Slain in the Turkey Woods

It was cold, wet and windy on April 8, 1988.

It wasn’t exactly turkey hunting weather, but my friend Elmer and I drove all the way to Wilkes County, Georgia the night before to hunt on approximately 5,000 acres of the Barnett family farm and cattle operation.

Marion, who owned the farm, had told us the night before that we should start behind the house as the turkeys had been in those pastures.

So, that was where we headed before first light.  We were two novice turkey hunters that I think at the time had only killed one bird each.

We started several hundred yards behind the Barnett home hoping to hear a gobbler off the roost, but like I said, it was wet from a thunder storm the night before and the wind had started shortly after it got light.  We didn’t hear any gobblers so we set up in a place that we assumed there were turkeys.

And low and behold, a hen walked right in without a peep and left as quick as she arrived.

But still not a gobbler in sight.

So, we started looking in the pastures and an adjoining clear-cut for some birds on the ground possibly feeding.  And then we saw them… two gobblers and a handful of hens out in the clear-cut, with the gobblers strutting and appearing to be gobbling.   But I don’t remember actually hearing them as the wind had gotten up to 15 to 20 mph by then.

It was time to come up with a plan, so we separated and headed in somewhat the same direction but not the same location.  I was to ease into the strip of woods for a short distance and Elmer was going to walk a considerable distance before entering the woods and we would both try to call the birds in our direction.

As I crawled down a small ditch running parallel with the boundary line, I could begin to hear the gobblers in the distance gobbling at each other competing for the hens.  I remember crawling under some blackberry bushes and setting up on the edge of the bushes closest to the sound of the approaching birds.  I had a soft black cushion on my back that Elmer had loaned me to keep from getting my butt wet on the saturated ground.  I forgot to sit on the cushion before starting to call the birds and remained on my knees as it afforded me the best visibility.

For those of you who may have never hunted turkey, hunting them builds to a climax.  As you call to them, they call back to you.  As they get excited, you get excited and the culmination is a big gobbler flopping around on the ground after being shot in the head with copper coated four-shot.

To say that it’s one of the most exciting animals to hunt is selling it ridiculously short. It is exhilarating!

I started calling in earnest as I knew by the sounds, hens yelping and gobblers gobbling, that the birds were coming my way and relatively fast.  I called to them and they called back to me, and I was almost wetting my pants as I knew I should get a shot.

But for some reason, I got the feeling that I wasn’t the only one there.

I started to look around and there he was, Elmer, pointing his gun in my direction and also in the direction of the turkeys.  I thought that it was going to be an awesome morning as he could shoot the first one and I would shoot the second gobbler.

As the birds got closer, I got more excited about the possibilities and soon I had a hen on top of me, probably ten yards away.  I either hit my call wrong and made a hideous squawk or she simply saw me. Either way she started making an alarm call and began to run.  One of the gobblers was in easy range of me and Elmer so I waited briefly for him to shoot.

Then I raised up to take a shot, and I felt the most incredible impact of my life.

One that I would never forget.

As I raised up from the ground, I could see blood dripping from my face.  Then as I struggled to get to my feet, I saw my friend standing over me with a look of shock on his face, as he thought he was approaching a big gobbler that he had just shot.

But instead, it was me.

I started to try to run, much like a wounded animal out to the pasture.  I didn’t really know what I was doing but somewhere deep inside my psyche, I needed to get away.

It’s hard to understand and harder to experience.

I fell in the field and began to pull my coveralls off, as my friend told me to be still and don’t go to sleep as he was going to get his jeep and come get me.  I lay in the field with blood pouring from my mouth, nose, and ears onto the ground, then I saw my shirt turning red and I began to panic.

Even now, I get emotional at the thought of what was happening, as I believed that I would eventually bleed out and die.

I started talking to myself at first and then I just started apologizing to Somebody for the miserable creature that I was.

I remember saying something like “I’m sorry for the life I have lived.  I don’t know who You are but for some reason I know You are, so please forgive me for being who I have been and please give me another chance.  I will do whatever You want me to do.   I just want a second chance.”

