The inaugural inductees to the Alabama Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame were announced last weekend at the World Turkey Calling Championships at the Mobile Convention Center, and the inductees should come as no surprise to anyone who calls themselves a turkey hunter.

Of the six inductees, only two are still living: Eddie Salter of Evergreen and 97-year-old Col. Tom Kelly of Spanish Fort, who now lives in Virginia and was unable to attend the ceremony. Those honored posthumously were Lynn Dent Boykin of Mobile, Fred T. Stimpson of Mobile, Ben Rogers Lee of Coffeeville and Billy McCoy of Lineville.

Known as “Turkey Man,” Salter has won numerous announcing competitions, including two world championships, numerous awards and has even hosted a hit television series.

“Anything turkey related, I'm excited to be a part of,” Salter said. “This is special to Alabama turkey hunters. It's special to me. Hopefully we can expand this into different things in the future. There's been talk of doing a museum one day. I'm excited to be a part of it.”

“It all started with me being an old barber and talking about turkey hunting and eventually led to the title 'Turkey Man.' It's about participating in something you love. Hopefully I can start this and induct people who are deserving of this. It's not about how good you are, it's about being a steward of the land, a caretaker of the turkeys and passing on the tradition of turkey-eating to the younger generations.”

Kelly is known as the Poet Laureate of the turkey hunting world, and his masterpiece, “Tenth Legion,” is considered annual reading for avid turkey hunters. Kelly was a forester by profession and a turkey hunter by passion. He has written more than 20 books, most of which focus on various aspects of hunting the wily turkey.

I interviewed Kelly a few years ago, and he still marvels at wild turkey behavior.

“Even after 70 years, turkeys still do things that make me wonder how they did it,” Kelly said. “Honestly, I'd say a third of the turkeys we kill are walking birds. You call to one, and it keeps gurgling, and then another one comes along from another place, and you wonder how it got there, and it's another turkey. I think that happens a lot more than we realize.”

“I think the charm is that every time you go something a little different happens. And they have a knack for making people look stupid.”

Lynn Dent Boykin was the first woman to serve as president of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and served as chair of the NWTF National Board of Directors.

“It's such an honor,” said Star Boykin, one of Lynn's four children. “I think she's smiling down from heaven. I think 23 years ago when she was with the National Wild Turkey Federation, she was one of the first people to think about hunting traditions. She was one of the pioneers of the hunting traditions movement. She wanted to continue hunting and conservation for future generations.”

“She worked with (NWTF's) James Earl (Kennamer) and Rob Keck to transport turkeys across the U.S. and encourage turkey populations to grow so people could enjoy them.”

When Doug Max of Uriah, Alabama, was developing the idea for the Alabama Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame, he discovered that the city of Linden, Alabama, owned the rights to the organization but had never considered creating a hall. Max got permission from the city to use the name, and the result was the first induction this weekend.

“The tradition of turkey hunting in Alabama cannot be overstated. Turkey hunters across the country fully understand this,” Max said. “This is essentially where the modern sport of turkey hunting began. Those selected for inductees, and many of the future inductees, have contributed greatly to this and we intend to give them some long overdue recognition.”

During the ceremony, Max said many of the inductees are known for their hunting skills and prowess, and some are known for their conservation work, but Fred T. Stimpson did it all. Stimpson was renowned for his turkey hunting skills and also for his conservation work through land sourcing and wildlife management. The Fred T. Stimpson Special Opportunity Area (SOA) named after him is a 5,400-acre area in Clark County that transitioned from youth hunting and limited adult archery deer hunting to SOA status.

“He won the first World Championship Turkey Calling Contest in 1940, held at the Battle House across the street,” said his grandson, Fred T. Stimpson III, “and the calling contest was held to draw attention to turkey conservation. He served as president of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and on the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board for many years.”

“My dad spent the first half of his life making money. He got into hunting during the Great Depression and realized the need to protect wild turkeys, so he dedicated the rest of his life to protecting and breeding wild turkeys. His favorite thing to do was put together tracts of land for turkey care and other conservation work. That was his hobby, and we're continuing that tradition. My uncle and my dad were on the Conservation Advisory Committee and we've all been active with the Alabama Wildlife Federation. We're continuing the conservation tradition in Alabama.”

Billy McCoy grew up hunting turkeys in the rugged terrain of Talladega National Forest and around Cheaha Mountain, and his guiding skills were legendary, guiding many celebrities. McCoy guided for Jim Mason at the Southern Sportsman's Hunting Lodge in Lowndes County, Alabama, from 1982 until his death in 2005. McCoy won the NWTF Grand National Calling Championship in 1989.

“Billy was a really good guy and gave a lot to turkey hunting,” Mason said. “Billy was probably the most generous guy I've ever met. He'd give the shirt off his back. Billy was really good at identifying turkeys and he knew the best way to call them. Same with him and Paul Backe (a Southern Sportsman's guide and Grand National champion). They knew turkeys and what they did. Those two were the best callers I've ever hunted with.”

“I remember one day I was turkey hunting with Billy, and the turkey was going to come right up the road, but it never got there. I looked up and the turkey was digging its way through the honeysuckle. It had the vines around its neck. We didn't even shoot the turkey. If the turkey was so desperate to get there and wanted to go through the honeysuckle, we weren't going to shoot.”

Ben Rogers Lee is remembered as the man who brought turkey hunting into the mainstream outdoors through his videos, seminars, media and publications. Lee's engaging personality and ability to connect with turkey hunters earned him legendary status in the turkey hunting world.

My hunting buddy, two-time world champion Larry Norton of Myrtlewood, Alabama, was Lee's protégé and says Lee has taught him more about turkey hunting than anyone else.

“He taught me that turkeys don't care if I'm the world champion,” Norton says. “It's what you say and when you say it. You have to learn turkey language. Clucking and purring means they're eating. Aggressive clucking and purring means they've seen something but don't know what it is. He taught me that I have to know what to say and when to say it.”

As for the World Championship Turkey Calling Contest, an event that Kenny Weiss brought back to Mobile five years ago, the competition was fierce, with many contests decided by just a half-point.

In the Senior Open division, Wayne Dozier of Dickinson, Alabama won the tournament, followed by Jared Rowe of Gadsden, Alabama, and Matthew Pressley of Front Royal, Virginia.

The friction calling contest was won by Jason Conrad of Union, Mississippi. The Owl Hooting Champion was Brandon Rick of Pfafftown, N.C. The Gobbling Contest was won by Mitchell Johnson of Parlier, N.C., and Dozier and Law won the Team Challenge. The Amateur Champion was Hudson McGarity of Dahlonega, Georgia.