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Jill Bonin and her Kansas gobbler |
The ultimate introduction
I grew up in Michigan with a father who made no distinction between boys and girls in the outdoors. I bowhunted deer, fished, hiked and camped just like my brothers. I went to college and graduated with a biology degree. I even married into a hunting family and shot my first deer when I was five months pregnant.
Until a couple years ago I didn’t really have any idea what the NWTF was all about. My husband heard about a Women in the Outdoors event in our area and encouraged me to go. I loved it! The next summer I attend two more events, and my two oldest boys attended a JAKES event. We fell in love with the NWTF. Any group that was so encouraging to women and kids received an “A+” in my book.
After helping out at several JAKES events, my husband was asked to serve on our local chapter’s banquet committee. He asked me to help. Meetings became our “date” night. We started attending meetings in October, and in January we attended the Three Rivers Chapter banquet.
We scored big at our first banquet. My 14-year-old son won the JAKES Gun of the Year. My husband and son played a wingspan game and won a Double Bull blind. We also won a live auction bid on 12 box calls that put us into a drawing for a Rio Grande hunt in Kansas.
Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, it did. We watched as they drew out ping-pong balls, eliminating people in the running for the Kansas hunt with each number. It got down to the last two ping-pong balls, and we were still in. When they drew out the last losing ball, it wasn’t ours. We’d won the hunt.
I grabbed his legs and flung him over my shoulder — just like I’d seen in so many turkey videos. But, this time, I was the star."
Easter weekend, my husband, Mike, our son, Forrest, and I, along with YeNa, our exchange student from South Korea, made the 14-hour drive from Fort Wayne, Ind., to Stockton, Kan. Our hunt was with Dennis and Betty Bedore of Solomon Valley Outfitters.
We arrived Thursday at noon and were in our blinds by 3:30. At 4:30, I gave Mike permission to take the first bird. He wanted that honor to be mine, but the bird was 15 yards out of my range.
An hour later I watched a gobbler come out of the thick grass, strut his way across the field and right into range. I made a great head shot. After checking him out, I grabbed his legs and flung him over my shoulder — just like I’d seen in so many turkey videos. But, this time, I was the star.
The rest of the trip was just as exciting. By the end of our first night I had two birds. Mike had one, and Forrest bagged a gobbler with his JAKES gun. The next morning, I watched Mike take another tom that qualified as a Kansas trophy gobbler.
On Saturday, I sat in a blind with YeNa and our guide, Dennis. We took many pictures and had many questions. Dennis was a great teacher. We learned so much about turkeys.
Then I received a call from Forrest. He had bagged a tom with a bow.
If there was ever an ultimate introduction to the NWTF, I’d say we experienced it. I’m sold on the NWTF and turkey hunting for life. — Jill Bonin, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
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