Larry A. Smail's Blog

Ken Crummett helping me hold a gobbler.

The friendship between Ken Crummett and myself is a story of interest. Many years ago I had a painting used on the cover of TURKEY CALL magazine. (TURKEY CALL is the magazine presented by the National Wild Turley Federation bases out of Edgefield, South Carolina.) With this cover I had an ad within the pages offering the painting as a print. The painting is, “SPRINGTIME MAJESTY.”

Sometime after the ad came out I received a phone call from a man from Crummett Mountain, West Virginia.  His family had lived on the mountain even before the Civil War. Ken had located me through a mutual friend from Arkansas, His name was “Wingbone” Cryer. Wingbone was in the mid-eighties at this time.  he looked me up and had stopped here in Pennsylvania after hunting gobblers in New York. He met with Ken Crummett while traveling back home giving Ken my phone number. Ken ordered a print.

This exchange occurred in the early 1990 time frame. Ken and I talked those many years periodically. In fact the calls were common as to every month or so.

  In recent years Ken and another turkey hunting friend named Galen Braddy from North Carolina would get together for a few days to pursue gobblers locally in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Another mutual friend Kip Feroce graciously allowed us to spend time at his camp.

Ken, also, in recent years had two strokes. the second one interfered with his speech some. He lost his ability to walk well, too. With that in mind, Kip would set up a ground blind near fields  within sight of his camp. Last year I helped ken to the blind and sat with him until light. I asked him if he cared if I ventured around the back side of the round top where we were set up. Of course, ken told me to definitely go. I was to circle around and check on him from time to time.

I heard a gobbler on the roost directly behind the ground blind. The turkey went off before I could get set up. I returned to check on ken and would sneak back a little later on. I called and received some far off gobbling. I worked the side of the steep hill following the gobbler.  Finally I got above him and bagged the tom.

I went back to the ground blind and told the story to Ken. he was so delighted on my success. We sat I the blind for a time talking and laughing. Ken became tired and we walked back to the camp. he said he wasn’t going out anymore this morning so we enjoyed quality time waiting for Kip and Galen’s return.

Galen, Kip, Ken and myself

Ken and I talked often since that last hunt together. I called him just last week and gave him a rough time. I enjoyed hearing his life and that West Virginia drawl. I am going to miss talking with my friend.