to be so grateful for. As I walked to my appointed listening spot under a starlit Texas sky, I took in all its splendor, so grateful to be able to slowly walk a mile and a half in without toting an oxygen tank or covering the distance with a walker. I enjoyed every step of that old dirt road.
To those that know me for many years, I prefer to take the game to the gobblers I chase. Not one to just hang out in a blind along a field. Sometimes it is the right strategy. As a ridge hunter, as my preferred terrain, I see a four-hundred-foot elevation change as a matter of time to cover the climb and the distance, not if I’ll go after a gobbling bird. I remain of a similar perspective, just much slower until I drop weight and put back some of that spring in my step.
Each of the three days hunting in Eden, Texas, I put in four to five miles a day of walking and carrying my loaded turkey vest and firearm. Walking on a treadmill is one thing, out in the field it is a bit more effort. On the second day, I had to walk a small hill for the first mile and finished the last half a mile downhill. Once again, a beautiful still morning and you could hear forever. I could hear a bird gobble as I crested the hill and heard him several more times as I descended to the river bottom flat that I was looking to get to. The hunt was a memorable one, rather productive as it resulted in calling in 19 hens with 5 strutting gobblers. Two gobblers came back with me. Beautiful morning and I continued to enjoy the remaining hunts at the ranch. The ranch had a variety of wildlife, and we would enjoy seeing the periodic visits throughout each day.
For those of you recovering from Covid or the exhaustive list of other life-changing ailments, I implore you to do what you can to get outside, to get back to what moves you, what drives you each day. It is hard at times; it is downright depressing when it doesn’t go as planned or fast enough to suit your expectations. Those are often temporary setbacks and change for the better is inevitable if you can embrace a positive outlook. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones. If this old grumpy turkey hunter can do it, there is hope. If you are a believer, the power of prayer is a powerful thing, for those that do not, embrace the energy of goodwill on your behalf. I do wish each of you recovering the best in your journey.
We are back in the saddle! Just riding a bit more tame and gentler horse.
-MJ
© 2022 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
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