Bubba Ross writes book about his S.C. gobbler ‘crush’
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
By Ford Walpole
As most people welcome the spring weather, passionate turkey hunters focus instead on the opening of turkey season. While merely harvesting a bird is plenty satisfying for many hunters, seasoned sportsmen often seek loftier goals.
On the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) website, outdoor writer and guide Matt Breuer outlines various turkey hunting accomplishments. A Grand Slam is when a hunter takes each of the four most common wild turkey subspecies found in the United States: Eastern, Osceola, Merriam’s, and Rio Grande. A Royal Slam includes a Gould’s, and a World Slam adds an Ocellated turkey from Mexico.
“There’s also the Canadian Slam, which consists of shooting an Eastern and a Merriam’s in any Canadian province, and the Mexican Slam, completed by killing a Rio Grande, Gould’s and Ocellated south of the border. Then there is the Mt. Everest of slams: the U.S. Super Slam. Finishing the Super Slam involves tagging a wild turkey in each of the 49 states that have turkeys (Alaska is void of turkey tags),” Breuer says.
For Bubba Ross, who grew up in Walterboro and has spent his adult life in Columbia, these long-distance feats were never especially appealing. Though he has traveled to hunt, he ultimately prefers Palmetto State birds. After a lifetime of turkey hunting, Ross completed an unprecedented Gobbler Crush, which consists of harvesting a gobbler in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties. Ross subsequently published an account of this herculean hunting achievement in “Bearded Tales: The Making of a South Carolina Gobbler Crush.” His son Ben, who owns Brackish — a company born from a love of the wild turkey — suggested the term “crush” to describe this remarkable accomplishment.
Turkey hunters often remind us that pursuing gobblers is more indicative of true hunting, since the sport is more active, less predictable, and involves a more primitive approach. Such is especially the case for the run-and-gun hunter. “Hunting them is nothing like sitting over a food plot for deer or going out to a cornfield on a dove shot,” Ross says of wild turkeys.
“It is all about the birds,” Ross muses as he considers the rewards of turkey hunting. “When you are turkey hunting, you are trying to get the gobbler to come to you. And you are reversing nature, where the hens come to the gobblers. It is always a challenge, and every turkey hunt is a good hunt. Most hunters will tell you that some of their best and most memorable hunts are those times when they did not get a bird,” he says.
In the first chapter titled “Catching the Fever for Spring Thunder,” Ross discusses his introduction to the sport nearly 50 years ago through Mendel Boozer of Batesburg-Leesville. During his first hunt, Ross raised his gun, and the gobbler spotted him; the bird putted and soon disappeared. Boozer laughed, advising Ross, “Bubba, you’ll never be able to quick draw a turkey!” Today, my shotgun always rests on my knee with the butt of it in my shoulder,” Ross says.
On another occasion, Boozer shared additional valuable advice. “We might as well leave and come back another morning, for when they’re not gobbling, they are impossible to hunt!”
Ross recounts his first successful hunt, during which he and Boozer happened to spot a gobbler. “Mr. Mendel told me that he thought that the gobbler would walk the entire perimeter of the field and suggested that I get ahead of the gobbler and wait for him to walk by,” Ross writes, noting, “Of all the 100-plus turkeys harvested in my lifetime,” that Saluda County bird “is the only gobbler that I have ever bushwacked. All others have been shot coming to my calling,” he says.
“I didn’t know anything much about turkey hunting back then,” Ross recalls. “But I was a good woodsman and got ahead of the bird while he walked a field edge and simply waited for him to walk into my site picture. The earlier bird in Saluda County, where the bird walked up the ridge, saw me, and ran away, was actually a much more exciting hunt,” Ross points out, “but this was my first ever turkey!”
Despite his vast experience in the turkey woods, Ross does not hesitate when considering his most memorable bird, which he harvested in Berkeley County. “Without a doubt, this gobbler sent out the prettiest-sounding gobble of any bird I have ever heard in my 40-plus years of pursuing them. I’ve heard the 1,000-plus gobbles from the Merriam’s in Nebraska, the Rio in Texas, the Eastern in North and South Carolina, but I’ve never heard anything like the gobble of this bird,” he says.
