In 1977, The Troy Messenger ran this story about Dr. Marvin Blumentritt and his love for turkey hunting.

Dr. Marvin Blumentritt, a busy Troy dentist, manages to find time for the great outdoors.

Blumentritt is a turkey hunter who has hunted for some 20 years all over Alabama.  He went on his first turkey hunt when he was 13 years old, down in Dixie, Alabama, near the Florida and Alabama line.  From that first day, he was hooked on hunting.  Late that afternoon, as he leaned against a pine at the edge of a field, Blumentritt killed his first turkey—a big gobbler that was coming in to roost.

Back in his early days of hunting, he went south for the bearded bird because there were not any in the Pike County area.  Not until the early 1960s could hunters hunt turkey in the area.  In 1958-1959, Jeff Sorrell, a large landholder, allowed the state to stock some of his land with turkey.

“I think there were 27 caged birds released on his land,” Blumentritt said.  “It was no time at all until there was a sizeable population in our area,” he added.

Blumentritt was into hunting with both feet, and he practically lived in the woods.  He and his father, with the help of their friend, Winford James, converted an old school bus into a mobile hunting lodge complete with a gas stove, ice box, gun racks, bunk beds, and such touches as screens on the windows.

“The population of turkey in the state is on the rise out,” Blumentritt stated.

Equipment for hunting turkey doesn’t cost as much, and all you need is a shotgun, a box of shells (which will last a season), and a box of turkey caller.

He uses a 12-guage with a three-inch chamber and a number six shot.

“Turkey hunting gives a fellow a chance to get back to nature and forget his sophisticated world,” according to Blumentritt.

The turkey is a smart, shy animal and has no curiosity.  “He needs only to see things once,” Blumentritt said.

Leaning the woods is very important to figure out likely areas for turkey.  They require a mature forest with a mixture of trees and pastures.  They use their keen eyesight for safety, and thick woods interfere.  Cattle farming is very compatible with turkey.

Hunting is a good teacher of patience.  “You’ve got to be still and quiet to hunt this sly bird,” Blumentritt stated.

People come from many places to go turkey hunting with Blumentritt, and he enjoys sharing this pleasurable experience.  He offered a final word of advice to all hunters, “while using a gun you never can be too careful.”

All of these articles can be found in previous editions of The Troy Messenger.  Stay tuned for more.  Dianne Smith is the President of the Pike County Historical, Genealogical, and Preservation Society.