 |
About Gene
|
Q&A with Gene Hyatt
This volunteer devotes much of his personal time to the NWTF's outreach efforts, but he has a special place on his calendar (and in his heart) for the JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime
NWTF: How long have you been involved with Maryland's JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime?
Gene Hyatt: Former Maryland State Chapter president Tracy Ford and I started the hunt around 1994, and I have been involved every year since.
NWTF: How has the hunt evolved since you got involved?
GH: We had only one winner until three years ago. That winner stayed at a lodge, hunted for two days and received a lot of gifts. We now send two JAKES to a lodge for a one-day hunt, and I take two additional winners on a guided turkey hunt during the season. I thought it might be better to get four kids into the woods instead of one. All four winners get custom calls I make and a $75 Bass Pro Shops gift card.
NWTF: How do you choose who participates in the hunt?
GH: Originally, the winners were picked from a list of JAKES members from the state. Then about six years ago, we placed an application in our state newsletter called "The Droppings." The applicants' names go into a bucket, and we pick four finalists during our state awards banquet.
Sometime in March, the four finalists come to Meyer Station Nature Area, home of the Central Maryland Chapter. We hold a turkey hunting safety clinic there. Our chapter volunteers are really great instructors.
By the end of the clinic, we have made sure the hunters are ready and can safely handle a firearm. Then we put the four names into a hat; the first two picked go to a lodge for their hunts.
NWTF: Tell us your favorite memory from a JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime.
GH: One memory? Impossible. I have a lifetime of them.
I guided this little girl, about 11 years old, weighed about 65 pounds. We had birds come in close twice one morning, but she couldn't see them. We had to be out of the area by noon. I told her and her dad that at this point the hunt was up to God.
I hit a crow call, and a gobble rang out from over a hill. We scrambled into position. As I called, two gobblers came in to a clearing, as well as a hen that purred, then clucked a mere 8 feet from me. I knew the birds were getting antsy, so I whispered for her to shoot. What seemed like ages later, the gun finally roared. When I asked why she waited so long to shoot, she said, "I wasn't rushing. I wanted to make sure I had my head down. Mr. Gene said lots of people miss because they lift their heads to watch the show."
With the turkey flung over her shoulder, all I could see was her little feet. The bird had a 12-inch beard and spurs broken off at 1¼ inches.
God put smiles on all our faces that day. — Karen Lee
4 reasons Gene volunteers with the NWTF
- I enjoy passing on the knowledge of my sport to youth and novice hunters, to see the joy in their eyes after a hunt has gone well, as well as the character it builds after spending a day in the field.
- My work with the NWTF has taken me in many directions, from working with youth, Women in the Outdoors to guiding hunts for people with disabilities.
- I've also participated in many habitat improvement projects. I've gone from driving four hours to find turkeys to hunt to now a 20-minute drive between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
- I like working with people who don't freak out if I mention God a few times.