Pennsylvania Game News - May 2009 - 17

Mackenzie’s First Gobbler By Rick Hess PRIL 26 has always held a special meaning for me. The date is my mother’s birthday, and I’ve always enjoyed celebrating the day with her. I’ve also been fortunate to harvest several gobblers over the years on her birthday. All gobblers taken are special, but those harvested on that day always seemed a little more so. Thanks to the Game Commission’s Mentored Youth Program, my 10-year-old niece, Mackenzie Brymesser, has been able to harvest three squirrels and has accompanied me on several spring gobbler and antlered deer hunts. We might not always bring home game, but we always have an enjoyable time. On the first day of the 2008 spring gobbler season, I was hoping that Mackenzie could take a gobbler on her greatgrandmother’s birthday. As we approached the parking area, I was relieved to see no other vehicles. We had gotten up extra early in hopes of being the first to arrive at our destination. After making sure we had all of our gear, we quietly closed the truck doors and began our ascent up the steep hill. During a previous scouting trip, I had selected a setup tree and had cleared the leaves from around its base. I placed a hen decoy approximately 20 yards in front of us and we settled back against the tree and awaited dawn and enjoyed the calls of the whippoor-wills. Because we were in position so early, and had plenty of time before shooting hours, Mackenzie took a nap. As she slept, I couldn’t help but think back to the previMAY 2009 A ous week’s Youth Hunt. I had also done some scouting earlier that week and discovered that our targeted gobbler didn’t always roost in the same spot. As a result, I had to make an educated guess about where the gobbler would be roosted come Saturday morning. The night before, I asked Mackenzie, “What happens if, in the morning, the gobbler isn’t where I think he’ll be?” She replied, “It’s okay if we don’t even hear a gobbler. I just really love being out there.” I admit to being extremely proud of her for showing that kind of attitude. Unfortunately, on that Saturday morning, I guessed wrong, and when the gobbler sounded off he was probably 400 yards west of us. Knowing that other hunters would be in the area, we stayed where we were and hoped that the gobbler would eventually work our way. Although that didn’t happen, and we didn’t fill Mackenzie’s tag, we still had a very enjoyable hunt. I couldn’t help but hope that our current morning’s hunt would provide an opportunity for her to shoot her very first gobbler. GILLOBBLE-OBBLE-OBBLE! Mackenzie’s head snapped up as the gobbler announced his presence to the world, only 150 yards away. “That sure woke me up,” Mackenzie whispered excitedly as she settled into position. I could only smile and nod in agreement as I thought of the power of a wild turkey gobble and the effect it has 17

Pennsylvania Game News - May 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - May 2009