Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/433799
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 8 3 o o k s B Jim Casada A s many folks in the world of the wild turkey already know, iconic wildlife biologist, researcher, author, and hunter Lovett Williams died last year after having been stricken by an irreversible neurological disease. When I first learned of his malady I was devastated, and to the turkey hunters nationwide, his loss was immeasurable, whether viewed from the standpoint of his career as a wildlife biologist or his literary contributions on managing and hunting North America's only big-gamebird. Lovett was a longtime friend. We hunted together, exchanged ideas, swapped stories, and over the years I interviewed him and wrote about his personal experiences. Whenever I needed an unfailing source for information on all matters wild turkey—the birds' behaviors, the pros and cons of shooting jakes, the biological impacts of fall hunting seasons, etc.— I turned to him because he was the man. Qualified responses that included words such as "possibly," "perhaps," or "maybe," and thoughts such as "we need more research" or "the jury's still out on that" simply did not exist for Lovett Williams. When you asked him a question about wild turkeys, one of two things occurred. Either he offered Lovett Williams did a lot of things well, but in the world of the wild turkey, he was the man. Lovett Williams' contributions to turkey hunting extended well beyond his skills with a winbone yelper. photos courtesy jim casada