7 minute read
O’Neill Outside
14 LAKESIDE
April 2022 Here’s my vote as North America’s No. 1 big game target
So, you’re an Eastern Wild Turkey hunter. Just starting or a seasoned veteran? Doesn’t matter. My message to you is applicable whatever your status. Before getting to the guts of my dissertation today, let me establish that the Eastern bird’s numbers have been declining rather dramatically over the last 10 years.
Why? Well, a combination of things: natural birthing changes, increase in predators, loss of habitat, over-hunting, untimely weather – lot’s of circumstances and much too long to discuss here.
Trust the words of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the poult production is about half of what it was 20 years or so ago. We just don’t have as many Easterns as we did and the DNR is making changes that will help in upcoming seasons.
The point of this discussion today is this: I’m about to give you the reasons why the Eastern Wild Turkey is the No. 1 big game animal in North America. Why? Well, you must be talented, practiced, experienced, knowledgeable, more patient and note more details in more different tactics in combination at the same time than for any other game animal. Let’s take a look.
You make a call like a lonely turkey hen and get a response from a Tom and your call is not just an attractant as a matter of fact, it’s opposite of the animal’s practice. Your hen call is an answer to his call. You can call deer, elk, mule deer, moose, ducks and then they are naturally attracted to you. The Eastern’s natural practice is for you to come to him. No other game animal does this. Are you practiced enough to call in a manner that recognizes and matches his mood? You need to understand that requirement and that necessitates a mountain of experience and time in the woods.
Are you cameoed up and ultra stealthy? The Eastern’s eyesight is unsurpassed. Display an unusual color or move the slightest and will see you and the hunt is over. He is not naturally curious and if the situation is not perfect and what he expects, he promptly departs.
Shot placement matters. You can shoot ducks and quail on the wing but if you don’t correctly place your shot on the Tom, he’ll likely fly or trot away. As the premier “Turkey Writer” in the business today, Tom Kelley, would say, a misplaced shot is simply food for wild cats and you return to camp alone.
OK, my challenge to you is for you to put the parts together and see if any other big game animal requires so much at the same time, same day, same minute, same hour.
If you’re into hunting Easterns, stick with it, if not, start, but recognize that you’ve accepted quite a job, one unmatched in the sport of Big Game hunting in North America..
O’Neill Williams has been a television, radio and print personality for more than 40 years and more recently has added podcasts and video on demand to his repertoire.
O’Neill Williams
O’Neill Outside
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O’Neill with an Eastern Wild Turkey.
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By Pamela A. Keene
Ninety-one-year-old Sue Diamond only needed to be asked once to agree to compete in Dancing Stars of Atlanta in May. Not only does she love to dance every chance she gets, she also says she’s thrilled to be raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Foundation.
“I’ve always loved to dance and even took ballet and tap when I was in grammar school,” she said. “When this opportunity presented itself, I immediately said yes and it’s been such as good decision for me.”
A member of University Yacht Club for nearly 50 years, she’s the first one out on the dance floor when the music starts.
“Sue can get the crowd up dancing whenever we have events at UYC,” said Rick Smith, former UYC commodore and one of the members of “The Diamond Club.” “Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious. She’s the first one up and the last one to leave the dance floor when the music stops. And so many people are cheering her on.”
The Flowery Branch resident has been rehearsing with her professional dance partner, William Allison, since before Christmas, going to the Fred Astaire Dance Studios once a week in Duluth.
Diamond’s friends across Atlanta have jumped in to support her campaign, donating money through her dancer’s page at https://act.alz.org/goto/suediamond.
“My goal is to raise $50,000 and as of the end of March I was halfway there,” she said. “People are donating in honor and in memory of family and friends, many who have lost loved ones to this disease. Others say they are just happy to support me and are so proud of me for participating.”
Diamond hopes to follow in the footsteps of Linda Schoepf, the winner of the 2021 Dancing Stars of Atlanta virtual event. Schoepf, also a member of University Yacht Club, competed against nearly a dozen Star Dancers, all performing in remote locations via internet connections. Schoepf is one of her strongest supporters, along with Diamond’s best friend Carol Gibson.
A former Delta Air Lines flight attendant, Diamond also worked in television advertising as a secretary, at Tour Gals of Atlanta, plus in retail and at a dentist’s office. She was married to her first husband, Bob Schuessler, for 15 years. She has three children, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was married to her second husband, Lyle Diamond, for 45 years before he passed away in 2015.
Active in many community organizations, she is a member of Buford Lanier Woman’s Club, University Yacht Club and Covenant Life Church.
“In my free time, I enjoy playing board and card games and, of course, dancing,” she said. “I love all music, including country, pop, opera and musicals. My favorite is anything by Frank Sinatra.”
Diamond has been secretive about her costume for the competition, but recently she revealed that her choregraphed dance will start with a foxtrot and transition into a jitterbug/salsa fusion.
She’s participating in Dancing Stars of Atlanta in memory of her friends Bill and June Saunders and Marilyn Fisch Putnam. “If I had a super-power, it would be to wave a magic wand and rid the world of Alzheimer’s and related mental disorders,” she said. “I just can’t wait for the competition, and I’m having so much fun. I’m also grateful for all my friends and supporters, especially those at UYC who help keep me young.”
For the past 11 years, the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has hosted Dancing Stars of Atlanta. This year’s goal is $1 million.
“We always come very close to reaching our goal but have never crossed that line,” said Wakeelah Abdullah, development director of the Georgia Chapter.
Diamond
Abdullah said that Sue will represent a milestone in the competition this year.
“Typically we have participants in their late 30s to their 70s, and a lot of grandmothers, but Sue is the most senior Star Dancer we’ve had,” she said. “We are just so happy that we can once again return to an in-person event
11th Annual Dancing Stars of Atlanta Gala Benefits: The Alzheimer’s Association When: Saturday, May 21, 6 p.m., Cobb Galleria Where to donate for Sue: Donations to Sue Diamond can be made by clicking on https://act.alz.org/goto/suediamond
Sue Diamond and her partner William Allison with Fred Astaire Dance Studio See Dance, page 22
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