I lost my grandfather last weekend, it's a big loss, he was one of my closest friends and responsible for teaching me the ways of the woods and a love and appreciation of it. I hunted all kinds of game with him but never spring turkeys, but it was this story that i share as a tribute that ignited my passion for this spring ritual.
He grew up on a farm in rappahannock county they were poor, but they didn't know it. He always hunted mostly birds and rabbits, there weren't many turkeys and deer until he got older. In the late eighties he went and bought a box call put his old blue work coveralls on and went out in the spring woods one morning. He heard one sound off way off the property and he made a few yelps on the old box, he sounded off. The old tom moved and gobbled, closer at each yelp from the box. Then he saw him all puffed up dragging his wings, he raised his gun to a opening on a deer trail and when the tom strutted into the opening the old model 12 sent him flopping. This was the only spring hunt my grandfather went on, he killed a big ol tom, He was so proud of this fact and would tell the story to me over and over. And that's what got me started. When he got older i allways tried to get him to go with me, but he never would. but he sure enjoyed seeing me come walking back to the house with a turkey flopping over my shoulder, we would sit and talk about the hunt, and he would allways remind me off his 100%. He killed one more turkey but it wasn't really a hunt his knees had got bad on him, one day he saw a flock out in the field he got in his truck and drove out in front of them, got out and walked up for a quick shot on a jake. the funny thing is he went and checked it in, He was a very honest and ethical man, but it was the saturday before opening day, he didnt know it, i killed one the following saturday on the real opening day and could see his name on the check tag. Nobody every said anything to him about it, but i sure teased him, threatening to turn him in for the NWTF reward
TW
