A quick chat with turkey legend Ray Eye

Ray Eye, a well-known figure in the outdoor world – particularly for his hunting skills and willingness to share advice about turkey hunting – has admittedly slowed down a bit in recent years.

Still, many refer to Eye as “The Turkey Legend.”

An author and media personality who has educated hunters on outdoor radio shows and presented at seminars and major sports shows around the country, has gotten back to his roots – the Missouri Ozarks, where he first hunted turkeys as a kid.

On behalf of turkeys and turkey hunters, Eye over the years has worked closely with conservation groups and outdoor companies to promote turkey hunting and turkey calling.

He has remained close to turkey hunting and is quick to remind those around him about the value of hunting and the importance of family.

We recently caught up with Eye for a quick chat.

ON: Everybody wants to know, “What has Ray Eye been up to?”

Eye: Normal life as we know it is completely interrupted through this pandemic.

However, spending time out in the woods and doing a little turkey hunting takes you away from all of that. My wife was in a skilled nursing facility and I had to spend some time there, and with the pandemic I couldn’t get inside, so I had to sit outside and visit through a glass door. For many people, things are much better now and looking forward to a great spring turkey season.

ON: So, you are planning to hunt turkeys this spring?

Eye: Yes, of course I plan on hunting some turkeys. Turkey hunting has come full circle for me. I am basically kind of semi-retired now, instead of guiding a lot of people, shooting television shows, traveling to eight or nine states, even the Yucatán peninsula or Mexico.

I’m basically going back where I started in the Ozark hills where I grew up just hunting with friends and family. The last couple of springs I went to the Ozarks and got a hot by myself for the first time in many years – very enjoyable great medicine

ON: Have you changed your approach to calling at all in recent years?

Eye: I don’t have any different approach to calling. I’ll be calling the same as I’ve done for decades. Calling is a very important ingredient for me when it comes to killing turkeys. Locating turkeys is all about communication and realism. How you’re calling turkeys depends on the time of the year, seasonality and cycle the turkeys are in, along with the type of terrain you are hunting A hunter needs to adjust accordingly, but no I haven’t changed anything in my approach to calling

ON: Is outsmarting gobblers still something that excites you?

Eye: I’m not really sure if I consider killing a gobbler “outsmarting him. I think sometimes a hunter is overthinking then they’re mind thinks that a turkey is doing this and doing that. He’s doing nothing but being a turkey. But yes, it’s always a thrill be able to take a challenging turkey. Here in my later years at turkey camp, cooking meals, scouting being with friends and family in camp means much more to me than just shooting a turkey.

ON: In your opinion, is talk about a dwindling turkey population something to be concerned about? Or is it just a cyclical thing?

Eye: The turkey population here in my state of Missouri is definitely down quite a bit. Lots of nest predators destroying young turkeys. There are just too many skunks, bobcats, opossums, armadillos and coyotes. This world has changed.

I started turkey hunting back in the 1960s when fur prices were low and few people considered trapping. I think that has something to do with predation. Changes in habitat are also causing problems with turkey numbers. I think it’s more than just a cycle thing. Areas that we used to hunt with numerous turkeys gobbling are very quiet. You don’t see the signs, you don’t see the winter flocks, you don’t hear the vocalizations we used to hear just 10 years ago. There definitely needs to be some changes in turkey management and habitat.

ON: What other outdoor activities are you involved in these days?

Eye: Spending time with my grandkids is the my most important activity these days, but of course I still enjoy deer hunting and deer camp. The occasional squirrel hunt and some mushroom hunting is high on the list of fun things to do, as well as floating the rivers of the Ozarks. I don’t fish as much as I used to but I like to fish every once in a while, and maybe a little bit of frog gigging.