Dreams Do Come True

Whoever said "dreams don't come true" is not a turkey hunter!

Since I knew my wife and I were having a boy, I'd dreamed of this moment. I sat in the woods alone for 9 years while he was too young and practiced, and hunted hard. Preparing for this day, the day would come when I wouldn't be here alone. When he would join me for his turkey hunts. I dreamed of father and son, walking through the spring woods to his first turkey hunt. That day came this past Saturday, March 31, 2012. It was our annual "youth hunt" for turkeys. And Ridge and I were settled in the woods known as "Home place". On a piece of property we own in the Midlands of South Carolina.


The morning started out slow. The gobblers were silent, but as the morning moved along, his patience didn't wane. And his excitement grew. After forty-five minutes of soft calling a Jake appeared to our left, and moved behind us. I told Ridge it was a legal bird if he wanted it. Without hesitation he said he did. Turning around slowly, he picked out a bird and promptly killed it! Running to the fallen bird, Ridge jumped in my arms. Yelling in excitement of killing a turkey. And I in excitement for knowing what this moment meant. For him, it was killing his first turkey, for me a dream came true. We sat beside this magnificent bird, admired its beauty, and hugged again. "Thank you Daddy, thank you so much." He said over and over. Looking at his beaming face, I knew that dreams do come true. That moments like this don't occur anywhere else. Bowing my head I said a prayer of thanks to my God for allowing this to happen.

Sportsmen and women all know that dreams do come true. We live them at every sunrise. We live them at every gobble that echos through the spring mornings. At the sight of a mature tom, strutting and gobbling as he looks desperately for the source of the calling. At the sight of every buck or bull. Every flush and flutter of wings. Every tight chain on a trap. Every fish hooked and landed. Yes Sportsmen and women know that every moment spent in the out of doors is indeed dreams coming true. And all of these are indeed times well spent.