I’ll never forget the morning I harvested my first turkey. It was early in the season, and I couldn’t wait to get out of bed and head to the Holmes County woods with my Uncle Shane. The excitement had me counting down the minutes before daylight.
We had been in the woods for no more than 30 minutes when the woods came alive. Three gobblers sounded off from different directions, each one echoing through the timber. We picked the bird that sounded the most promising, eased into position, and settled against a tree.
About ten minutes later, we heard the unmistakable sound of him flying down from the roost. My heart was pounding. Seconds felt like minutes as we waited. Then, just as quickly as it had all started, his bright red head appeared over the hill. I squeezed the trigger, and after the shot, I took off running to him with the biggest smile on my face.
That first turkey was more than just a successful hunt. It was a memory made with my Uncle Shane, a morning filled with excitement, patience, and the kind of adrenaline only the spring woods can provide. It’s a hunt I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
