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Ah, Thanksgiving. That magical time of year we find ourselves fighting with siblings over who is going to bring what to Turkey Day dinner, and then actually physically fighting our neighbors as we bum rush the aisles of our local shopping center in the wee hours of Black Friday.

Fisticuffs aside, there are actually plenty of ways to reintroduce some charm back into the holiday. What’s my go-to strategy? Doing Thanksgiving like they used to: with a boom stick in one hand and a basket in the other.

It’s hard to explain and maybe all this work doesn’t sound appealing on its face. But I guarantee it will provide a needed contrast to your usual, mundane Thanksgiving rituals. You will make the transition from doing a holiday just to check a box, to enjoying the process because you want to spend time with family and enjoy food you worked hard to obtain and prepare. Dinner won’t be spent listening to family members dance uncomfortably around already tired political talking points. Instead, you’ll be excitedly explaining how you saw the most amazing sunrise on the morning of your turkey hunt. Or bragging about the brutal walk out of the woods, or how you can’t wait to do it all again next year. One thing is certain: If you hunt and gather this Thanksgiving, it will be a different holiday than all the others in years past, in the best and most rewarding way.

What’s on the menu?

soldiers thanksgiving dinner camp mccoy
Soldiers stop for a photo at then-Camp McCoy prior to a Thanksgiving dinner at the installation in November 1937. (U.S. Army photo).

The first step in executing the perfect hunter-gatherer Thanksgiving dinner is to decide on your menu. When you can’t go to the local supermarket and prance through the aisles pulling boxes of ready-made this and instant that off the shelves, you actually have to put some thought into what you prepare. I personally prefer a turkey (of course), mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus, sweet corn, and squash. Find a good pumpkin pie recipe too, it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.

The hunting.

soldiers thanksgiving turkey hunt
(Left to right) Army Spc. Matthew Kasper, Sgt. Joshua Medlin, Staff Sgt. David Jacks, Sgt. 1st Class Perry Thorington, and Sgt. Stanley Bell posing with their turkeys after a wounded warrior turkey shoot held at Center Hill Lake in Lancaster, Tenn. (Photo by Jeff Hancock/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

Hunting the turkey will be the most difficult task, and requires the most talent and patience. Turkeys are very intelligent, and, if you have never hunted them before, will prove to be an elusive game to bag.

You’ll need a turkey license to do all this on the up and up (the only way to do it). Licenses are available in 49 states, with Alaska being the sole state in which there is no season available. After that, you’ll need to find legal land to hunt on, whether that be a friend’s private property or a national forest. If it’s not public land, make sure you get permission to hunt. Finally, make sure you have a shotgun or bow ready to go. (I prefer a 12-gauge pump shotgun, but the bow is growing on me). Some states allow for the hunting of turkeys using a rifle, but a shotgun is going to be the most practical tool for this hunt.

Depending on the area you will be hunting, you have to decide whether you’ll sit in a blind and try to call a turkey to you, or actively stalk them — ironically called ‘still hunting’. Every turkey hunt I have ever done has been in my home state of South Dakota, where I’ll end up walking miles over the high planes of the western side of the state in active pursuit of a gobbler. I’ve never sat in a blind or called one in, but I can say from experience there is extra satisfaction in actively stalking your game; turkey have amazing vision, which will make the hunt even more challenging.

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Make sure you follow all applicable local and state laws and abide by common safe hunter practices as well as common sense. Finally, if you are successful in your pursuit, make sure you aim for the head if you’re using a shotgun. A headshot will kill the bird instantly and prevent unnecessary suffering, and it will also be easier to prepare to eat since you won’t have to dig out all those little lead bee bees from the body. I’ve made this mistake before, and it’s not fun.

You’ve felled and cleaned your turkey and it’s sitting safely in your freezer awaiting whatever family recipe you have ready for it. You feel good. You didn’t claim your mass-produced, hormone-injected turkey from the supermarket; you put in the work and felled your dinner as an active member of the ecosystem, and you’ll be proud to present it to your family on the fourth Thursday of November.

The gathering.

farmers market army
2nd Lt. Oluwasegun Faleye, 81st Comptroller Squadron deputy budget officer, inspects produce during the Farmer’s Market at the marina park at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. (Kemberly Groue/U.S. Air Force).

You don’t need to be a farmer to gather. If you’re not, this is an opportunity to visit a local farm (or if you live in a city, travel to one) and bargain for their harvest. This is an amazing opportunity to meet some great people outside of your usual social circle, and if you are a lifelong city-dweller, to see a different way of life. If this is absolutely not possible for you, then I would still encourage you to skip the supermarket and go to a local farmer’s market. Although this isn’t quite as far outside of your comfort zone, it will still give you the opportunity to do your gathering while still supporting farmers and other local small businesses.

Take your time and really pick the best of the bushel. Enjoy the art of bartering. Don’t cut corners. And only purchase what you will actually have the time, energy, and talent to prepare. Remember, you are going to do all of this by hand when you get home. One thing you will notice is that you will have fewer side dishes to prepare, but the ones you do have will take more time and effort. The holiday will all of a sudden become more about enjoying the fruits of your labor than it is about stuffing as many instant potatoes into your mouth as possible. And that’s beautiful.

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