Country Goes Huntin’ was designed to bring together two Southern passions, country music and hunting, to make a difference in people’s lives.
Hunting Pros and Country singers from around the country come together to raise money for people less fortunate. Everyone comes at their own expense and no one is paid for their time or efforts. The Pro-Staffers take the singers on a multi-day Turkey Hunt and at the end of the last day, the country stars perform a benefit concert in which the general public is invited to attend.
Saturday, March 24, was opening day of Georgia’s spring gobbler season. We were hunting at Trophy Georgia Hunts with our good friends Gary and Mel, and enjoying some good Ole’ southern hospitality. Michael Lee, Co Host of Backwoods Life T.V., and I, Backwoods Life cameraman, did not have a country music celebrity to hunt with, so Michael was up to bat.
We headed over to a place Gary calls Turkey Meadows and there’s a reason why they call it that. Right off the start, Micheal had two gobblers answering his calls, but the birds were not eager to come in. We decided to get aggressive and move in on these gobblers. We eased our way down to the middle of the meadows, glassing the whole way, and decided to set up in some pines on a hill with swells of terrain surrounding us.
Michael went ahead and put out our David Smith Decoys and just before we sat down, Michael, in an urgent voice says “Don’t move, there are two gobblers less than 100 yards away”. Since the wind was blowing the trees, we knew we could slowly get into position without spooking them and call these two mature gobblers in to us. Using our Hunt Strong legs, we very slowly squated down with all of our equipment: gun, camera & tripod, and our loaded turkey vests. As soon as we got set, one of the gobblers gobbles. Michael called a few more times, but no answer.
Silence is golden….
Roughly an hour later we heard a gobble! They were coming into the decoys and the call from Michael’s favorite slate call by Straight Creek Call. They were approaching fast and our adrenaline was running wide open. The first gobbler stepped on the ridge and Michael jelly headed him with #5 shot…..super-sized. As soon as he shot, the other gobbler took off. Michael quickly did a fighting purr and the second gobbler came running back. Michael shot his first double on opening day of Georgia Spring Gobbler Season!
Later that afternoon, we got teamed up with singer and songwriter, Preston, one of the lead singers of LoCash Cowboys. Talk about full of energy, Preston was there to have fun and so were we. We all immediately hit it off. The turkeys were quiet that afternoon, making it difficult to harvest a gobbler, but we still had fun getting to know Preston.
Chris & Preston Of LoCash Cowboys
Next morning’s hunt, we decided to run and gun, in other words, call and wait to hear the gobblers gobble, then get in position for a harvest. After walking a mile and hearing a gobbler sound off at a distance, we went as far as we possibly could go and got set up. There were two gobblers fired up answering Michael’s calls and making their way towards us.
Unaware of the terrain, we thought the two birds were going to come straight to us, which is where I had the camera positioned. We sat their recording and expecting to hear or see these two gobblers appear, but silence. As a turkey hunter, you know that means one of two things: they spooked or they are on their way. We sat there in silence waiting patiently. All of a sudden, a gobbler sounded off in our left ear. They were less than 15 yards away and we were facing the wrong direction. One of the gobblers saw Preston slightly move his gun and started to back off. It was now or never! Michael whispered to Preston to stand up and shoot. Preston, without hesitating, all in one smooth movement, stood up, pivoted and steadied up on one of the birds, giving him a Backwoods Life feather flop. What an intense hunt! Come to find out, we were positioned facing The Flint River and Michael called these two birds across the river to us. Awesome Calling Michael!
That same morning, Kevin Knighton, co-host of Backwoods Life T.V., called in a gobbler for singer/songwriter Bobby Pinson.
Kevin Knighton, Bobby Pinson, Bart (Guide of Trophy Georiga Hunts, & Shawn Sumerall (Cameraman)
Colton James, Country music singer and song writer on the rise, also hunted with us. He is a good family man and someone who is passionate about our troops and what they sacrifice for our country’s freedom. Colton has a new song out “Brave Men” that I promise you will hear on the radio and fall in love with listening to it over and over again. I got to hear Colton play acoustically at camp and really got to know him as a person and an outdoors-man. Colton never was able to harvest a gobbler that weekend, but it was still an experience spending time with him in the best place on earth, The Backwoods.
Colton James & I After The Morning Hunt
We had a blast amongst friends, both old and new. Look for the footage of these spectacular hunts on Backwoods Life T.V. this summer on The Sportsmen Channel.