BLAZE Magazine Special Edition 2006-2016 | Page 29

hole
he
tor
g
d
p
ce
en in
o
ount
n,
to many of the gun makers, at events like the SHOT Show
[Shooting, Hunting Outdoor Trade Show], and they really want
By
Johnnie what
Wood
to know:
do women want? But…
O
But?
n a bright fall day in 1966 my drove of wild turkeys. At 13 years old, I was
father had two cows break through amazed and enthralled by my first encounter
But you have
to do more than make a firearm to fit a woman.
our piece mill fence and venture with these majestic creatures moving almost
Or more than
it pink. Our
For beautiful
new woman shooters, I mean.
into make
the woods.
ghostly thru the broom sage and brush. Dad
Saturday morning was to be business as kept telling me to get down, but my desire
At our However,
OWU events,
many
of the
women
about
usual.
little did
I know
how
much are to nervous
watch this
event played out; outweighing
firearms.
They
are
curious
but
a
little
scared.
When
they
my life was about to change.
my manners to find
mind my Dad’s instructions.
out that other women and friends of theirs have
of like an eternity, the
After, taken
what one
seemed
our
introductory
courses,
they
really
want
to
try
that,
too.
My middle brother was away at Marion crack of his 22 broke the silence of that
Military Institute. He had received a football fall morning as much as if it had been a
scholarship
and to my
Dad
never
missed works,
a sonic
Women want
know
how
a firearm
how to
use it My head popped up to see
boom.
game.
So, what
we had
round
up the cows,
the outcome.
correctly,
the to
safety
measures
are. Before
they pick So
up did all the gobblers in the
prepare
our
meal
for
the
road
trip
to
Marion
field.
Dad
retreated
a gun. You can’t just give them a gun and say, “Here you go.” behind the old oak tree
(maybe
some the
of the
first tailgaters) and dress and loaded another into the single shot and
Education’s
key.
to attend the game. With the old trusty 22 with pinpoint accuracy took the eye out of
single
shot, they
which get
was
never
left behind,
one of the They
“standing
And once
that
education,
they my are hooked.
can’t at attention” gobblers.
Dad
and
I,
a
man
and
his
youngest
son,
left
WE
both
sprang
get enough. Whether it’s recreational shooting or hunting or into a sprint to retrieve the
for the woods to search for the cows. I had flopping monster.
self defense, they take it very seriously. At that point—and
watched my father, who had one good eye,
we’ve seen this happen year after year—they bring their
bring down many bushy tails, hogs, and even The following spring I took my first turkey
daughters and their sons to the shooting events, too.
cattle that we raised on our farm. (Just in within fifty yards of this same location. This
case you are wondering, it was his left.)
solidified my lifelong venture of pursuing
So what does all that mean for a gun maker?
the walking ghost of spring. To date, I
Our search had taken us a half of a mile. We have been blessed to harvest at least one
Make
the gun.
then open
you have
to with
connect
had
walked
onto But
a large
pasture
of with
these women.
majestic creatures in twenty-eight
You have to As introduce
to came
firearms
you’re
hardwood.
we moved them
on, we
into while
states.
I have claimed three Grand Slams.
to your
OWU is In not
the I only
a introducing
clay gravel them
pit. Dad
had guns.
spotted And
a large
2007,
was fortunate to harvest two of
the six subspecies. These achievements
pushed me to my goal of a Double World
Slam. However, the numbers that carry the
most weight, and of which I am the most
proud, are the twenty-eight hunters who have
harvested their first bird while turkey hunting
with me. There are many stories I could
claim from those hunting adventures, but it’s
the first on my list I’ll share.
For several years, my daughter had wanted
to learn the art of turkey hunting. At the age
of 11, we left the house to begin our trail.
However, we came home without a turkey
and another story to share another time.
On a cool spring morning in 2001, my
daughter, Whitney, and her mother, Rebecca;
yes, the two ladies who brought Outdoor
Women Unlimited from an idea to a reality,
set out on a quest to harvest Whitney’s first
bird. The weekend prior, our son, John Evin,
had made his day with his first gobbler.
As the sunlight broke the black sky that
morning, the old master of the woods
sounded off. Our track to his location was fast
d
one
men
c
ax
t
ally
e
t
Price
P AINT &
B ODY
tion
r
LLC
stry
AUTO REPAIR AND SERVICE
BRAD PRICE
and
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SPECIAL EDITION 2006-2016 |
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