Georgia's turkey restoration took place in different regions at different times. The first opening day in my area of the State was in 1988. I bagged my 1st gobbler that year with a Remington 11-87 3" 12ga.

I'd hunted them before that in middle GA on my farm because the season came in a couple of years earlier there. The birds were scarce and we were clueless, so we'd stop and call if we saw a track, and build a blind when we found a dusting spot.

The birds in South GA had come on strong by the time our season opened and my boys and their friends learned right along with me. We began to think we were experts in those days. That's when I switched from a repeater to a single shot. The last time I had to carry 60 pounds of gobbler a mile and a half out of the swamp was the last time I used a repeater. No self control.

Well, it was almost the last time I carried a repeater. I had some serious heart surgery in '16 and that Spring my goal was to kill a turkey as part of my recovery program. I began the Spring with a .410 double and some tungston super shot 9's Gil Stacy had loaded for me. I went most of the season without luck, but the exercise built up my confidence as well as strength and probably kept me from becoming an invalid.

As the season came near to the end, I found a good bunch of birds and decided to bring my 20ga 11-87 repeater. When I set up on the spot they'd been strutting the gobbles rang out all around my blind. Of course they turned out to be jakes and all six of them came right to my call. When the smoke cleared I picked up three of them and resolved never to take another repeater turkey hunting again...Geo