Something happened that I struggled with for a long time.  I had a peace about what was happening and I felt a real Presence, I wasn’t alone.  All I could think was Who are You?

It seemed as if time had flown by when Elmer pulled up in his jeep, helped me in the back and headed out to find Marion, as we didn’t have a clue where the hospital was located.  We found him on his tractor across the road from our accident, and I remember him saying something about what he had seen in Nam and was comparing me to that.

It didn’t make me feel better.

He grabbed my hand to comfort me but suddenly the nerves woke up in my body and I fought to suppress a scream.  I was on fire, as copper coated four-shot pouring out of the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun at about 1200 feet per second traveling a relatively short distance will light you up!

And I was lit up!

I was on fire!

Beyond comprehension!

Don’t try to tell me you know what pain is unless you have experienced something so overwhelming that you could not control the screams.

I was there!

As Elmer pulled up to the emergency room, some paramedics were waiting outside and started cutting my clothes off, and putting IV’s in my arms and feet.  They put me on a gurney and rolled me in the ER, where the old geezer physician started to x-ray my head and tell me that there would be no pain killer available until he was somewhat certain that there weren’t any BB’s in my skull.

Vivian, the farm owner’s wife, was the head nurse at my side giving what comfort she could.  The old geezer heard me panting and scream “Oh SHIT!!!!” as the pain took ownership over my body and mouth.

He reprimanded me and I stared at Vivian and she said, “Steve, it’s going to be a while before I can give you anything for pain, so scream anything you want.  I have heard it all and so has the doctor… just ignore him.”

And I did!

I couldn’t control anything at that point, so I screamed.  Sometime later, Vivian came in to tell me that she had three syringes with Demerol and I could start having pain killer and I just stared at her.  Then she apologized and said,” Steve, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that you’re going to live!”

I think I said thanks but I really can’t remember as I was still on fire.  Then, she sent me to eternal bliss with the first two syringes and I think I laughed.  That feeling of going from Hell to Heaven in an instant is ridiculously awesome, so I understand how someone could easily get addicted.

After a moment, I thought about all the promises I made the Guy in the field.  I promised Him the rest of my life.

What was I thinking?

I wasn’t!

But, as hard as it is to explain, I met Someone and that Someone had set me free from a lot of stuff. Now, this is what is hard to understand as I did not know Jesus at the time, but in my spirit, I know that the Guy in the field gave me peace and some weird conviction that I needed to know more about Him, quickly.

Laura, my wife, walked in as they were rolling me out.   I think Elmer had called her at work and someone drove her the hour to the Wills Memorial Hospital and now they were rolling me out to an ambulance.  I don’t know if we spoke as I was flying high.   I did see her talking to my friend and both were pretty emotional.  As they were loading me in the ambulance, I remember telling the guy in the back that I would buy lunch if they would stop at a fast food place and he laughed.

Once I arrived back home at Athens Regional hospital, people went to work on me.  It was mostly x-rays and physicians examining me for all kinds of stuff, but they were mostly concerned with what was happening to me neurologically, as I was shot in the head.

I had about twenty-five BB’s in my head and nearly twice that many in my right shoulder.

It is incomprehensible that I lived, as I had one BB beside my carotid artery, one severed my facial nerve at the jaw, and one that was either in my heart or in the pericardium.  The bizarre thing about that one is I didn’t find out about it for about 18 years after a chest x-ray.

I lived for a reason.

I was released the next day and thankfully very blessed because of a very observant doctor that just stopped by to visit.  He asked me to blink each eye and then told me, “Steve, did you know that the right side of your face isn’t working at all?”  He said,” I’m sending you to Emory to a great neurosurgeon that can possibly help you.”  That visit changed my future as my facial nerve was completely severed and I became the first facial nerve graft at Emory.  Dr. Bill Grist rescued me from a life of facial palsy.

