Posted: 6/7/05
Hunter fulfills 49 state turkey quest here
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Earl Mickel of Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, can rest a little easier now, although that doesnít seem likely to happen.
Mickel, 66, recently capped an amazing quest to shoot a mature turkey gobbler in all of the 49 United States in the U.S. that have a turkey hunting season. (Alaska doesnít have a wild turkey hunting season.)
He shot his final gobbler on Minnesota state land in Jefferson Township on May 20, while staying at the Matt and Sue Bauer lodge.
ìI was wore out,î Mickel said in a telephone interview on May 31. ìIíve been on the road for about six weeks hunting.î He hunted turkeys in 11 states this year.
Mickel said his accomplishment is unique because he used calls made in each state that he hunted, and his birds were all mature gobblers and not jakes.
He plans on writing a book about the quest, which began in 1999, called ìLong Beards Call Makers and Memories.î
He has already written two books on the subject of turkey calls. ìTurkey Call Makers Past and Presentî was published in 1994; and ìTurkey Calls Past and Present: The Rest of the Best,î was published in 2000. Both are sold out.
For Mickelís hunt here, he used a standard box call made by Jack Rislove of Rushford; a long box call made by Chad Zutter of Minneapolis; and a terrapin shell call made by Jeff McHugh of Plainview.
This was Mickelís second attempt to get a mature turkey in Minnesota. He had hunted once before near Rushford.
Mickel, a retired real estate broker, started hunting in 1982, then started travelling and collecting turkey calls. He liked some of the old guys who made the calls. ìNobody had ever written a book on turkey calls,î he said.
Turkey calls range in price from $15 to $20,000-$30,000. No, that is not a misprint. ìTheyíre collectibles now,î Mickel explained.
Minnesota, which had its first turkey hunting season in 1978, is fairly new to the sport, Mickel said, but states like Alabama and Pennsylvania have a long tradition of the sport and of making turkey calls.
Mickel said he likes the Caledonia area. ìI wished I lived closer,î he said. ìThey certainly have a lot of public land to hunt. And itís pretty country. And the lodges and that stuff is cheap. The biggest problem is getting the permits, which is a pain.î
Most states have gone to over-the-counter sales for turkey licenses, he said. ìI donít know why they [Minnesotaís Department of Natural Resources] keep hanging onto that [permit system]. Theyíve got more birds than they know what to do with.î
He also doesnít like the fact that hunters canít hunt when they want to hunt, but rather are assigned to one of eight seasons.
Mickel said he will keep hunting turkeys despite reaching his goal. ìMy knees are getting weak or bad. But Iíll keep turkey hunting. Thatís the best sport for hunting as far as Iím concerned.î
Why is that? ìBecause youíre communicating with the bird or animal. And thereís a lot to turkey hunting.î
Many people hunt turkeys, Mickel said, but there are not a lot of turkey hunters.
Caledonia Argus
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