Full Circle Gobbler
By PJ DelHomme
Fifteen-year-old Anthony Crim’s journey to his first turkey began on the sporting clays course at Union Sportsmen’s Alliance events and led to a public-land hunt in the hills of Northern New Mexico. His experience underscores a simple truth: when kids have support and encouragement, outdoor traditions have a way of sticking.
Anthony Crim (left) at the 2021 San Antonio Take Kids Fishing Day
Anthony’s father, Steven Romero-Crim—a dedicated volunteer with the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers—is a fixture at USA events. He is the kind of volunteer who arrives a day early to help with course setup and stays late to tear it down, says USA Events Coordinator David Pollard.
Since Anthony was eight years old, he would be there right beside his father, shooting and volunteering.
“My favorite thing is being outdoors at the competitions,” Anthony says. “And I like volunteering at the fishing events. Helping little kids and even some kids my age catch their first fish feels pretty good, to be honest.”
Along the way, Anthony turned into a pretty good shot, winning the HOA (highest overall average) sub-junior category at multiple shoots. While breaking clays is a far cry from calling in a wary gobbler, the discipline and enthusiasm provided was just what Anthony needed to get out in the woods himself.
Now, here’s the really fun part of the story. At a USA shoot in early 2025, Anthony told David he wanted to chase turkeys, but he didn’t have any calls. So David mailed him a few mouth calls. The 20-gauge shotgun Anthony carried into the turkey woods was one that his father won at a USA event. And the shells he loaded the gun with were leftover target shells that David gave the teen at the end of a USA shooting event. Anthony had the shotgun, ammo, and calls, thanks in some part to the USA. The rest was up to him.
The payoff happened after school. Anthony and a cousin headed into the Northern New Mexico timber on the last day of the youth turkey season. They pulled over at a spot where they had seen turkeys before. Using the calls provided by David, Anthony worked a bird into range.
“I was stressed about it the whole week,” Anthony admitted. “I wasn’t really expecting it to happen. I was nervous calling them in. It was an experience just hearing them call back and forth.”
When the bird finally stepped into the clear, Anthony filled his tag with a single shot. As soon as he could, Anthony sent a photo to his dad, who was out of town for work.
“It was a total surprise. He made me proud,” Steven said. “The hard part is that I wasn’t there with him.”
Anthony Crim at the 2025 Arizona Sporting Clays Shoot.
Anthony’s cousin showed him how to pluck the turkey and process it. After brining the turkey breasts for a couple days, the turkey provided a family meal. Anthony saved the fan and a spur. Noting that his dad hasn’t filled his turkey this season, Anthony welcomed the chance to show him a few pointers.
“He can learn a couple of things from me,” he said with a laugh.
The proud teen also called David to share the news.
“Anthony was beyond excited when he called to tell me about his turkey,” David said. “And I was on cloud nine. It was so great to see this go from a shooting event to conservation to hunting heritage.”
PJ DelHomme writes and edits content in western Montana. He runs Crazy Canyon Media and Crazy Canyon Journal.
