2013 Savannah River Turkey Invitational

Billy Exley, the perpetual trophy and his gobbler

Custom box calls for best trophy traits

The South Carolina Quail Project (SCQP) held their third annual Savannah River Turkey Invitational fundraiser on March 29. Two-man teams pay an entry fee that benefits the SCQP, and all properties in the South Lowcountry region are eligible for the competition that decides annual bragging rights for the best gobbler harvested. Congrats to Billy Exley from Recess Plantation in Jasper County for tagging the best tom and taking home the perpetual trophy for one year. Jerald Sholar runs the SCQP out of Andrews, S.C. and is employed by Tall Timbers research station in Tallahassee, Florida which celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2008. The quail recovery work completed in South Georgia and northern Florida is linked to Tall Timbers and their focus on bobwhite habitat dating back to the teachings of Herbert Stoddard, the ‘Father of Quail Management.’ Thirteen two-man teams met at Oak Grove Plantation in Gifford, hosted by Tomboy and Scott Rhodes, for the rules and regulations meeting the night before the hunt. Teams would hunt on their own properties and could hunt together or spilt up for a ‘divide and conquer’ technique. Only one bird could be entered in the contest per team, and that bird would be ‘scored’ by SCDNR staffers Jay Cantrell and Ted Rainwater from nearby Webb Center WMA. “I was sitting in a streamside management zone, or hardwood area, at dawn and I heard a turkey gobble from a roost 175-yards away and way up in a grand oak tree,” said Exley. What happened next is the type of thing that veteran turkey hunters like Exley live for. “Not long after daybreak I began calling to him with my hen call,” said Exley. “That rascal pitched off of his limb and flew directly towards me, navigating the many branches in the hardwoods. His flight resembled the flight of a wood duck as it gracefully folded his wings and avoided any collisions.” Needless to say, Exley saw the gobbler coming and had his gun up and ready. A few anxious minutes later the big tom came strutting into view and Exley made a clean kill. The bird weighed 20-pounds, sported a 10 and 5/8-inch beard with a 1 and 1/16-inch spurs. Congrats!

To read my feature article about the Savannah River Turkey Invitational click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about the Savannah River Turkey Invitational click 2012 or 2011.

This HUGE beard was an APRIL FOOLS joke

Secondd place team Jason Hart and Michael Boozer with Billy Exley