Answering the call
Love for turkey hunting leads Reagin to national office
words & photography by Jack R . Jordan
Ronnie Reagin didn ’ t grow up hunting turkeys . Growing up in Lithonia , Ga . Reagin ’ s dad gave him his first gun when he was 12 years old .
“ I didn ’ t hunt much growing up ,” he said . “ There really weren ’ t any opportunities , at least not what they were when I moved down here .”
He began to hunt a variety of animals guided by his brother , Rodney , who was an avid hunter . The year before moving to Colquitt County in 1985 , Rodney took 21-year-old Ronnie to kill his first turkey .
“ He got me turkey hunting and I went with Rodney to kill my first turkey . In fact I ’ ve still got it mounted ,” Reagin said .
While in Moultrie , his friend , Scott Brown , called and began to guide Reagin into the turkey hunter he is today . As he ’ s grown as a hunter , Reagin has not only achieved multiple slams , but his work with the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has raised millions of dollars for wildlife and land conservation . He currently sits as treasurer for the national board of the NWTF .
A slam is considered one of the biggest feats in turkey hunting . Hunters must harvest each species or subspecies of wild turkey . There are six slams recognized by the NWTF , according to its website .
• Grand Slam - All four U . S . subspecies ( Eastern , Osceola or Florida , Rio Grande and Merriam ’ s ).
• Royal Slam - Grand Slam plus the Gould ’ s ( found in Mexico and limited areas of the Southwest ).
• World Slam - Royal Slam plus the ocellated wild turkey ( found in Mexico and Central America ).
• Canadian Slam - Harvesting the Eastern and Merriam ’ s in any Canadian province .
• Mexican Slam - Rio Grande , Gould ’ s and ocellated wild turkey harvest in Mexico only .
• U . S . Super Slam - Harvest one wild turkey in every state except Alaska .
Reagin has completed two World Slams in his hunting lifetime . He says that he hopes to complete the U . S . Super Slam and the Canadian Slam but “ he isn ’ t too bothered if he doesn ’ t .”
“ It ’ s something that would be nice to say I did but I ’ m not too bothered if it doesn ’ t happen . God has blessed me with the ability to hunt all over the world ,” he said .
Even if Reagin doesn ’ t come home with a bird , he always makes sure to bring a souvenir from his hunts . He collects rocks from every hunt or trip he ’ s been on . He labels each one with a Sharpie showing where the rock came from and when it was picked up .
But he said some of his proudest work isn ’ t hunting the birds themselves , it ’ s being able to give back to the program he cares so much about and has devoted most of his adult life to growing . In 1994 , he along with Brown , a friend from the Atlanta area , Col . Jim Newbell , and many others worked to found the Colquitt County-Lowndes County Double Gobble Chapter .
“ I called a friend of mine because I was apprehensive on how to get everything started . I called a friend of mine in Valdosta and asked , ‘ Hey , can you help me get this started ?’ The reason we called it Double Gobble was because it was Lowndes and Colquitt County together .”
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