It is hard to say when and who told the first hunting tale, but Adam & Eve, after partaking in the forbidden fruit, became the first hunters, using animal skins with which to hide their nakedness. Then, only ten chapters into The Holy Bible, we learn Noah’s great-grandson, Nimrod, was “a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The word “Nimrod” translates to “a skillful hunter.” Despite the lack of opportunity for taking turkeys, surely, Nimrod could tell a good hunting tale! As turkey hunters, we yearn to tell our stories. There are over 400 first-edition turkey hunting books that do exactly that, and the recent Turkey Hunter magazine (which sadly only lasted for two issues was at least the 6th magazine published exclusive to turkey hunting.
Telling stories may be the most rewarding part of any hunt. It is our way to remember, celebrate, and honor the turkey that lost…or won…that round. Imagine if you could never talk to anyone about hunting ever again. Ouch! It certainly would cut down the amount of enjoyment we get in reliving those precious moments with family and friends. For you aspiring authors who are considering putting your turkey stories into print, here is some history on hunting books and the evolution of wild turkey literature that you might enjoy. Your stories could become part of that tradition!
Hunting is something we share with our ancestors, though our methods and reasons may differ now. The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating to ~2100 B.C. is among the first writings known, and even that early text contained a hunter as part of the story. This Mesopotamian (vicinity of modern-day Iraq) book was, by no means, the first attempt to record the thrill of the hunt. Storytelling has been part of our culture since the first campfire, and a way for communities to preserve knowledge and celebrate events and people. Cave drawings and paintings were an expression of our art and identity, and once again, hunting was at the forefront.
Reading serves a host of purposes, including entertainment and learning. Certainly, being able to put stories into a book improved upon the limitations of having to relay a story person to person (though the best stories are arguably still told in person by masters like Tom Kelly, Preston Pittman, and Cuz Strickland!). Reading books is a way we better ourselves or indulge in things we enjoy. The written word dates back 5,000 years to the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, who developed symbols to express thoughts and objects. The development of writing created the ability to record, transport, and share stories outside of one’s walls and community. Tablets, scrolls, and books were all originally individually handmade, a laborious affair that also limited a book’s best-seller status (ha!). The Greeks and Romans pursued and recorded leisure activities, including hunting. Of course, we don’t have any turkey hunting stories from them, given the 4,000 miles (and most of it ocean) between them and our North American turkeys!
In 1454, Johannes Gutenberg’s new printing press turned out the now famous Gutenberg Bible, the first ‘printed’ book. If you have one, do not throw it out, as it is worth up to a cool 35 million dollars! Literacy rates were an early barrier to books, making them primarily academic, religious, and luxury items. The Puritans that came to the New World placed a high value on reading, thus, literacy was higher in the American colonies even than in Europe (the pen was truly mightier than the sword!). We do have ample records of hunting in North America, starting with the Spanish then the other Europeans, who were generally astounded by the natural resources and game they encountered. Wild turkeys figured highly into these records. Albert Hazen Wright researched letters, journals, books, and official records that mentioned turkey hunting going back to the 1500s and published his findings in 1914-1915 as Early Records of the Wild Turkey in the ornithological journal The Auk. It is a brilliant historical record of the wild turkey in America. The Wild Turkey And Its Hunting, in 1914, became the first book dedicated to our sport. Written by Charles Jordan, his manuscript was edited and published after his death by Edward A. McIlhenny.
Good hunting books are now in ample supply, and many from the last century have become classics. Among them, Robert Ruark’s The Old Man and the Boy and the uproarious humor of Patrick F. McManus in the books compiled from his magazine articles are highly recognizable. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls has sprung leaks in the eyes of generations of young hunters. Savvy readers will know of classic African and American hunting books written by Roosevelt, Buckingham, O’Connor, and Hemingway. Although not hunting books in the storytelling sense, Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold and the more recent Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting by Jim Posewitz are books that every hunter ought to read…more than once. Such books are thought-provoking and reinforce that the joy and challenge of hunting should not stem from killing, trophies, records, and slams. As hunters, we are cognizant that we must find a balance in that what we do and how we do it is responsible. With the wild turkey population sadly in decline, we all might benefit from shooting one less gobbler every year and reinvesting some of that time and passion in reading some of the great turkey hunting literature available.
With the ease of self-publishing platforms, the writing of turkey hunting books is at an all-time high, with a new one coming out at a pace of about one a month. In addition to the hundreds of books dedicated to wild turkey hunting that have been written, there is an even greater number of scientific and management publications. I won’t go as far as to say that any of these storytelling or management books will guarantee to make you a better turkey hunter, but if one reads the generations of tips and information recorded there, the chances are good you’ll find yourself applying something new in the woods.
If you want to tell your turkey hunting stories, my best advice is to start by understanding the “gold standard” for turkey literature. Get copies of the Henry Davis book The American Wild Turkey, Tom Kelly’s masterpiece, Tenth Legion, or the more recent gems, Memories of Spring by Ron Jolly and Letters To My Grandsons by Larry Proffitt. Read them, and you’ll see the art of storytelling in grand fashion. Don’t overlook the authors and articles in publications like this magazine; as a boy, outdoor journalists first captured and solidified my interest in hunting tales with their articles and accompanying photos in the pages of the hunting magazines I wore out.
The future of telling our tales looks promising despite the competition from digital media. I admit to enjoying YouTube hunting videos, but I find a book that goes beyond the limits of video in capturing thoughts, insights, and emotions. Even as retail stores are declining, the convenience and cost-effectiveness of browsing and purchasing books online and sending them to your home is sustaining books as a story-telling platform. A September 2021 report from the U.S. Book Industry says, “Print book sales figures have improved, and unit sales now consistently surpass 650 million per year. Print also remains the most popular book format among U.S. consumers, with more than 60 percent of adults reading a print book in the last twelve months.” Given that there are 2.5 million turkey hunters, if they read at that 60 percent rate, then there are 1.5 million potential customers for our tales! That is inconsistent with what any wild turkey book author has experienced, as selling even a few hundred books can take considerable effort.
Some hunters write more for themselves, to record their memories, or to share them with close friends and family. Often, those books have been published in a limited run, making them very collectible for turkey literature enthusiasts, and can be valued at a few hundred dollars. Exceedingly rare original printings of vintage books, like Tom Turpin’s Hunting The Wild Turkey, can fetch thousands of dollars! Most of those authors would be shocked to learn that the book they gave away or struggled to sell has gained such appreciation. Regardless, many authors find the real value in writing a book is in how it can be therapeutic and enjoyable to see their stories in print…and many of us enjoy reading them. If you are reading this magazine and this article, chances are you are a turkey hunter, which means you are familiar with the grand tradition of telling turkey tales. We’d love to hear yours!
