Expert Turkey Hunter Eddie Salter Tells the Tale of Jimmy Wayne and the Three Amigos
John E. Phillips 04.10.13
Author’s note: Eddie Salter of Greenville, Alabama has hunted turkeys for almost 50 years, hosts The Turkey Man on the Pursuit Channel, and is a Pro Staffer for the Down-n-Dirty Outdoors call company and Mossy Oak. This week, we’ve asked Salter to tell Outdoor Hub’s readers about some of the toughest turkeys he ever has tried to take.
Jimmy Wayne Joyner, a friend of mine, told me about three gobblers he’d named the “Three Amigos.” The first time he spotted these three gobblers out in the field, he called to them, and they took off running. He went back the next afternoon and found these same three gobblers out in the field. He decided to set up along the trail where the turkeys had run out of the field. He called to them again, and those birds ran out the other side of the field. After hunting these turkeys for nine days and not being able to take even one of them, he decided to stalk the turkeys.
“I planned to crawl along the edge of this field like a cat, moving slowly,” Jimmy Wayne told me while I was cutting his hair. “I wanted to get within shotgun range of one of those birds.”
Jimmy Wayne was a good woodsman. He planned his stalk and got within 60 yards of the birds. A gobbler started coming his way. Then Jimmy Wayne spotted a young hen on the ridge behind him. She started yelping just as pretty as a hen can yelp. Jimmy Wayne thought to himself, “I’ll bust one of those gobblers. I know they’ll come to this hen.”
When Jimmy Wayne knew the gobblers couldn’t see him, he turned his head around to look at the gobblers. Those gobblers threw their heads up, packed their suitcases and ran out of the field away from the hen. Jimmy Wayne said, “When those turkeys ran out of the fields, I decided, if they won’t come to a real hen they can see, I don’t have a prayer of taking them.” Once he finished telling me the story, he looked up from the barber chair and said, “Eddie, you can have those three gobblers.”
But I never tried to hunt those birds. As I’ve said many times, you have to realize there are some gobblers you won’t ever take. As far as I know, no hunter ever has brought one of the Three Amigos home.
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."
