Opening day of turkey season I went to the hunting lease in north La. getting there late ( after dark) I decided to get up the early the next morning and go down past my sons box stand where I had seen a long beard and some hens several times during deer season feeding in his food plot . So I was there well before day light and set up a hen and a jake decoy in the plot and set up a small blind about 40 yards from the decoys . Right as the sky begin to lighten I heard a gobbler but he sounded pretty far off , but I threw a few calls at him any way . He didn't respond to anything so I decided just to sit a while and see if they might come and feed in the plot as in times past . Well by about 9:30 or 10:00 I was getting figgety and my butt was numb from sitting so long , so I decided to get up and move around to find some birds . When I got up and came around the tree my blind was infront of , to my suprize a man stood up from a pile of logs 20 yards from me and scared the you know what out of me ! Then he took his camoflauge shirt( kind of like a guile suit ) off and I saw that he was a wild life agent . I told him man you slipped up on me there buddie , he said yes sir with a big smile , I said I guess you want to see my license , he yes sir and I'm going to need to check your gun also . Now my little blind was set up about 10 yards past my sons corn feeder but it hadn't thrown any corn all season , the lid must have a leak and the corn got wet an molded and is stuck ( it's going to be a mess to clean out !) He was intently looking at the feeder trying to find some corn , he told me " I'd bet money there was corn in that feeder " and I said there is it's full but it got wet and hasn't throw corn all season , then he said that's a nice looking jake where you get it from , I said I've had them decoys for years and don't remember and he said lets go look at them . We went down by the decoys and he was bent over again intently looking at the ground all around the decoys trying to find any sign of seeds or feed that I might have thrown out and I assured him that I hadn't thrown any thing out there . He then noticed I wearing a shoulder holster with a .22 pistol . Then he said you can't carry a .22 while your hunting turkeys ( I'm going to have to check for sure on that rule ) and I said it's leagal to carry it during bow season with #12 rat shot to shoot snakes and I thought it was alright , he said let me see your clip so I pulled it out an it had #12 rat shot in it and he gave it back . We talked alittle bit , I ask him where he was from he told me an I told him my mother in law has property there on the lake . He bid me good day we said goodby and he headed down the road . I've been checked a bunch of time by wildlife agents ( and never got a ticket ) but that's the first time I ever had one sneak up on me like that ! I didn't get a turkey but I didn't get a ticket either.
I think he got a unexpected surprize also when he found I was playing by the rules! I want to thank all wildlife agents for what they do , because if it wasn't for them there are those among us that would wipe out the wildlife just for the thrill of the kill .
I think he got a unexpected surprize also when he found I was playing by the rules! I want to thank all wildlife agents for what they do , because if it wasn't for them there are those among us that would wipe out the wildlife just for the thrill of the kill .
