Formal introductions

[FullChoke]

Hey guys,

While we are waiting on a few more teammates to come on board, let's go ahead and start some introductions.

My name is Norman Sisson and I live in Madison, MS just north of the capital city of Jackson. My wonderful wife and I have been married for almost 33 years and have raised 2 beautiful, strong and wonderful girls who are out on their own. I have been chasing turkeys on and off since the spring of 1974 when I was at college at Mississippi State University. Back then, no one wanted to tell anyone anything about places to hunt, so we had a rather long and frustrating learning curve. I am a designer with an environmental engineering firm during the day and an artist at night working in graphite, acrylics, watercolors and sculpture. I am a 2 time first place winner of the wingbone yelper division of Grand National NWTF Turkey Call Competition, but have had to quit making them.

I started hunting with a 20 gauge after I won an NWTF Edition Remington 870 at our local banquet. I continue to tweak it and recently switched over to handloaded TSS#9 shells. They are maniacally awesome loads. I usually will hunt turkeys on public and private lands here in Mississippi as well as on properties of some good friends in Alabama and possibly Arkansas this year.

FullChoke

[Eric Gregg]

My name is Eric Gregg and I live in Cleveland, MS with my beautiful wife of 6 years, Melanie.
I currently work at Viking Range Corp. where we build high end ranges, refrigerators, ventilation units, etc. I am also a minister and looking to move into full time ministry as a Senior Pastor hopefully some time this year.
I have been hunting turkeys now for 4 years, this will be make number 5 this season and as of yet haven't been able to close the deal on a gobbler. I hunt private land primarily but I am looking to try some WMA's out with a buddy and also have an invite to go to a very promising tract of land this Spring. So hopefully this will put me in a better position to bring one home for the team.

I hunt with an 870 20ga, 28" barrel, Shurshot stock, Remingtion SF Choke rated for Hevi-shot, with Fed Heavyweight #7's. I love the 870 and like seeing the devastation it brings down on a gobbler when paired up with the right load and choke.
I look forward to this season and hunting again with some familiar team mates and some new faces and names.

Eric

[surehuntsalot]

Hello guys,my name is Steve Randall,I live in Simpson county with my wife of 26 years.
I am a jobsite supervisor in commercial construction.
I have been chasing these aggravating birds for 30+ years,and have pulled my hair out a many a time,but I'm right back at it each year.
I hunted public land for 20 years and private land for the last 12 years
I have my son's 870 youth model set up for turkeys(I bought this gun for him when he was 8 years old,he turned 22 last month,how time flies)
looking forward to hunting with some familiar names and hope to get to know some new ones.

[Gagry]

HI guys, My name is Mike Gregory I live in Franklin NC where I own a construction company.
I'm married to a wonderful woman that puts up with my hunting and other hobbies. I have been turkey hunting for about 15 years on a lease in Georgia and private land in NC. I started hunting with a 835 then an 870 12 ga now I moved on to a 11-87 20 ga. This is my first full year with the 20. looking forward to the season and getting to know everybody. Thanks for letting me join the team.   

[gophert]

Hey everyone.  My name is Tim Wood.  I am originally from Meridian, MS, but now live just east of Nashville, TN.  I attended Mississippi State for 4 years and finally got my degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of TN and I now own an Insurance agency...go figure.  I have been married for 15 years to a very patient woman and have two daughters, Leah (12) and Annalise (9).  Three years ago I took Leah with me turkey hunting and we killed a nice bird.  From that point on she has been a die hard turkey hunter.  She killed her first bird in 2010 and now I spend the majority of my hunting days behind the video camera with her.  She'll usually let me shoot one or two per year, but that's about all.  She has killed birds each year and both have been bigger than any bird I have ever killed.  I purchased her a 870 20 ga youth model and quickly realized that the birds she was killing were just as dead as the birds I was killing with my 870 super mag, teeth rattling, lip busting cannon.  So, last year I sold my 870 12 ga and bought me one of those 20 ga youth models.  I tweaked them out with knoxx stocks and FFII's and some handloaded TSS 9's and those bad boys will roast a gobbler longer than I'm comfortable shooting a turkey at.  We video all our hunts so hopefully I will get some good footage to share with you guys this year.  My younger daughter, Annalise, plays fastpitch softball, so during the spring, when I am not in the woods with Leah, I am on a softball field.  Who says a man needs a boy...LOL. Good luck to everyone and I can't wait to share the season with you guys.

Tim

[spurz]

    Hello everyone, my name is Mike Morris, I am a divorced father of two boys, Andrew 11,
Aaron 9, we live south central Ohio.I work for the City of Dublin parks department.