I spent nearly a year in a slow healing process but I ended up with about ninety percent use of my face and the flaws only show up when I smile for a photo.

The emotional part was a little different as my friend and I both struggled with reliving the event.

I know he suffered greatly and I also suffered greatly.

I relived the impact for about two years and I believe he suffered even longer.  It hurt me to see him hurt but we both had to deal with our demons.

I can definitely identify with anyone with Post Traumatic Stress, as I would be driving in my truck and feel the impact of being shot and then scream.   Then I would look around to see if anyone was watching.

When the episodes started, I would break down and cry, then as time went on, I just accepted it.

I believe that when I laid awake at night that God used that time to encourage me to press on and press through.

I decided about three weeks after the spiritual slaying in the field, to attend church I think for the first time ever.

It’s funny looking back as I used to get mad every Sunday as they rang the bells at the church I visited while I would be watching the Falcons play football on TV.

I walked in the church, curious as all get out, to see how Christians acted in church.

Stoic was my first observation of the old folks, then Laura and I met some people our age and I felt better.

I knew the preacher was the real deal as he wore a big cross hanging around his neck.  I left just as curious as when I got there, but I felt better about myself.

I was making a move!

That evening three people knocked on our door and ask to come in as they wanted to thank us for attending church.  It didn’t take long for them to make the salvation move on me, and I think I shocked all of them by saying, “Let’s go for it!”  I didn’t have a clue what club I was joining but I was joining anyway!

The next morning, I visited the Pastor with the big cross and, low and behold, he was still wearing it.

I was impressed.

I asked a few questions about Jesus and salvation and he answered me, then he hit me with a bombshell.   “Steve, have you ever been baptized?”   “No sir,” I said, “not that I’m aware of.”

The Pastor then said, “Well, if you have, it won’t hurt to do it again.”

I agreed.

The next Sunday, I wore my best suit.  Well actually it wasn’t a suit, but a cheap sport coat with a cheap tie and cheap everything else.  But, I wanted to look my best for getting baptized and so that was my best.

When the time came during the service, the big cross Pastor motioned me to come to the front.  I think I was near the back row if not on it.  Laura and I started waddling to the front and I was so nervous, as you could hear a pin drop. The Pastor told me to kneel and he spoke some words about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and then poured a handful of water over my head.

And He was back!

I couldn’t believe it as I stood up crying like a baby as the same Guy who visited me in the pasture was back.  I struggled walking back to my seat wondering if any of these people knew Him? 

But in that moment, it didn’t matter.

I knew He was REAL!

And this is when my pursuit began!

A friend of mine, who has an interesting sense of humor, used to tell me and others that the Holy Spirit guided the entire experience.  I must say that Elmer was one of those people that didn’t make mistakes.  He was always the precautious one and still is, as he is always considering the possibility of something bad happening.

I’m sure our experience plays into some of that but, still and all, he is cautious.

So, consider this… the Holy Spirit speaking into Elmer’s ear saying, “There’s one Elmer, stay steady, you look like you have it exactly where I want it, so here, let Me pull the trigger.”

And the Holy Spirit speaking into my ear, “OK Stevie, I have given you every option I had for your life and I’m tired of waiting.  I have a big life for you, so ready or not, here I come!”

As you have heard, I’m one of His favorites!

THOUGHTS FROM THE HUNTER KIND

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

For some of us hardheads, salvation can be slightly painfilled, as we are hard to convince that there is a God and especially One that loves us despite who we are and how we live our lives.

But He does!  Go figure, He loves us no matter!

I hope that sinks in, as you may be in a place of unworthiness, but to Jesus, all are worthy as He paid the price for us in advance.  So check Him out!

 

Prayer of the Hunter Kind:

Jesus, I pray Your peace over the lives of those who desire to know You, but may be as confused as I was.  Sometimes You are somewhat hard to describe to people who have never met You, so go ahead of me and let them know You are REAL, so that I can be a witness.  Hopefully, they will see what I see.

Thank you Jesus,

Amen