April and May are bustling months for school children. Anyone who has raised children knows that you often find yourself running in circles. Proms, awards banquets, and graduations are just a few of the events that fill this time of year. Many chapters are coming to an end, and new journeys are beginning.
Saturday, April 12th, marked the start of many new adventures for my four-year-old friend, Joe Grellner. Joe is the son of Ginny and John Grellner from Okarche. I mentioned Joe in a previous story about the chuckwagon gathering. Although Joe’s mom had said he was a chatterbox at home, on that particular day, he was a man of few words. Well, that quiet demeanor was about to change.
April 12th was the opening day of turkey season. Joe had been practicing with his .410 shotgun. He loves to hunt, fish, and play golf. This Saturday, his practice shooting was about to pay off. In the early hours of the morning, Joe, his dad John, and their family friend Kyle set up a turkey decoy. They had the gun in place on its stand, and then they waited as the turkey approached the decoy, BOOM! Joe pulled the trigger and shot his first turkey. Then the celebration began. Joe had worked up an appetite, so the celebration continued at the Sunrise Cafe in Kingfisher. The cafe was bustling with many early morning hunters. Joe had an audience to share his adventure with, and he didn’t hold back.
This story takes me back to my own hunting adventures with my dad. Daddy didn’t hunt turkeys; he was an avid quail hunter. He never took me with a group, but I’d get to go afterwards. I had to stand right behind Daddy, placing my hands in his back pockets. He always knew where I was. My dad spent summers training his bird dogs to hold point and retrieve quail. I can still hear him saying “Biiiirrrd” in a low, calm voice as he sat for hours in our backyard, casting quail feathers attached to a fishing pole. He would drag them across the yard, watching his dog follow and hold point.
My mom once gave me some advice about hunting. She told me never to learn to clean quail or fish. I never saw her take part in the cleaning process, but she could cook up whatever game was brought home. My four-year-old buddy is just beginning to create those kinds of memories. Next on his list is t-ball, which to me is better than Saturday morning cartoons. In the adventures to come, he will pass a mount of turkey feathers on his wall. He will probably have his tongue stuck out, which he is known to do when concentrating, and tell his story of shooting his first turkey. Good job, Joe!
About The Author
