Sometimes it's the quiet in a person that tells you there's a lot inside. It's that way with Cory Hoone of Smithfield, Fayette County.

He doesn't talk a lot and when he does it's with a steady softness, like a breeze through the spring woods. But when he tightens his lips and pushes his breath across a turkey call, he commands attention, on a remote ridge or a crowded stage.

Hoone, 15, a sophomore at Albert Gallatin High School, is one of the most accomplished turkey callers in the United States. In February he achieved something he's worked toward for a decade -- two-thirds of his life. Competing against callers from Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and other "turkey states," Hoone won First Place in the Junior Division of the National Wild Turkey Federation's Grand National Calling Contest Championship, held during NWTF's national convention in Nashville, Tenn.

"I was excited to win. I practiced every day since I was 7, so winning this honor means a lot to me," Hoone said.

The NWTF Grand National Junior Division win is only the latest in Hoone's series of honors. In every year from 2002 to 2008, Cory placed either second or third in the Grand Nationals. He was also the Realtree Grand Americas Champion in 2006 and 2008, 5-time Ohio state champion, 3-time Michigan state champion, and North Carolina state champion caller.

"We are very proud of Cory for all his accomplishments," said Carl Mowry, Western Pennsylvania regional representative for the NWTF. "It's great to see youth getting involved in hunting and conservation because they will be our future leaders. Cory will make a fine leader someday."

Hoone's success has taken him a long way from his home in the early morning shadows of Chestnut Ridge. He's been a television guest of Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno, and shared Thanksgiving dinner with Leno in his studio.

Hoone and his dad, Bob Hoone, make all their own mouth calls for competition and hunting. At their kitchen table, they stretch and cut latex, shape it and fit it into aluminum frames covered in blue, red, green or white water-proofed cloth.

"Sometimes we have to make a couple hundred to come up with a set of calls that sound right," the elder Hoone said.

In competition, callers are assigned various turkey vocalizations, which they must duplicate during their performance.

"Cory has specific calls for clucking and purring, for the kee-kee run, for yelping, and for cutting and fly-down," said his dad. "You have to be prepared for whatever you are asked to perform."

Performing, though, is not the root of Hoone's skill. He is, at the core, a turkey hunter, and competitive calling grew out of passion for being in the woods. With his dad, he's hunted turkeys in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, as well as the mountains close to home.

"I hunt for the thrill of being out there -- hearing the songbirds and seeing the sun come up," he said. "There is just something about it that makes you want to be there."

Skilled calling is only one part of being a good hunter.

"A lot of it is just knowing the terrain, and what to expect based on experience," said Hoone. "Sometimes, a turkey will be closer or farther than you think. In a field, especially, you'll think they are far away and they can be right on top of you. You have to anticipate those things and adapt."

Hoone says his experience makes him a strong supporter of efforts to get other kids outdoors.

"I think things like the Mentored Youth Hunts are a good thing," he said. "We can get kids outdoors before they get involved in so many other activities."

He acknowledges his dad's role in his outdoor success.

"I went with my dad before I was old enough to shoot," he said. "I was with him when he got four or five turkeys. I've never gotten into television and some other things that occupy kids' time, because my dad took me hunting and fishing since I could walk along."

"Some of those days you'd like to have a photograph of and save," said his father. "Some days outdoors are just perfect, and we've shared that together."