GREAT OUTDOORS
Far Afield
With Oak Duke

Patience and silence

The outdoor products industry, that same inventive, marketing-savvy, creative business which has developed and produced so many specialized devices and tools for the hunter, can not bottle, package, shrink-wrap or sell two of the most important items that every experienced turkey hunter should tuck into his already overstuffed vest.

Unlike a good turkey call, these two items do not need to be worked on, sanded, chalked, and trimmed, tuned and broken-in.

Patience and silence have no dollar value. Can't be tagged or stuck with a UPC sticker.

Patience and silence can't be folded or poured, rolled or tied; stamped or packed, trimmed or stitched.

And yet when used judiciously, they may assist the hunter to not only reach out and come close, but to actually heft his Ultimate Goal even better than the No. 1 World Champion Turkey Call crowned at the World Grand National Champion Turkey Call Championship would.

There, at the Superbowl for turkey calls and turkey callers, a wondrous piece of wildlife art, an ultimately finetuned and crafted sound vessel; now nearly priceless and clearly divinely touched, is raised up above all others.

But it won't help much in the woods if the hunter does not know when NOT to use his "go-to" call.

We all know "Over Calling" is one of the most dreaded aspects and sins of Spring gobbler hunting. How many hunters hit a call too much and have the bird go the other way?

Happens all the time.

A turkey call will work if and only if, right next to it in the Number One pocket of the turkey vest are sitting side-by-side, like a pair of blued steel barrels: Patience and Silence.

By nature they are not exciting or top-of-mind. In fact, by definition, they are subtle and under-stated.

Actually the two are more akin to day-dreaming, falling asleep next to a big maple tree on a warm morning, or soaking up one more nearly other-worldly red and pink dawn as we hear the tail-end of a gobble float down the fogchoked hollow.

" 'Ere's one. I just heard 'em sound off."

"Know right where he is."

And up we jump and head on down the ridge.

Rather, sit and listen a little longer.

Hold your horses.

Don't go running after that first gobble.

More toms are spooked by hunters walking through the wide open woods in the early season than we could ever guess.

Turkey hunters can't buy patience in a bottle or silence in a spray can. We can't order restraint in our favorite catalog, even online.

If we could purchase patience at any price, over the internet, out of the country or even pick it up for next to nothing at a yard sale, there would be a lot more spurs hanging on the wall.

If patience and silence could be bought and sold in little camouflaged-wrapped bottles, not only would fortunes exchange hands, but The Wild Turkey Nation would be dealt a population dip of biblical proportions.

We would all find more success in the woods if we walked less and listened more, listened harder and walked lighter, were more patient and learned the value of keeping still.

And we may find that restraint, when it comes to not hitting that call, or running after that gobble, may turn out to be the most important tactical weapon in our turkey vest. And it doesn't cost us a thing.