5 Reasons We Prefer Turkey Hunting Over the Olympics

As folks from all over the world flock to Paris to spectate a variety of sports and cheer on their country, we cannot help but think that turkey hunting is far superior to the Olympics in many ways. In no way does this mean that we don't feel a sense of patriotism seeing our athletes on the podium, and the sounds of the national anthem still bring our hands to our hearts, but we hold turkey hunting and our outdoor pursuits in a different class, all by themselves. Here are five reasons we like turkey hunting more than the Olympics.

With Olympic sports, it is highly competitive, and the sole focus is often “winning.” While we don’t like to walk home empty handed, it is still something to smile about when the turkey “wins.” In fact, some of the most memorable hunts are when a turkey has us running around the woods, scratching our heads and walking back to the truck without a bird. Not many Olympic athletes appreciate losing to the opponent the way turkey hunters appreciate when the bird gets the best of us.

Interestingly, out of all the sports in the Olympics, only a few contribute to conservation (in the U.S. that is). Apart from sport shooting and archery, no other sports in the Olympics actively contribute to the conservation of our wildlife and wild places through the Pittman-Robertson Act, which collects taxes on firearms, archery equipment and ammunition that goes back to fund conservation work. Turkey hunting is a great way to fund conservation. By purchasing hunting licenses and the necessary hunting equipment, turkey hunting and hunting in general provides more to conservation than Olympic sports (minus sport shooting and archery).

The Olympics are a full-on production from the opening to closing ceremonies. In the turkey woods, the only opening ceremony is listening to the woods come alive and the world waking up.

Olympic competitions take place in swimming pools, arenas and gymnasiums; whereas turkey hunting transports us to the hardwood bottoms and swamps of the Southeast, the rugged mountains of the West and everywhere in between. It is Mother Nature in her rugged glory, and we think that is preferable.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out how a strutting and gobbling tom — no matter the setting — is far more of a desirable spectacle to watch than flips and twists on a pommel horse or an action-packed artistic swimming routine, though the latter two may be much harder to pull off, technically speaking.

Many Olympic sports are reserved for the few — those who train most of their young and adult lives all for the shot at glory. Turkey hunting is more accessible to more folks, and we think that is something to be proud of. While becoming an expert caller like Matt Van Cise could take a lifetime, a rookie hunter can bag a bird after learning to simply yelp on a box call. Also, we get to turkey hunt every year, and we can pursue turkeys for longer than just a two-and-a-half-week span in many places. Could you imagine having to wait four years to turkey hunt?

The greatest reward of harvesting a wild turkey is the healthy meals it provides. While we often see Olympians chomping their teeth down on their recently earned hardware, we’d much rather accidentally find a copper-plated-six shot and taste metal by biting into a delicious chuck of wild turkey meat. And no Olympic event can provide you with a nutritious meal afterwards.

At the end of the day, we are not knocking the Olympics (maybe slightly). It really is just a matter of preference for us, though maybe turkey hunting could learn a thing or two from the Olympics about better promotion. For a sustained period, every four years, the world’s eye tunes in to see and read about countless human-interest stories, medal counts and more.

Think of the positives that could come from turkey hunting being more widely recognized: the celebration of its rich traditions, the recognition for the importance of conservation; more folks voting in favor of hunters’ rights and conservation policy; and more people enjoying the life-changing power of the outdoors. Still, we are choosing a turkey vest full of calls, a hand full of shells, our trusty shotgun and maybe a decoy to chase the “red, white and blue” over the Olympic rings and a shot at gold!

If you feel the same as we do, what are some of the aspects you like best about turkey hunting over the Olympics? Let us know your thoughts at pr@nwtf.net.