Quaker Boy Calls’ Chris Kirby and the “Goat Hill Gobbler”
John E. Phillips 04.29.13
Author’s note: Chris Kirby, the president of Quaker Boy Calls (http://www.quakerboy.com), has won every major turkey calling championship in the nation including the U.S. Open, the World-National, and Grand National Turkey Calling Championship. He is also the creator of the Mossy Oak Turkey THUGS (www.mossyoak.com) line of calls.
I was hunting with a well-known outdoor writer on the Ford Ranch near Melvin, Texas a few years ago. This 30,000-acre ranch was loaded with Rio Grande gobblers. We were set up under some oak brush out in the middle of a pasture. We had heard a turkey gobble not too far away just at daylight, so we got inside the brush, which was the only cover available.
The Ford Ranch is a working cattle ranch raising angora goats, and we were set up in one of the pastures they’d set aside for the goats. The turkey I was calling was about 500 yards away, but we’d called to him on the roost, and he’d answered us. In this open country, turkeys often would travel a long way to meet their hens. We could tell the gobbler was coming, because he was gobbling more, and he kept getting louder and louder. I really thought my writer friend would bag this gobbler less than 45 minutes after his feet hit the ground, but then we heard a noise from the left. It continued to get louder and louder, and the turkey quit gobbling. Within a few minutes, we spotted a large heard of goats–300 or 400–that marched between us and the turkey. Goats make plenty of noise when they’re moving, and there were a lot of goats.
After the goats had passed, the writer looked at me with a disgusting frown and said, “What are we going to do now? The goats have spooked our turkey.” I looked at the writer, smiled and said, “We’ll let those goats get out of sight and hearing, and then we’ll call that turkey up and shoot him. Those goats probably come through here every day. I’ll call to the bird and let him know we’re still here.” I called to the turkey. He gobbled back and came marching right up the goat hill.
The lesson to be learned here was things happened in nature that we often didn’t take time to understand. Most hunters would’ve thought that the goats ruined our hunt, when really all they did was postpone it until they were gone. When I started calling, and the gobbler knew the same hen was still in the same place after the goats had moved away, he decided to come back and get with her again. Those goats walked that same route every day, so all the turkeys and deer knew the goats’ routine. The turkey wouldn’t march through a herd of goats get to that hen, but the goats didn’t scare the turkey. Because we were patient, the gobbler did what he’d already planned to do, which was go to that hen. Just because a gobbler doesn’t come in or stops coming to you doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake. There are other natural factors that can cause a gobbler to quit coming to a call.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
