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Travis "T-Bone" Turner |
He’s hunted all over America and killed trophy deer in just about every corner of the nation you can name, but he remains humble every day.
"I wake up every morning thinking, this may be the day they pull the plug and tell me ‘Get back in the ditch,’" said Travis "T-Bone" Turner. "I’m very grounded and very grateful for what’s been given to us."
It would be hard to say things have been "given" to Turner, one of the hosts of the popular new Outdoor Channel Series "Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector." The Ohio native who now makes his home in Georgia worked his way into the archery business and eventually found himself a slot on RealTree’s hunting show alongside Jeff Foxworthy as "T-Bone." Today, he’s a regular member of the staff on Bone Collector which airs three times weekly on the Outdoors Channel, 12:30am Wednesday, 5:00pm Thursday, and 9:30pm Sunday.
He and co-host Nick Mundt will make an appearance at Gander Mountain in Charleston for a turkey hunting seminar on behalf of Beyond the Backyard, the organization formed by Charleston Attorney Bobby Warner aimed at getting children involved in outdoor pursuits.
"Bobby and Chris (Walls) have a great organization there and I’m looking forward to it," Turner tells MetroNews in a phone interview. "When they asked for a turkey seminar I was a little hesitant because I’m not professional turkey hunter by any stretch. I guess if there’s a theme for our presentation it’s Passion for the Outdoors."
Turner’s work with the show has taken him to many parts of the country, but he’s able to quickly narrow down his two favorite places to take a stand.
"I am obsessed with whitetails and I really enjoy Iowa and I really enjoy Montana," Turner explained. "But one thing that sticks out and goes hand in hand with the show is the different cultures we run into."
Turner says hunting with Navajo Indians last year may have been one of the most unique experiences. He says beyond the hunt, he finds that everywhere he goes, hunters are all the same on the inside.
"No matter where you go, whether you’re squirrel hunting, turkey hunting, or deer hunting, mule deer, elk whatever, that passion thrives,” said Turner. "A trophy in Florida is nowhere near the same size as a trophy in Iowa, but that doesn’t mean that guy hunting in Florida doesn’t have the same passion and desire as that guy in Iowa."
Turner, who has a three-year-old son of his own named Archer, said the need to pass along that passion isn’t lost on him. With numbers of new hunters starting to falter, Turner is encouraged by organizations like Beyond the Backyard and relishes the chance to teach children about the outdoors. He’ll be doing that next week in Charleston.
"We hope to see everybody out there," said Turner.
The Charleston event will be at Gander Mountain on Corridor-G at Southridge. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm.