The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia (WFV), a nonprofit group dedicated to enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities within the Commonwealth, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) hosted the inaugural Virginia Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt on April 18, 2015. The One Shot was a turkey hunting fund raising event that attracted 39 hunters and 37 guides from across Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, including WSSI’s Bryce Miller, Mike Wills, and Roy Van Houten. Roy also serves on the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Bryce had the honor of guiding Retired Army Sergeant John Moore. Sgt. Moore, a Purple Heart recipient, was serving as a forward observer in Iraq when his transport vehicle was destroyed by an IED. This attack ultimately cost John his left leg, and he’s had several surgeries on his right one.

Thanks to the work of the WFV and the generous donation of landowner Litt Thompson, Bryce and Sgt. Moore had the opportunity to hunt a beautiful farm in southern Caroline County. In all, 26 landowners donated access to hunters for the event. Following the hunt, Bryce and Sgt. Moore joined 200 other hunters, land owners and sponsors at the One Shot dinner and auction held in downtown Richmond. Sgt. Moore won an award for his turkey having the longest spurs at 1-1/8 inches.

The tournament-winning bird was harvested by first time turkey hunter Catherine Ottley, whose bird weighed 21 pounds and had an 11 inch beard and one inch spurs. Austin Brockenbrough guided Catherine and her father on a property in Goochland County.

For further information about the WFV and how you can get involved in the 2016 Virginia Governor’s One Shot, please contact Roy Van Houten or visit the WFV website (http://vawildlife.org/). For a video from The Sgt. Moore’s hunt, visit WSSI’s Instagram Page.

Several days of scouting prior to the hunt gave Bryce a good idea of where they needed to be in order to lure a wary Virginia gobbler within shooting range.

A rain shower the night before the hunt allowed Bryce and Sgt. Moore to quietly slip into their blind at 4:30 a.m. The blind was set up on a logging road, which ran along the top of a ridge bordered by a stand of hardwoods to the east and the North Anna River to the west. At 5:30 a.m. the woods started to come alive with the singing of songbirds followed by a sudden thunderous gobble from a mature tom roosted only 100 yards from Bryce and Sgt. Moore.

The mature tom continued to gobble on the roost until fly down. A little soft calling and scratching of some leaves was all it took to get the gobbler’s attention. It wasn't long before a hen appeared on the logging road and a few seconds later the unmistakable silhouette of a strutting gobbler appeared through the timber!

The mature tom continued to gobble on the roost until fly down. A little soft calling and scratching of some leaves was all it took to get the gobbler’s attention. It wasn't long before a hen appeared on the logging road and a few seconds later the unmistakable silhouette of a strutting gobbler appeared through the timber!

The gobbler was now 80 yards from the blind and Bryce and Sgt. Moore were intently awaiting the gobbler’s next decision. Would he follow his hen down the ridge or come up the logging road toward Bryce and Sgt. Moore? Several minutes went by and the gobbler remained motionless, in full strut. For the next 20 minutes (which felt like 2 hours) Bryce slowly lured the gobbler closer with a series of soft clucks and the sound of rustling leaves. As Bryce and Sgt. Moore’s hearts pounded in their chests, the gobbler finally stepped within range and Sgt. Moore successfully connected with one shot!