I didn’t grow up in a family that hunted. I was, however, drawn to the sport at an early age. My dad humored me and took me deer hunting as a youngster. I’m forever grateful that he nurtured my interest, even though it wasn’t his own. My grandpa grew up hunting but, by the time my brother and I came along, was too advanced in age to really take us out. My brother and I chased all manner of game on the Orinoco River in Venezuela in high school. Catching catfish nearly as big as we and and taking weekend long alligator hunting trips were the norm. After high school he lost interest and started pursuing his own interests. I continued to pursue the sport and hunted largely on my own, filling the freezer with plenty of does and run of the mill basket rack bucks. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I took up turkey hunting, bumbling along and learning what I could from reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the subject. Failure awaited at every turn, but I tried to focus on learning the craft. I eventually succeeded and harvested a Jake. I was stoked! And hooked. Fast forward to 2018 and I unexpectedly lost my brother way too soon. It rocked me to the core. I lost interest in hunting and most other things I enjoyed. I continued to hunt out of some sort of obligation, “This is what I do.” But my heart wasn’t in it and I certainly didn’t find any joy in it. This year I started to emerge from the fog and was more excited for this spring turkey season than I had been for any hunting season in a LONG time. My wife put in perspective best when she told me “Don’t place any expectations on yourself. Do it because you enjoy it. Just have fun, and if you’re not, then don’t.” With the ridiculous pressure I place on myself gone, I had a fresh outlook on things. I was gonna have fun, dammit. I have always had a deep love for SE Ohio where my family is originally from. Luckily for me there’s an abundance of public land in the region. After studying maps ad nosium I chose a chunk of Wayne National Forest that I wanted to turkey hunt. We went down on Sunday evening to get the lay of the land and it looked promising with lots of sign. I hunted Monday until noon, some gobbling and not much else. Wednesday provided much more action with lots of roost gobbling but henned up silence after fly down. That day would prove invaluable, though, as I identified a definite roost location. The plan was set. The next day I would be able to get was today, Friday April 24, my mom’s birthday. I would get in super early and set up close to the roost. I kept a close eye on the weather as they were calling for rain overnight and into the morning. It would be a game time decision. The alarm sounded at 0415 and I grabbed my phone to check the radar. Storms were moving out with nothing coming behind. I was in the clear. I arrived to my spot at 0540 and headed in. Wet leaves and overcast made for a perfect stealthy entry. As I approached I heard some gobbling from the roost. Not the free for all I heard on Wednesday but one lone gobbler was enough. I snuck to within roughly 50 yards and picked a spot. I gave a couple purrs and soft tree yelps on the pot call that Chad made for me last year in memory of my brother. The gobbler hammered back and I shut the hell up. He was on the ground and knew where I was. I shouldered my grandpa’s Ithaca 12 gauge and trained it in the direction I expected him to appear. It wasn’t 5 minute and I caught motion through the underbrush. He was coming in, silent. He took a few steps and stopped behind a tree for what seemed like an hour. This wasn’t his first rodeo and he was cautious. He finally cleared the tree and stopped, looking for his date. I pulled the trigger and gave him a face full of #4 at 38 paces for breakfast. It was all over by 0630. The feelings that washed over me are impossible to put into words. I had harvested a tom on my mom’s birthday, called in with a call in memory of my brother, with my grandpa's shotgun. I couldn’t have scripted it any better. Does it get any better?!? Although I was hunting by myself, I wasn’t alone. A family affair.
10.25” beard
1.25” spurs
24 lbs
10.25” beard
1.25” spurs
24 lbs
