25 1/2 pounds, 10 1/2 in. beard and 1 5/8ths spurs. One turkey hunt that will stand with the best of them. They stuck it out in 30 to 40 degree weather in the rain. The bird came in quietly without ever gobbling. It is really neat to see fathers work so hard for their children. No amount of congratulations would ever be enough.
For Kevin, the dad, the work began preseason taking vacation days to turkey scout while Matt was in school. The payoff was first turkey hunting day success reinforcing Matt's desire and attentiveness to a worthwhile activity rather than what many other kids learn from evenings and weekends in front of the TV and with their friends.
On ya' Kevin, the dad, harvested a tom as well.  Great turkey hunt! I slipped in real early knowing where they were roosted from several previous hunts, but set up a little too close. He was only 20 to 30 yards from me and he gobbled at every owl hoot and crow in the woods. It appeared to be an ideal fly down hunt, but as my luck usually goes, he flew down the other way and met a hen and a jake and off they went following the edge of a long creek bed.
Knowing my days were limited, I decided to go after him. I crawled and slopped through the creek up to my knees in water. On several occasions I thought I was there but the turkeys were always a step ahead of me. At one time I had the hen within 10 yards but the jake and gobbler seemed to have their minds made up on where they were going. He left the jake and crossed the road and headed to a small finger of timber surrounded by a plowed field. I rushed back to the truck and drove my truck to a low spot where I could park and continue my pursuit. I crawled slowing through the narrow finger of trees to the end and about the time I thought it was over he flushed like a quail and I dropped him with one shot. The surrounding brush erupted with more turkey in all directions. From start to finish my turkey hunt took 3 1/2 hours, but it was worth every minute of the effort.
Kevin C. | 
