The 3rd Annual Old Dominion One Shot Turkey Hunt is in the bag and so are the turkeys—it was record setting! There were a total of 48 hunters and the most ever youth hunters—18 including our youth essay winners. The hunt also included 7 wounded warriors—another record. The last record goes to the turkeys—11 harvested!
Among the 11 birds harvested, four were by our youth hunters and two by wounded warriors. The overall winner was Jeremey Hester with the highest combined score from weight, longest beard and longest spur, according to NWTF scoring. Jeremy is a wounded warrior and served in the Navy for almost 17 years in a Mobile Construction Battalion. He was part of the Iraq War from 2008 – 2009 before medically retiring. As a youth, his parents had to “hunt” him down because he spent most of this time in the woods, and periodically his mom had to call the local Sheriff to find him. In 2012, he joined Freedom Hunters to assist other veterans through hunting and fishing – just paying it forward. Jeremy was guided by Rob Keck, Conservation Consultant for Bass Pro, at Monquin Creek Farm. Jeremy says “Rob knew exactly how the birds would act on a rainy day and he was right.” By the way, this was Jeremy’s first turkey and the One Shot provided the opportunity!
In addition to the overall winner, the heaviest turkey was harvested by Darrin Holt. Gordon Merritt’s bird took the prize for the longest spur and Walter Bundy, owner of Shagbark Restaurant in Richmond, harvested the bird with the longest beard!
Following the hunt on Saturday evening, landowners, guides, hunters, and other good friends gathered to celebrate the memories made earlier that day. The One Shot is a fundraiser to support Virginia’s rich hunting heritage and wounded warrior events. The funds raised during the 2017 Old Dominion One Shot are used, in part, to support youth scholarships and other “use your outside voice” initiatives through the Virginia Wildlife Grant Program. These efforts are possible through the partnership between the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia.
