05/19/2026
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐. โจ
I grew up hunting and fishing, watching my parents live that lifestyle. From an early age it instilled in me a love and appreciation for the outdoors that only grew stronger the older I got. The spring of 2013 was no different, I woke up eager to hit the woods with my Dad. Birds were gobbling all around, the group we were on pitched out in the field out of range, nothing out of the ordinary so we watched, made some calls and waited.The hens fed as the tom put on a show strutting the knoll in the field, anticipation grew with every gobble, even more when they started to feed our way.
My heart pounded as the hens moved into range, the tom followed bringing up the rear. "I'm on him," I whispered to my Dad, he let out a couple of clucks and the tom raised his head, I squeezed the trigger, and he dropped. I jumped over the brush and ran to the bird, grabbing his legs to protect his feathers as he flopped. Feeling his spurs, I began to cry knowing this was by far the biggest turkey I had ever killed. By the time Dad reached me in the field, he already knew this one was special, all I could mumble was, "Daddy, he's huge." Tears filled his eyes as he hugged me, we just stood there, thanking God for the incredible hunt we had shared.
Every hunt with my Dad is special to me, he has taught me everything I know about the turkey woods and then some, this one will forever be extra special. I later found out that this bird would be recognized as the largest overall Eastern wild turkey taken by a female with a modern firearm in the state of Kentucky. A huge accomplishment for any turkey hunter and a moment Iโll always be grateful for, but more than anything it reminds me where it all started, the love for hunting with my Dad.
Turkey hunting is a burning passion of mine, spending that time with God, making memories with the ones I love and now teaching my boys the love and appreciation that was shown to me.
โEvery gobble makes your heart beat a little fasterโ -Will Primos
27lbs
13 inch beard
1 5/8 sprur
1 1/2 spur
Congratulations, Tonya, on an incredible Kentucky harvest and a beautiful family legacy!