BY ROB HOLLER GRADUATION The spring of 2002 carried an air of celebration as my mom waited excitedly for her only child to graduate college. Unfortunately for her, my sense of excitement came from pursuit of another goal - trying to become a successful spring turkey hunter. My turkey-hunting education had begun about four years earlier, in step with my higher education. Both presented struggles and defeats along the way. Like most educational experiences in my life, I'd learn failures were necessary to figure out exactly what was needed to succeed - even if, at that point in my life, I thought I knew nearly everything. Now, nearly 20 years later, I'm in my early 40s and look back with a smile at all those humbling experiences and lessons learned the hard way. MAKING THE GRADE ON GOBBLERS MAY 2021 17