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About BenHometown: Birmingham, Ala. |
Q&A with Ben Jackson Jr.
The 2009 NWTF national convention was the first time Ben Jackson Jr., of Birmingham, Ala., bid on a Grand National Auction item. After six years of watching from the sidelines, the Jackson family won a hunt of a lifetime: a chance to chase Mississippi turkeys with Tom Kelly and Preston Pittman.
NWTF: How many NWTF national conventions have you attended?
Ben Jackson: We have attended the last six out of seven national conventions (we missed Columbus, Ohio, in 2004), and have always gone as a family. It’s a great mini-vacation. We love the entertainment at the banquets and enjoy seeing friends and catching up with what they have been doing for the past year.
NWTF: Had you ever bid on any auction items/hunts/etc. before the 2009 NWTF convention?
BJ: For years we had watched the various auctions and were impressed with the trips, merchandise and unique items that were put together. However, we had never bid on any item before. We had thought about it but never raised our hands.
NWTF: What made you choose to bid after six years?
BJ: We didn’t know any of the items before we walked into the auction. When my wife, Susan, and I were scanning the booklets separately, we reached item No. 13 — a hunt with Tom Kelly and Preston Pittman — at the same time, looked at each other and said, “That would be great.”
We have been fans of Tom and Preston for a long time. We have almost every book of Tom’s, and we have visited him at his booth at the convention since 2003. The opportunity to hunt with Tom Kelly is remote, so our eyes lit up when we saw this auction item.
We also have been impressed with Preston over the years … his calling ability, friendliness and willingness to help my son with his turkey calling skills. We enjoy seeing him when he comes to Birmingham for shows and promotions.
In addition to hunting with Tom Kelly and Preston Pittman, the auction package contained many interesting and valuable items: hunting on a 2,000-acre island on the Mississippi River, camouflage clothing, turkey calls, hunting licenses, taxidermy, and food and lodging for three days. Plus, we had never been fall turkey hunting before, and if we were going to do it, we might as well start with the best.
NWTF: Tell us the story of bidding during the auction.
BJ: The prior auction items were very successful, and we were worried that this item would be quickly out of our price range. When the bidding began, we were pleasantly surprised that the opening bid started low, and we jumped in. We didn’t know if we were bidding against Daddy Warbucks or not. After going back and forth for a while, Susan and I kept looking at each other as well as the auctioneer who was standing beside us. I was nervous, but she said to keep going, as it was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When we won it, we were absolutely thrilled … our first big auction, our first time to hunt in the fall, our first time to hunt outside Alabama.
NWTF:Are there any stories leading up to the hunt?
BJ: Our strategy was to become knowledgeable about fall turkey hunting before we went so we could learn even more during the hunt. We read the chapters on turkey hunting in Tom Kelly’s The Tenth Legion and A Fork in the Road. We soon learned that it was going to be difficult to be successful on this hunt. We also bought The Best of Tom Kelly on CD. It was fun to listen to the stories and realize we were going to be hunting with him in a few months. After listening to the CDs, Ben III does a pretty good imitation of Tom.
NWTF: It was the first time Pittman and Kelly had hunted together, right?
BJ: Preston commented that he had always wanted to hunt with Tom Kelly. However, their spring schedules are so busy that Preston thought fall would be the only time they could get together. They made arrangements for those last three days of the Mississippi fall turkey season.
NWTF: Tell us about the hunt.
BJ: There was a slight change in location. The Mississippi island we were supposed to go to was almost under water, so we hunted 8,000 acres southwest of Jackson.
We arrived Friday in time for an afternoon hunt. Preston and Tom had been out that morning to scout and get the lay of the land. Then the discussion began about who and how many people would go on the hunt. For nine months, my 13-year-old son and I had been thinking about who would go with Tom and Preston, and it was time to make a decision. We decided that Ben III would try his luck. While I could have tagged along, there were already four people going (Tom, Preston, Ben and a videographer). Plus, since it was being videoed, I could see the results if they were successful.
The strategy was for Ben and Tom to set up by a wide tree with the cameraman not too far away, and Preston to locate the turkeys and scatter them. Tom would call them back to the setup. The technique for fall turkey hunting is to thoroughly scatter the turkeys so that the birds are separated individually. Since turkeys prefer to be in a group, they will try to find other birds. But once a turkey is with another bird or two, they won’t go to another bird calling … even if it is Tom Kelly and Preston Pittman.
Preston did a wonderful job of locating the turkeys. But the Friday afternoon hunt proved to be challenging. Tom said the turkeys at least talked to them when they were scouting that morning, but the turkeys completely ignored them in the afternoon.
Saturday morning was the same arrangement, with the quartet leaving before sunrise to get into position. We hoped the birds had spent the whole night alone and would come to the calls. Everything was shaping up nicely with a few birds heading towards Ben, but suddenly, noise from racing ATVs on the adjoining property scared the birds away. Nevertheless, Ben had a great morning with two legends of the turkey world.
After a relaxing lunch and hanging out at the lodge, the hunters went back for the afternoon. It was the most promising outing with turkeys all around them, but no shots were fired.
Preston prepared the evening’s dinner, which was excellent. Then the Alabama football fans turned their attention to the Alabama-Mississippi State game on television. The Tide rolled for their tenth victory of the season on their way to winning the National Championship.
The final hunt was Sunday morning. Everyone was anxious, as we wanted Ben to be successful. While there were turkeys around, they just wouldn’t come to the party.
NWTF: A turkey wasn’t tagged on this hunt, but what are the memories you brought home from the trip?
BJ: To be with Tom and Preston on their first hunt together was memorable, and the funny stories they provided will keep us laughing in the future. We took lots of photos and put together a scrapbook of the weekend. It will be a constant reminder of the fun, fellowship and new friends we made on the trip.
NWTF: Do you plan on bidding on another hunt at the 2010 convention?
BJ: We are excited about the 2010 convention, to see Tom and Preston, and discuss the weekend. Recently, we learned that the NWTF posts the major auction items on their Web site (www.nwtf.org), so we can study what is available before the convention. We will do our homework, as we are definitely interested in bidding on another trip. Since there probably won’t be another Kelly-Pittman adventure, we will look seriously at the JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime or another hunt close to home. — Karen Lee