Steven George Coy - The Christian Outdoorsman: Real-life Tales of Outdoor Hunting Adventure that Glorify God

All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible

unless otherwise noted.

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the author.

Published by Creative Vision Studio

First printing July 2002

Revised December 2020

Produced and Edited by

White Eagle Exploits, LLC

Published by

Tablo Publishing

December 2020

I Corinthians 10:3

A heart for the Lord...

The Christian Outdoorsman is filled with real-life compelling hunt stories: from Rocky Mountain gobblers to mule and whitetail deer, to a cliffhanger pursuit for a Bighorn Ram. Whether you are an outdoorsman searching for that "something more" in your life, or a life-long believer in Christ, Steven Coy's heart for the Lord is undeniable. There's no doubt that God speaks to us through His creation, if only we will answer Him back. Through The Christian Outdoorsman, Steven Coy shows how Jesus Christ will guide you on amazing adventures, if you will only surrender your heart to Him.

November 10, 2020

Scott B. Lemasters, Retired Captain, U.S. Coast Guard; Author of HUNT OF A LIFETIME

A FEW READER COMMENTS

"a good read and a good gift... a gifted writer" Cortez Journal, Colorado

My priest apparently ran across your book and read it. He loved it... and recommended it to me M.K., Missouri

"We just love your book...many of my widow friends have enjoyed it and just keep passing it on to others" B.D., Illinois (age 84)

My purpose, hope, and prayer in publishing this book is...

...to glorify God,

...to encourage Christian believers,

...to present Good News to those seeking the Truth,

...to present a living testimony to the reality of a loving Creator God

and Heavenly Father who sent his Son into the world as Savior in

our behalf,

...and to provide an intriguing outdoor read- ing experience for

outdoorsmen and women throughout America, and by Gods grace

perhapsthroughout the world for which Christdied.

Outdoor adventures, miracles, answers to prayeris God at work in the lives of those who believe and put their trust in Him? It is written,

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal

to Him. II Chronicles 16:9

If your heart wants to believe, if your spirit hungers for more evidence to substantiate and strengthen your faith, or if you are a doubting Thomas with an honest approach that simply says, Show me and I will believe, then read on.

Kick back and enjoy a tale or two by choosing a title from the Contents. Each tale has the approximate number of words indicated below the title so you can choose short, medium, or longer to suit your reading mood.

May these tales help you reminisce those outdoor adventures youve had the good fortune to experi- ence, and may your spirit be lifted to the Father of lights, from Whom all good gifts come.

James 1:17

Steven George Coy

The dawn was slow in awakening over the 8200 foot mountain that rose above us to the east.

It was 6 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on opening day of the 2001 Spring Turkey Season in SW Colorado. We were right on schedule.

Jedekiah was still wrestling into his final phases of camouflage at the back of our vehicle when the tempo of the hunt instantly swung into high gear. A gobbler sounded off the roost less than 100 yards southwest of us.

There is nothing quite like the excitement a gobbler elicits in a turkey hunter when he announces his dominion and presence as dawn barely brightens the eastern horizon.

This was mountain Merriam hunting at its finest. But even with 30 years of spring turkey hunting under my beltfrom Illinois to the Rocky MountainsI was about to experience something I had never yet experienced. It was something a man could only hope for when taking his youngest son on his first licensed spring hunt.

Jedekiah had been on many previous turkey huntsprobably more than he can remember. Spring turkey hunts in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming were a family tradition for many years with his mom, dad, and older brother. But the early teen years brought other interests and a few distractions. Now, at age 19, he decided it was time to taste the hunt again, this time with his own license to kill.

We jammed #4 shotgun shells into our Remington 12 gauge shotguns as we headed south into the oak-brush. We set up about a hundred yards east of where we figured the gobbler and his hens were coming off the roost. I yelped softly three times. The gobbler quickly sounded in return.

It was a moment of decision. Turkey eyes could be searching our location inside of two minutes, maybe less. I was uncomfortable with our setup. Across a clearing less than fifteen yards away was a mature stand of ponderosa pine where the turkeys had roosted on a west- facing slope overlooking a creek bottom. It was a situation where they could possibly spot us and disappear back into the pines and oak brush before we could see them in the early dawn light.

I remembered where I had called in and killed a mature gobbler just one year ago. It was a flat area that was a perfect setup for seeing a bird before he saw you. And it was not more than two hundred yards north of us. I grabbed my sons arm and we retreated into the brush, then picked our way softly through the oaks circling back to the north. Five minutes later we were settling into position. We hoped the birds had not seen or heard us and slipped over the ridge.

I set my son in front of and leaning against a small tree. I moved quietly to his left, planning to stay within whispering range. Before I settled into position, the gobbler sounded off again. He was still within a hundred yards, possibly moving our way with his hens and prob- ably feeding on the fresh, green sprigs of spring and the remaining acorns from last falls crop.

I softly called back. He gobbled again. I knew they were heading our way. It was time to play the waiting game. When a gobbler is comfort- able with his hens, they will almost always seek out company. Ive learned not to call too much when you seem to be holding the right cards in your hand. If we played this correctly, we could soon see the fruit of our pursuit.

Minutes passed. We could hear the hens purring and yelping softly. It was the sounds of a contented

flock, doing what they do every morning after they fly off the roost safely and begin their buffet pickin on the forest floor. The gobbler would sound off every once in a while, as if to remind his hens and everyone else in the territory who was boss and who was in control.

Finally a turkey walked out of the oaks to the left. I was lying on my belly with my shotgun in position. I had her covered. There was another bird behind her - a second hen follow- ing closely behind the lead bird. They were walking right in front of us from left to right, no more than ten or twelve paces away.

I was ready for the gobbler to step out next. This one was for Jedekiah. Three weeks earlier I had said to him, Hey son, how would you like to go turkey hunting with me this year and see if I cant call in a gobbler for you. His response was, Sounds good to me.

So there was no question in my mind who was going to squeeze off the first shot if a gobbler stepped into view. The lead hen was now barely nine yards in front of us.

Suddenly another bird walked out following the two hensit was another hen. Where was the gobbler? He had to be coming. A fourth hen walked out, then a fifth. Five turkeys were now walking single file in front of us. The gobbler had to be coming soon.