Page 46 - 2019 MAR/APR Outdoor Oklahoma

WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM Balentine would actually see a wild turkey for his
first time.
“I was out deer hunting in a very remote area,” he said.
He had gotten into the woods very early, before sunrise,
and the woods were still pitch black. “Before light, some-
thing really loud came out of the tree right over my head,
and it about scared me to death!” Of course, he had man-
aged to get himself under a roost tree. Later, the morning
light revealed a small flock of wild turkeys in the clearing
below him, and he figured out that he’d heard the sound
of the birds flying off the roost.
In 1960, Oklahoma held its first modern fall turkey
season, and a spring season was first held in 1965. Most
of the turkey hunting in those days was done west of
Interstate 35, where most of the birds were found.
It wasn’t until the late 1970s when huntable numbers
of turkeys could be found in Balentine’s area. “No one
really knew anything about how to turkey hunt. It was a
totally new experience.” Around 1980, as Balentine hunt-
Oklahoma’s first modern fall turkey ed squirrels along the Fourche Maline River bottom, he
hunting season was in 1960, when about occasionally would hear a gobbler. So he decided to try hunting for turkey.
400 birds were harvested.
That year, he managed to call a gobbler while hiding behind a fallen
cedar tree in a ravine. It was his first successful turkey hunt. Since then, tur-
“Before light, key hunting has become his favorite sport, and he’s barely missed hunting
a season since. In recent decades, he has pursued turkeys in several states
something really each spring. And in 2014, Balentine was able to complete a grand slam,

loud came out of harvesting the four subspecies of wild turkey found in North America all
in one year.
the tree right over There have been many changes over the years. Balentine noted the shift to
my head, and it the leasing of hunting lands, which he said takes away a lot of opportunity
for hunting with landowner permission and, therefore, possibly shrinking the
about scared me number of people hunting. But he also noted the availability of public lands.
Guns and ammunition have evolved over the years. “What once was a
to death!” 25-yard sport is now a 50-yard sport.”

Audrey Balentine’s 2014 Grand Slam
DON P. BROWN/ODWC

Eastern wild turkey tail and cape. Merriam’s wild turkey tail and cape. Rio Grande wild turkey tail and cape. Osceola wild turkey tail and cape.
44 OUTDOOR OKLAHOMA

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