Vina youth wins turkey hunt

Camron Burks spent a recent weekend at Arrowhead Plantation and hunting in South Georgia as one of two winners of the JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime, sponsored by Lynch.

When Vina seventh grader Camron Burks attended a National Wild Turkey Federation in February with his family, he registered for a drawing for a turkey hunt.

He never dreamed he would win.

“On the way back, they called and said they had drawn his name from the entries there,” said his father, Tim Burks.

Camron, for his part, was “pretty surprised. It’s something that’s once in a lifetime,” he said. “I thought somebody was messing around with me or something.”

With the convention attracting a large attendance, Tim said the odds that Camron would win were pretty low – “it’s pretty close to winning the lottery.” Only two winners were selected.

Sponsored by Lynch, the JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime sent Camron and his dad to South Georgia for a weekend, March 19-20. “It was an experience,” Camron said. “It was different from where I’m from. The turkeys were way different than the ones we have around here.” It was his first time hunting away from home.

A camera crew followed them throughout the hunt to create promotional footage that Lynch can use on social media and in their commercials.

“That was really interesting to me – it was something to remember,” he said. “Hunting is a part of me I really like. I love to hunt.”

For the weekend, the group had accommodations at Arrowhead Plantation.

“It was a nice place,” Tim said. “It was a rustic lodge. It was made from heart pine wood. It had been there a long time, but it was nice and modern on the inside.”

Camron said his friends were excited for him.

“They were pretty amazed I had actually won something like that away from home,” he said.

And although he didn’t wind up bagging any birds, for Camron, the thrill was in “just being there and getting to hunt.”