     I have been chasing turkeys since 96,hunt mostly public land and love carrying my little 20.
Hope to get Andrew his first this year, have came so close the last two years.Thinking of taking the
bow a few times this year.
     When I'm not turkey hunting I love saugeye and crappie fishing, shooting 3D, and hanging out with my boys.
      Good luck to all and be safe, lets get it done this year!

       Go Bucks!!!!

[mightyjoeyoung]

Hey guys!  Looks like I'm your "token Northerner for the team".     My name is Don and I've been chasing turkeys around the woods since I could tag along with my old man way back in 1982.  Been dropping the hammer on my own birds since 85' and there are few things I love more than a nice crisp, spring morning, the sun just starting to highlight the treetops in red as a gobbler sounds off on the roost.  I live on the shores of Lake Erie in North Western PA and if I'm not in the woods after turkey or deer or in a layout blind working a flock of geese, you can find me after big lake run steel head and brown trout on the tribs or trolling for big walleyes.  I am a nurse at a mental health residential treatment facility for young men.  I work full time to basically fund my hunting and fishing.  I started running with the 20 gauge more out of curiousity and the need for a challange more than anything.  I have taken a ton of birds all over the U.S. with the big guns and archery gear, but the thought of a light, compact little gun that was easy to carry and shoot and could still knock the snot out of a big gobbler at 40+ yards really appealed to me, so I bought a youth 870 and started working on it and now I'm not sure I'll ever go back to my SBE II or my 835's!  My next "roaring 20" is either going to be based on my TC Encore frame or if I can find one, an H&R Topper Deluxe...I want to see just how light I can go...

[Sand Man]

Hi!  My name is Russ, and I'm a turkeyaholic.   

I'm originally from the great state of Mississippi as well.  I was born and raised in Bay Springs and cut my teeth chasing Easterns with my dad.  I'm pretty sure he carried me from the time I could walk.  His passion carried over into me.  Even though these days I'm equally obsessed with chasing ducks as much as turkeys, but I'm glad I don't have to choose one over the other as I enjoy each equally.  I currently live in Fort Worth, TX.  I ended up here on a scholarship to play football for TCU after Jackie Sherrill who was at MSU and I didn't see eye-to-eye after I signed my National Letter of Intent.  It's all worked out for the better.  Even though I miss Mississippi from time to time and the simple life, Texas has provided me and my family opportunities I'd never realized had I stayed around home.  I've been married for 6 years to my wonderful wife, and we just had our first daughter 6 almost 7 months ago.  Yes, life has changed for me for the better.  By profession I'm a mechanical engineer and am employed by the largest defense contractor in the US.  Hopefully Obama doesn't decide he needs to ban war planes with the assault weapons where I can still afford to hunt and fish.   

As I mentioned above, I started turkey hunting as far back I can remember.  It's my dad's one and only out door obsession.  We've created some great memories together chasing longbeards in those swamps back in MS.  My mom even has a project from when I was in grade school where I wrote a story and illustrated it in a book about dad's and my turkey adventures.  Memories I'll never forget and hopefully make with my daughter one day.  Dad and I still get out and hunt from time to time now when our busy schedules will allow.  I'm hoping he'll hurry up and retire where we can try for the slam.  I only recently started hunting Rio's out here in Texas.  I'd say 5 or so years ago.  I have to say they are a drastically different bird to hunt than the Easterns back home.  Much more vocal and man do they put on some miles in a day out in these wide open wheat fields in West Texas.  I'm fortunate enough that have a lot of connections and friends in various states and get to travel to several each year chasing birds.  I killed 9 birds last year in 3 states.  A really good friend and I had one of our best days ever last year here in Texas.  We killed 7 different strutters in one day before noon.  One of those magical days where you could do no wrong, and they came running to the calls.  I killed other birds in Oklahoma and Kansas last year.  Really hoping I can kill a bird or two in MS and Bama this year, still make my trip to KS, and drop in a New Mexico Merriam hunt.  Never hunted much less killed a Merriam.  Hoping dad and a couple of my close buddies will make the trip with me as well.  That's me in a nutshell.  Hopefully, I can contribute a nice bird to the contest!

Russ

[jakesdad]

My name is Tim Barnes and I live in Palmyra,MO which is in the NE corner.I have been married to my wife Andrea for almost 8 years and we have 2 boys.Jacob(6) and Ryan(3).I am the safety officer/building inspector for the city of Palmyra.I have been turkey hunting for over 25 of my 41 years and have only hunted in Missouri,but hope to expand some when the boys get a little older.I shoot a 870 like a lot of you,but really add to the challenge cuz I still shoot lead(you know that stuff everybody used to use but cant kill turkeys anymore ).I have been on this team in the past and am looking forward to another fun year!!

[tiggere]

Sorry guys...I have been really busy...names Jonathan and I am in NC...married for 16 years...was on the team last year and looking forward to the season starting...