Fifteen year old Ryan Rickson , Schenectady, started hunting wild turkeys when he was 12 years old with his grandfather Lee Pigliavento, Schenectady. At the age of 13, Ryan was diagnosed with leukemia which would require a bone marrow transplant. And without hesitation his 12 year old sister Ashley volunteered to be the donor. It was a rough road and Ryan spent 9 months in isolation and turkey hunting had to wait; but he did not forget about it. This October, Ryan was healthy enough to resume his turkey hunting and he was determined to provide the bird for Thanksgiving dinner.
Lee said they spent 6 days hunting Jack Mazzie’s property in Sloansville and on November 11 th at 4:10 p.m. a big tom came into range and Ryan was right on target with a 20 gauge Fox Sterlingworth double barrel that belonged to his great grandmother. Ryan said that his great grandmother was with him during his hospital stay and she was with him on this hunt. The tom weighed 20.0 pounds, had a 10 3/4 inch beard and 1 1/4 inch spurs. Not bad for his first turkey. Ryan, by the way, has a lifetime NYS hunting and fishing license, that he received from his grandfather when he was one year old.
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