06/17/2026
A Visit From an Old-Timer
Yesterday, we had an old-timer stop by the shop to see Jed.
The first thing you noticed about him was that he was getting up there in age. He was thin, had a little bit of a shaky voice, and carried himself with the quiet humility that seems harder and harder to find these days.
Years ago, Jed built him some mouth calls. Before long, he got a press of his own and started building turkey calls himself.
As we talked, I learned that he wasn’t just a turkey hunter. He was one of the old guard.
He was part of the very first spring gobbler season back in 1968. He told us he was coming home from military service when that historic season opened and was able to take part in it. But his turkey hunting story started even earlier than that. He had been chasing fall turkeys for years before spring seasons ever existed.
The reason he stopped by was because he can no longer build calls himself. He told us he has Parkinson’s, and the shaking in his hands has made it too difficult to continue building calls. He wanted to know if Jed would build him a few more.
What stood out most wasn’t the stories. It was the passion.
At one point he said he was “like a little kid waiting for Christmas” before the first day of turkey season. Then he told us that when the final hour of turkey season arrives each year, it almost makes him cry.
For someone who spoke softly, those words carried a lot of weight.
The longer he stayed, the more stories he shared. Every story seemed to pull you in a little deeper. His knowledge of wild turkeys, his experiences in the woods, and his love for the sport were obvious. It wasn’t about trophies or numbers. It was about a lifetime spent doing something he truly loved.
As the afternoon went on, I eventually had to leave. I had started work early so I could get my son to his baseball game. Before I left, I shook his hand, told him goodbye, thanked him for stopping in, and told him how much I had enjoyed listening to his stories.
As we wrapped up our conversation, he apologized for taking up so much of our time.
The truth is, I don’t think he realized that I could have sat there and listened all day.
Even though it was the first time I’d ever met him, I genuinely enjoyed every minute of our conversation. Hunters like him are living pieces of our history. They remind us that turkey hunting is about much more than filling a tag. It’s about the memories, the stories, the friendships, and the passion that keeps us counting down the days until opening morning year after year.
