Ray Eye - Chasing Spring Presents: Ray Eye’s Turkey Hunter’s Bible: The Tips, Tactics, and Secrets of a Professional Turkey Hunter

Copyright 2012, 2014 by Ray Eye

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62873-812-4

Printed in China

I dedicate this book to our countrys brave men and women in uniform, past, present, and future.

I would like to thank Americas warriors for their service to our great country, for without these great American heroes tremendous sacrifice, this book and the many freedoms we enjoy today just would not be possible.

God bless our troops, and God bless America.

Ray Eye

Contents

About the Author

What others in the hunting industry say about Ray Eye

Major League Baseball has greats such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Harmon Killebrew. The NFL has standouts such as Vince Lombardi, Fran Tarkenton, and Joe Montana. And what would NASCAR be without Dale Earnhardt or Richard Petty?

Each and every sport produces those special icons whose names withstand the test of time and become synonymous with the sport itself. And those names belong to people whove dedicated their lives to the betterment of themselves and their sport and, most often unintentionally, touched the lives of thousands of people along the way. Turkey hunting has Ray Eye.

Mr. Turkey, Ray Eye, and Peanut.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1950s, Eye entered the world of turkey hunting when neighbors were tight-lipped and books or magazines on the subject were scarce. Ray had to learn his hunting know-how the hard wayin the turkey woods.

Eye credits much of his early turkey hunting success to his grandfather. In his book, Practical Turkey Hunting Strategies , Eye states, A little later, he [Grandpa] gave me what became my most prized possessionmy own turkey call. Grandpa had made it by hand, using a piece of slate from the chalkboard at on old one-room schoolhouse. For a striker hed cut a piece of cedar from a fence post and fit it in the bottom of a hollowed-out corncob.

Eyes grandfather gave him the roots he needed to begin growing into a full-blown turkey hunting fanatic, and he has grown to the point where many claim he has reached legendary status.

Humble Beginnings

Ray Eye was born the son of an auto body man, along with five brothers and one sister. The Eye family was steeped in turkey hunting tradition from the beginning. Eyes grandparents owned a farm in the Missouri Ozarks and as Eye states, I didnt graduate from a college, but I earned a degree in Turkeyology from Johnson Mountain University in the Missouri Ozarks!

That degree has served him well during his climb to the top of the turkey hunting totem pole, but Eye has paid plenty of dues along the way.

Eyes first job in the outdoor industry came by working a promotions gig in a new Wal-Mart store in 1977 selling his turkey callsthe original corncob slate and several mouth callsunder the name of his new call company, Ozark Mountain Turkey Calls.

Eye also guided turkey hunters for pay from 1978 to 1986, and began giving seminars at sporting goods stores, high schools, and colleges. He would trade turkey calls for gas and meals while he traveled from place to placetelltale signs of an up-and-coming turkeyholic. During this same time, Eye was heavily involved in competition callingtaking first-place honors at many local or regional contests and several national and world calling titles. A career highlight includes winning the Levi Garrett All-American Open turkey calling championship and NWTF Grand National Championship, Owl Hooting Division.

Eye then began working for H. S. Strut in 1986, building mouth calls. When asked how many mouth calls hes personally made, Eye smiled and said, Over the years, Ive made hundreds of thousands of mouth calls. When asked how many turkeys hes killed, he smiled even bigger and simply said, A lot.

Today, Eye works harder than ever; still learning about turkey hunting while giving back to the sport that has given him so much. He spent the past eleven years educating hunters on his outdoor radio show, has presented and spoken at countless national seminars and major sports shows, he works closely with several conservation groups, organizes media hunts, hosts a national television show, belongs to the pro staff of several outdoor companies, is an outdoor writer, a professional TV cameraman, a field producer, pro staff member for H. S. Strut, and the list goes on and on.

But through it all, Eye has remained close to the roots of turkey hunting and has continued to live the lessons about hunting and the importance of family that his grandfather instilled in him many years ago.

What Rays Friends Say

Its obvious that Rays family continues to come first, and that he gives much more than he takes, in every aspect of his life. But as Theodore Roosevelt once said, You can tell a lot about the character of a man by what his friends say about him when hes not listening.

So, what do fellow hunters say about Ray Eye when hes not listening?

Ive known Ray for more than thirty-two years. Because Ray hunts them in spring and fall, all of his hard-hunting experience is what really makes him knowledgeable. Ray knows how to hunt turkeys.

Plus, hes a great teacher. He comes across easy, understands people, and can relate well to anyoneyoung or old.

I bet there isnt a turkey in the woods that can humble Ray Eye. Hes the real deal.

Harold Knight, outdoor personality and founder of Knight & Hale Game Calls

Every time I see Ray he has a big smile on his face. We shake hands and actually give each other a hug. Ray is the kind of guy you are going to have fun with, no matter what.

Ray has hunted enough to know when you have to be aggressive or back off and have patience. He knows when to call and where the turkey might be headed so he can cut him off.

The best thing about Ray is that hes able to promote the sport he loves in a fun, positive, and safe way, whether talking to kids or seasoned veterans. Hes been instrumental in keeping the sport of hunting alive. Im proud to call Ray Eye my friend.