Share your turkey tales with the BDN

So, it’s wild turkey season, and what with the mild weather, I’m sure many of you already have tales that you’re itching to tell.

Well, today’s your lucky day: I’m in the market for some good hunting stories, and I’m sure BDN readers would love to hear about your time afield.

So, what exactly are we looking for?

BDN file photo by Gabor Degre

That’s a bit difficult to pinpoint. I like to tell people to think of it like this: If you were to walk up to a stranger at a bus stop or a bar, start showing them your turkey photos, and begin to tell your tale, what would that stranger’s reaction be?

If you think the stranger would want to hear more, or would say, “No way! I can’t believe that happened,” then you’re certainly sitting on a story that we’d like to share. If that same stranger would be more likely to say, “Back off, turkey boy. That’s not too interesting,” your story might need some work.

More generalizations: Kids shooting their first birds are more interesting than 48-year-olds who bag their 10th turkey. Grampy taking the kids afield, where the young hunters learn valuable lessons that they’ll remember forever, are interesting. Big birds are cool. Hunting misadventures are well-read. If odd things happened to you on the hunt, we’re interested in hearing more. If you had interesting or funny wildlife interactions, we’re all ears.

In short, you know what you like to read. You know what kind of stories make you perk up and take notice.

If you’ve got a story like that, we hope you pass it along. And as always, stories that include great photographs are more apt to find their way into print, or onto our website.

Send your tales and photos to jholyoke@bangordailynews.com

So get hunting. Get writing. I look forward to sharing a few of your tales here in the coming days.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.