My First Wild Turkey Hunt!
Outdoor Beginnings is a business started by Sue Tabor in October of 2009. Sue is an avid outdoor woman and enjoys sharing her passion with others for anything outdoors!
Sue discovered her love for the outdoors when her grandfather invited her to come along as a child, on fishing and small game hunting outings. Her father was very active with the Boy Scouts of America for many years and she recalls several times when she was invited to join her dad and two older brothers on scouting family camping weekends and other adventures. Years later, camping in a tent became the favorite annual summer vacation for her own family.
It wasn’t until her two sons were grown however, that Sue took up hunting herself. A girlfriend invited her to go pheasant hunting. After that, it was a duck hunt for ladies only. One day, her friends, Al and Steve invited her to try wild turkey hunting. She took her first wild turkey near Turkeyville, Michigan. Since then, Sue has hunted wild turkeys in many other states. She has achieved the “grand slam” of turkey hunting by taking each of four sub-species in the U.S. – the Eastern (Michigan), the Merriams (Montana), the Rio Grande (Texas) and the Osceola (Florida). Sue has also hunted waterfowl, whitetail deer, bear, grouse, quail, doves, squirrel and rabbits.
Sue started Outdoor Beginnings as a means to reach out and inspire other women to participate in outdoor activities. She says “I know there are a lot of women who would like to try many outdoor activities, but they aren’t sure where to begin and they are just waiting for someone to ask them to go along and show them how. Someone once invited me to learn how and I discovered things about myself I probably never would have known had I not tried. I want to pay it forward by giving other women the same opportunities I’ve had, to explore and discover how exciting and fulfilling the outdoors can be.”
“It is my hope that Outdoor Beginnings will grow and eventually become a ”go to” information source for women in Michigan who are looking for a connection to the outdoors. Whether its hunting, shooting, fishing, hiking or kayaking, I envision Outdoor Beginnings as the “hub” of connections – - the who can I get in touch with so I can learn how resource for women.”
“Women are discovering that getting outside is not only good for the body, but it’s good for the mind as well. Whether you want to hunt with a shotgun or a digital camera, camp near a pristine lake, paddle down a lazy river, or take a hike in the forest, viewing wildlife and exploring our beautiful natural resources is like a spa for your soul.”
Go ahead! Discover the outdoors in you!
Happy Outdoors – Sue
February 24th, 2012 at 6:57 am
Two nice birds – - – and the bigger one when you went out alone; great. I have to agree that there is something about turkey hunting that is different. Maybe it is the greeting of spring or the aroma of fall. Or it could be the sudden rush of changing from a peaceful morning to knowing the prey is so near yet you can’t quite get that perfect shot. Anyway, it is nice to hear that you did so well on your first hunt and your solo hunt.
February 8th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
That is a big bird. Weight? Beard length?
February 23rd, 2012 at 10:45 pm
That was my 1st turkey Wally – about 15 years ago. It weighed 22 lbs., 10 1/4″ beard and 1 1/16″ inch spurs. I had some help with that bird and he’s now fully mounted on my living room floor!
I went out a few more times with my friends, Al and Steve, and after a while they encouraged me to try it alone. The following year, I went out by myself with one of those little push-pull box calls and called in a big ol’ longbeard right to me within 1/2 hour! He weighed over 23 lbs., 10 1/2″ beard and his spurs were 1 1/4″ long! He was the biggest bird in terms of score I’ve killed so far.
But I’m not so much a trophy hunter as I am a thrill hunter! Of all the hunting I’ve tried, I like turkey hunting the most. I just can’t get enough of it!