PINEVILLE, W.Va. — A Wyoming County family has made hunting and fishing a priority for family bonding. During the first 10 days of the 2023 Spring Gobbler season in West Virginia the Shell family, Bueford and his wife Lena, and their 11-year old son Levi all tagged out.
It’s the second time in three years the foamily has brought home six turkeys in a season.
“That’s pretty much what we do, we’re always in the mountains. Two years ago, in 2021 we all tagged out, but last year Levi only got one so that year we got five,” said Bueford on a recent episode of West Virginia Outdoors.
The year started off with Levi taking a gobbler on youth day. Telling the story on the radio, he said it was a hunt to remember.
“They were answering us but they were hung up down there in the hollow. We sat there 30 or 45 minutes and they finally struck up and sounded like they were closing. Then in the blink of eye, they were there. I busted one and the other flew off. They were close and gobbling every breath. I was really cool,” said Levi.
Levi got his second bird, a jake, on Thursday of the first week. Buford had passed on the jake, but for Levi it was a new experience since he’d never killed a jake. However, Levi’s experience is well beyond most 11 year old’s. In his young life he’s killed seven turkeys–and called his first one to the shotgun at age 7. Levi also won a Beyond the Backyard 18 and under turkey calling contest in Charleston in recent years.
According to Bueford , the plan each year is to try and get Levi and Lena birds first. He typically does the calling and they do the shooting until they area done. He’ll hunt even after they’ve lost interest later in the season. But it didn’t quite work out that way this year. Between Levi’s two turkeys the family was set up in an area they knew turkeys were located–but the just weren’t cooperating.
“I told them these turkeys aren’t going to gobble and ya’ll hang back. I crawled down through the woods and did some slipping to where I could see them. he hen headed up the hill and knew the jig was up. I knew the next one was going to be a gobbler–so I let him have it,” he said.
Ironically, Bueford’s second gobbler was another spot and stalk with hardly any calling at all. He left Lena and Levi again to slip out a ridge, noticed turkeys gobbling on both sides, and crawled through a thick patch of greenbrier, undetected, to ambush his second gobbler.
Finally, on Friday of the first week of the season, Lena was able to get in the game. Levi and Bueford set up behind her and started calling. They were able to see the gobblers, but from Lena’s vantage point she couldn’t see them. She could only hear whispers behind her.
“I can hear them saying, ‘I see ’em! Stop! They’re strutting. He’s in full strut!!’ But where I’m at I couldn’t see them. So it took a while for them to come into my opening where I could see him. I shot the first one that came in and when I did the other one started jumping on him,” Lena explained.
Lena’s second bird–on day 10 of the season–started with a bizarre sound.
“We heard something, but it didn’t sound at all like a turkey,” she laughed.
Bueford hit the call–and turkeys started gobbling below them. The odd sound came again, Buford answered and the turkeys answered back, but this time a little closer than before. By now the trio had figured out the odd sound they were hearing was another hunter attempting to gobble, but failing miserably. As the turkeys headed their way, the other guy gave up.
“We heard him fire up his side-by-side and here he came around the mountain and rode right past all three of us. When he saw our truck, he turned around and came right back the same way past us again and never knew we were there,” Lena laughed.
The family relocated and eventually struck up the same gobbler again. Lena managed to take her second bird to finish up the season.
None of them would want it any other way.
“I’m almost 50 years old and she is 50 and I’ve never seen the beach. My vacations are spent right here in the mountains,” said Bueford who makes his living on the railroad.
“I credit our success to that because we stay in the mountains all the time, that’s how we know what the turkeys are doing. When I get vacation, we’re chasing gobblers or in a tree stand,” he said. “It’s not for everybody, but it’s the way we like to live.”