“Not only was his gobble longer, but he did it so effortlessly,” Ross continues. “When a bird gobbles a few times, he takes a break to catch his breath, but not so with this bird.”
Ross notes that the unique turkey had the longest legs of any bird that he has harvested. Though he had an eleven-and-a-half-inch beard and one-and-a-half-inch spurs, the gobbler only weighed 16.5 pounds. Since this bird came from the Francis Marion National Forest, the location from which all S.C. restoration birds were initially trapped, Ross wonders if this bird hailed from the purest strain of the Eastern wild turkey.
Amid his hunting travels throughout the state, Ross is convinced that Oconee County “was by far the most difficult for me in which to harvest a gobbler.” He attributes this challenge to both fewer birds in the county and increased hunting pressure. Ross has a heightened respect for turkey hunters who successfully harvest birds on public land, given the additional pressure their more cautious quarry faces. “On the morning I finally did get my Oconee bird, he gobbled less than seven times the entire morning. It was truly a case of finally being at the right place at the right time! I’d rather be lucky than good at anything!” he declares.
For many of his turkey hunts, Ross worked the woods alone. At other times, he was accompanied by friends or his sons Ben and Hamp. On two occasions, he hunted from a blind only because the property owners wished to observe Ross call in the birds. On several hunts, he was aided by decoys, but as they tend to slow down the run-and-gun approach, he rarely relied on turkey decoys. After taking birds across the state and setting the goal of harvesting a bird in every county, Ross ceased hunting the same properties where he had already been successful.
“Without exception, they have all been supportive of my pursuit,” Ross says of his hunting buddies, friends, and family. “Quite frankly, all are surprised that I was able to complete the Gobbler Crush. When people hear about it, they all say, ‘It will never be done again, given our current reduced bag limits, the shortened season, the statewide reduction of our turkey population, and the growing population of the state.’”
Experienced sportsmen sometimes lose interest in seeking quarry, and though Ross no longer concerns himself with harvesting turkeys, he still enjoys the hunt. “I still get excited every morning when I go turkey hunting during the springtime — even when I don’t even take a shotgun. To me, just to hear him gobble is worth getting up early,” he says.
“They have given me so much excitement and joy for almost five decades; now, it’s my time to give back to them,” he says of the birds he no longer cares to shoot. To this end, “A portion of the proceeds from each book sold will be donated to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) earmarked for their statewide Turkey Enhancement and Habitat Improvement Programs.”
“Bearded Tales” is a fascinating and informative read. The book includes a spreadsheet of his contacts who helped arrange hunts in targeted counties, as well as a state map showing harvest dates and locations. The book is organized chronologically by county of harvest. Each chapter details successful kills, along with an account of prior unfruitful experiences. Frequently, Ross pauses to offer strategies and tips to his readers.
In addition, Ross relays the interesting tales of how he came to be invited to hunt various private properties. As a lifelong resident of South Carolina, who spent a career in the banking industry, he developed many relationships. His Gobbler Crush culminated in Dorchester County, where obtaining hunting permission involves an especially unlikely story. In counties in which he did not have private land success, Ross took turkeys on public land.
Finally, the book provides “helpful hints” to aspiring and experienced turkey hunters alike. In this section, Ross discusses gear, such as clothing, boots, turkey calls, a turkey tote, shotgun gauge and ammunition. He provides tried-and-true advice regarding weather, scouting, calling, setting up, proper form and moving locations. Throughout, he continues to emphasize the essential quality of patience. Ross realizes that some sportsmen struggle to embrace this essential virtue but reminds them that it must be mastered to become a great turkey hunter.
Because Ross wants to maximize net sales to give more proceeds to SCDNR, Bearded Tales: The Making of a South Carolina County Gobbler Crush is not available on Amazon. To be entertained by and imbued with wisdom from a legendary Palmetto State turkey hunter, contact Bubba Ross at scbeardedtales@gmail.com. What could be a better gift for a sportsman’s Easter basket?
Ford Walpole lives and writes on John’s Island and is the author of many articles on the outdoors. He teaches English at James Island Charter High School and the College of Charleston and may be reached atfordwalpole@gmail.com.
