It is always nice to see and hear about our youth getting out and starting their new found activities. They are our future and I just would like to mention and remind everyone that we should all try to encourage them and help them along so our traditions will go on for them to enjoy more later.

By: Rick Kratzke

Reading youth shares a special moment with a close friend by bagging his dream turkey

Though he never dreamed he’d be in the turkey hunters’ record book for Michigan, Christopher Sackett of Reading achieved what he always wanted to do — get the tom turkey that everyone wanted.

His dream was made possible by friends helping him achieve his goal. Just over a week ago, Sackett, an Abbott Manor resident who works at Key Opportunities in Hillsdale, shocked himself and his friends by bagging his first-ever turkey. “I don’t know who was more proud, my husband or him,” said Tina Jenkins, who owns Archery Spot along with her husband, Jon.

The couple sponsored Sackett’s turkey expedition by outfitting him in a new camouflage suit, complete with all the necessary gear one needs to accomplish a prized turkey. “We’ve known Christopher for about five years,” Tina Jenkins said. “I’m his case manager through Recovery Technology. When I have someone who has a dream or desire, we try to make it happen.” And since hunting has been a passion since childhood, the Jenkinses wanted to make sure Sackett’s dream came true. Owning a store with all the equipment helped, too.

“I hunted with my Dad and Grandpa when I was a little kid,” Sackett said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to do it until this.”

The first thing Christopher had to do to accomplish his dream was apply for a permit after taking the Hunter Safety class. “The class was to teach us to properly handle a firearm and to know what could happen out there,” Sackett said. “It’s a requirement.” With this knowledge in tow and the gear ready, Sackett was quickly beset with “turkey affliction,” better known as a frame of mind that makes hunters unable to think about anything else.

“I couldn’t sleep the night before,” Sackett said of the anticipation. “I put all my stuff out the night before, just like I do with my fishing gear before I go salmon fishing.”
Though he’d been out hunting several times with Jon Jenkins and had no luck, he knew his day was near.

Indeed it was and shortly after 6 a.m. May 30, Tina Jenkins got a phone call from her husband and Sackett about the exciting news. “It’s a turkey for the record books,” Tina Jenkins said. “With a 10 and 1/2- inch beard and 3/4-inch spurs, it’s a real winner.” Both characteristics denote the maturity of the bird. The tail fan, described as “huge,” was a descriptive feature of the bird as well.

Upon hearing other hunters who come into her store, Jenkins said she knows what the feeling entails since she herself has been there. “When hearing the guys tell their stories, it’s not until you’re able to accomplish the hunt and tell your own story that you can relate to them,” she said. She and her husband both have prized turkeys and a realm of other wildlife mounted on their walls. Helping someone they cared about achieve that feeling was special, she said.

“Sometimes people with disabilities get left behind,” she said. “Since Christopher can’t own a gun due to his disability, he used mine.” For Sackett, the fit was perfect. “It was so light, I couldn’t tell I was holding a gun,” Sackett said. And the shear delight of accomplishing the goal led to exhilaration. “It felt good,” he added. “I hugged them and was teary eyed.”

Since only one tom (male bird) is allowed per season, Sackett is anticipating the upcoming fall season. He’ll apply for a permit and will shoot for a “grand slam,” meaning he hopes to eventually bag all five Eastern subspecies: Rio Grande, Merriam’s, Osceola, Gould’s and Ocellated. He’d like to venture into coon hunting and deer hunting as well. Wednesday the outdoorsman was recognized at the National Wildlife Turkey Federation banquet at Savarino’s Next Door in Hillsdale. There, he received a year’s membership with the federation, made possible by the Hillsdale Chapter, Jenkins said.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without the help I got,” Sackett said. “It’s been a huge dream of mine since I was a child.”

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