I met two really nice guys who I consider to be legends in the Turkey hunting world. I met Mr. Smith who founded Smith Game Calls from Summerville, PA . I was hunting spring Turkey in Clarion County PA in 1970 I was 12 years old and turkeys were so rare I only saw a small flock one time in my life. It was May and I was out on our property on a Saturday hunting using a home made suction call. I did not hear a bird but thought I saw one. Got to be 12:00 and I headed down a tram road going back to camp. There was an old Ford truck and a older gentleman sitting on the bed with plaid shirt and brown canvas pants. He asked what I was up too. I told him I was hunting turkey. He asked if had any luck and I replied I thought I saw one earlier. He said he heard a few and called 2 in but they did not get close enough. He said I was the only person he ever met spring Turkey hunting in the area. He wanted to see my call, I showed him and I played it for him. He fiddled with it and showed me how to use it. Wow, my calling never sounded like that. He took out a small wood box with slate and a peg stuck in the side hole. He played that thing like an instrument. He taught me how to use it. I invited him to our camp for lunch, we drove to camp and my aunt had a wonderful lunch for all of us. Mr. Smith asked if I would be hunting next week. I said yes. He told me to meet him at the Y in our camp road at 4:30 and we would hunt together. I met the following week and we hunted together. He really taught me so much in that morning. He called 1 bird to 40 yds but was to far to shoot. We went back to his truck and he had slate call sitting on the seat and he gave it to me. He said he wanted me to practice this coming week on my back porch and think about how we hunted today. He told me to meet him at 12:30 at the Y next Saturday. That next Saturday, hunted a new section of our mountain side and I took a nice Tom. I wrestled that bird all the way to the Y and met up with Mr. Smith. He wanted to know all the dtails. We drove back to camp, took pictures, had lunch. We had boaters going up and down the river stopping to look at my bird. That afternoon we had 50 people stop to look at the Turkey many of these people never saw one before this time. Mr. Smith taught me how to clean the bird. I became friends with him and his family often trout fishing and deer hunting with them. A true gentleman!
The other Turkey legend is Don Marley Watkins from Salienville, Ohio. I had a call made and he invited me to his beautiful property/house to pick it up and visit. What a nice man, and wonderful hunter, he has made me a number of calls which I consider working pieces of art. I often call him and listen to the most interesting Turkey hunts.
Most of the biggies in Turkey hunting are the salt of the earth. They love the sport, and want to pass along their knowledge.
Gary U
