Take Care Of Your Gun, It Will Take Care Of You

I recently read a post about a gentleman who was explaining to his offspring that “when you take care of things, they take care of you.” A very accurate statement and one that applies to many things. For hunters, firearms certainly should come to mind. 

Think about the sustenance or food that firearms can put on your table. Go back about a hundred years and consider the value these would have to providing food for a family. These days, there’s a grocery store on nearly every corner where you can easily pick up just about anything that you want. Except for wild game! 

The next time that you take a pack of venison or turkey out of the freezer, consider sharing it. Also, recall the day that you shot it. Those memories should bore into your brain with a strong impression. With the turkey season looming in front of us, I’ll take the time to do just that. 

I plan on taking my remaining turkey breast out and preparing it in one of my favorite ways; fried chunks of meat. Woo-wee! Sliced into 1-inch cubes, double  dipped in batter, fried to a golden brown. Bring on the hot sauce and ranch dressing! It’s a great plate of food to serve some of your friends as you tell them the story of how you got that bird. 

For me, it will be the blessing of rolling that bird on opening day last year on a friend of mine’s property. The bird came to my slate call just before the sun broke that day. Shot him, put him in my truck and was home by 8:30 a.m. My wife thought that I must have forgotten my shotgun as the reason I returned so quickly. 

“Nope, I rolled my first opening-day bird,” I said. 

The shotgun that I used was primed to take out that day. There was no prep needed as it was bore cleaned and wiped down. With shells in my turkey vest, it was ready to go. 

You never know when someone will invite you to join them on a hunt. It might be just on a moment’s notice. Don’t be that ill-prepared person who hasn’t touched that shotgun since last season. Nobody wants to hear “click” as opposed to “boom” when that big tom comes to your call! Good luck this turkey season.