By Rob Potter
CALLICOON — July 6, 2007 — By taking a 24 lb., 4 oz. gobbler, Tim Kautz of Jeffersonville is the winner of the Democrat’s Spring 2007 Turkey contest.
Kautz, who has won the contest three times previously, shot the winning turkey on May 17 in the Town of Callicoon.
The tom had a 9 1/2-inch beard, a 1 1/8-inch spur and a 1-inch spur.
Kautz said he used a diaphragm to call the turkey about 40 yards and used a 12-gauge to shoot the tom.
Alan Brockner of North Branch earned second place honors with the 24 lb. turkey he shot on May 9 in the Town of Fremont.
The gobbler had a 2 1/4-inch beard and 1-inch spurs.
Brockner, a member of the Tamarack Hunting Club, said he used a box call to draw the turkey in and shot him from about 25 yards away with a 1300 Winchester.
Contest results are as follows, with the name of hunter, the Sullivan County town or Wayne County, Pa. township where the turkey was taken and the turkey’s official weight:
1. Tim Kautz, Town of Callicoon, 24 lbs., 4 oz.
2. Alan Brockner, Town of Fremont, 24 lbs.
3. Bill Ackermann, Town of Cochecton, 22 lbs., 8 oz.
4. Josh Bell, Jeffersonville, 22 lbs.
5. Robert Bogusz, Town of Delaware, 22 lbs.
6. Harold Smith, Town of Callicoon, 21 lbs., 4 oz
7. Ian Blumenthal, Town of Callicoon, 21 lbs.
8. Ralph Neer, Town of Cochecton, 21 lbs.
9. Lucas Price, Town of Thompson, 21 lbs.
10. Pat Cummins, Town of Neversink, 20 lbs., 13 oz.
11. Luke Franke, Town of Delaware, 20 lbs.
12. Ed Price, Town of Thompson, 20 lbs.
13. Fran Davitt, Town of Cochecton, 19 lbs., 15 oz.
14. Jim Hammett, Town of Delaware, 19 lbs., 10 oz.
15. Shawn Taylor, Narrowsburg, 19 lbs., 8 oz.
16. Dan Cummins, Town of Neversink, 19 lbs., 2 oz.
17. Fran Davitt, Damascus Township, Pa., 19 lbs., 2 oz.
18. Frank Leonardo Jr., Town of Cochecton, 19 lbs., 2 oz.
19. Dan Cummins, Town of Neversink, 19 lbs.
20. James Manzolillo, Town of Delaware, 18 lbs., 15 oz.
21. Fran Davitt, Town of Cochecton, 18 lbs., 14 oz.
22. Art Hassis, Town of Bethel, 18 lbs., 8 oz.
23. Patrick Murphy, Town of Delaware, 18 lbs., 8 oz.
24. Scott Smith, Town of Delaware, 18 lbs., 8 oz.
25. Bill Komorowski, Town of Tusten, 18 lbs., 7 oz.
26. Pat Cummins, Town of Neversink, 18 lbs., 6 oz.
27. Matthew Nicoletti, Town of Bethel, 18 lbs., 1 oz.
28. John Doty Sr., Town of Cochecton, 17 lbs., 14 oz.
29. Peter Kowalczyk, Town of Liberty, 17 lbs., 8 oz.
30. Chad Mootz, Town of Callicoon, 16 lbs., 1 oz.
31. Scott Herbert Jr., Town of Delaware, 15 lbs.