Mason Rouse’s Pitt County gobbler

Mason Rouse

Six-year-old Mason Rouse killed a mature gobbler on April 2, 2023 during a long day of hunting in Pitt County, NC. He was hunting with his dad and a family friend, and it was truly an all-day affair.

The turkey had a 10 3/4-inch beard and 1 1/4-inch spurs, and Rouse shot the bird with his 20-gauge at 20 yards in the evening, during the last hunt of the day.

The young hunter’s dad, Chris Rouse, tells the story:

“I don’t even know where to begin. Up by 4:30 am this morning to leave by 5. We hunted this morning on another farm, probably walked 2 miles and just couldn’t find any birds to go after. So we came back to the Home Turf to give it a try.

After covering some ground, probably walking a mile or so, we found this bird, but had to set up in a hurry and he just would not cooperate. We decided to try him again this evening, and let me say I’ve had some great times hunting and made many memories, but I can promise you, this one is one that will be in my mind forever.

Mason stuck with us all morning and evening and never complained, not one time. When the time came to make it count, he dropped the hammer. I want to send a Huge Thank You to Josh Harrell for taking the time to put Mason on this bird. Josh brung him in like a fish on a string. When Mason made that shot and that gobbler hit the dirt, I believe we both jumped 20 feet in the air. There is not a better adrenaline rush in the world than watching your kid smoke a turkey at 20 yards.”

________

Tag-A-Turkey

Congratulations to Rouse, who is now entered in our 2023 Tag-A-Turkey Contest.

This makes him eligible for our grand prize, which includes a 3-year subscription to Carolina Sportsman Magazine, a Thermacell prize package, a Convergent Hunting Solutions Bullet HP Bluetooth predator call, a Millennium Field Pro Turkey Seat, and numerous other prizes.

If you’d like to enter your gobbler in our contest, click here.

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply