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

By Steven George Coy

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mule deer and whitetails, the elusive elk and wild turkey--here are hunts and rugged adventures experienced by ordinary men of faith and recorded for your reading pleasure. From the majestic mountains of Wyoming and Colorado to the hill country of Texas, you will experience what these men saw, felt and thought during these true-life escapades.
Outdoor adventures mixed with prayer--is God at work in the lives of those who believe and put their trust in Him? You will recognize the faithful fingerprints of God, as well a few of His surprising miracles, in these real-life tales of outdoor hunting adventure entitled, The Christian Outdoorsman.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tablo Publishing
• Release date: Dec 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649694638

Book preview

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

...whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I Corinthians 10:3

FOREWORD

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)

Introduction

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 God’s grace 

perhaps—throughout the world for which Christdied.

Outdoor adventures, miracles, answers to prayer—is 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 you’ve 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

Double Dose of Mountain Merriams

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 belt—from Illinois to the Rocky Mountains—I 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 hunts—probably 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 son’s 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 fall’s 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. I’ve 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