Tomboy Boots
Turkey Killer
After a great opening day for the 2018 Youth Weekend we headed back to the woods on Sunday morning with my grandchildren, 9 yr. old Bryce and 8 yr. old Josie. Josie was hunting with me in a prime corner of a huge harrowed peanut field and Bryce was hunting with Jamey several hundred yards away on the opposite side of the field. Most of the surrounding planted pines had been burned recently and there was a log still smoking about 60 yds. from us. We were set up on a big oak tree near the field edge with a big fresh clearcut behind us. We didn't hear any gobbling before daylight but we did see 2 hens cross the field. About 30 minutes later Josie told me she heard one gobble. I'm amazed at the things she heard this weekend that I couldn't hear! When he gobbled the second time I heard him and it sounded like he was way back behind us over my right shoulder. I called and he gobbled again. I looked behind us with my binoculars and saw several strutters all fanned out across the middle of the clearcut. I let Josie hold the binoculars and she said, "I see a hog!" It was the gobblers. They didn't seem in any hurry to go anywhere. I counted at least 7 fans and could see hens with them. Then they started fighting, jumping in the air and spurring each other. Then they started chasing each other all over the place. The three that were being chased headed toward us. At that point we stopped watching and got ready. They came in the field to our left and we could tell they were jakes. I looked behind me again and all the turkeys were gone. I knew they must be coming but we didn't see them. I finally looked with binoculars and saw them at the corner almost 200 yds. away to our left and I couldn't make them budge. I decided to stalk closer and try to make something happen while we had the chance. I've done this before successfully but never with a child. We left everything except one pot call, the shotgun, and her shooting sticks. I told Josie to do whatever I did and she followed me like a pro, my mini me 
Creeping along bent over double, holding the shotgun parallel to the ground, at times laying flat and looking to see what they were doing, and every time I looked behind me she was doing exactly what I did. What I would give to have it all on video. At one point I thought they had seen us and we laid on the ground perfectly still. When we looked again we couldn't see them. We got to the corner and entered the field edge, still not seeing the turkeys. I knew if they went up the dirt path we walked in on toward another field they would see our trucks. We reached the path and still no sign of them. As we eased our way up the path I saw a fresh firebreak plowed through the burned pines. I knew it would lead to the other field and not the truck so we started toward it. Then I saw the fans of 2 gobblers in the thick brush. I told Josie to sit down and I slowly eased to the ground. We got her set up with her gun and shooting sticks. I couldn't help her hold it steady because I had to call. I yelped and a hen started cutting at me. I cut back hard and heard several gobbles. The hens were mad and I knew that was a good thing! The hens came out first and we were sitting in plain view but not moving. There was a pine tree between us and that helped. Then the gobbler stepped out. I told Josie to put the red dot on him and shoot. She couldn't see the red dot. Finally she found it but then she couldn't see the gobblers red head. Then the shooting sticks fell out from under her gun 
I tried to get her set up again but the turkeys knew something wasn't right and went back in the thick brush. They ignored my calls. I finally got one to gobble and he sounded further away. I told Josie we were going to crawl and go after them. The same way I crawled with her gun she was crawling behind me with her shooting sticks. She made me proud. We were trying to reach the nearest pine to get set up and ready but before we got there a hen cackled and flew. Then there were turkeys flying everywhere, one after another then another. Two of them landed in the pine trees and one of them was a gobbler. Shaking and sitting in the open I tried to help her set up. I told her to shoot him but she said, "I'm pulling the trigger but it won't shoot!" I checked and the safety was off so I told her to pull harder. The shot rang out and the gobbler flew, higher than I've ever seen one fly before. We watched him sail away, both of us still full of adrenaline with a smile on our face. It was an absolutely amazing hunt. She experienced things many turkey hunters have never felt or seen. Sometimes getting the bird isn't what it's all about. She did everything she was supposed to and more than you'd ever expect from an 8 yr. old! We found out afterwards that Bryce and Jamey were watching most of this unfold with binoculars and could hear the hens cutting back and forth with me and the gobblers gobbling. What a rush! Those memories we will all share for the rest of our lives. We were all worn out from a long weekend of chasing turkeys but what an awesome weekend we had 
We'll be after them again Easter weekend on the first quota hunt at River Creek. I can't wait!
Creeping along bent over double, holding the shotgun parallel to the ground, at times laying flat and looking to see what they were doing, and every time I looked behind me she was doing exactly what I did. What I would give to have it all on video. At one point I thought they had seen us and we laid on the ground perfectly still. When we looked again we couldn't see them. We got to the corner and entered the field edge, still not seeing the turkeys. I knew if they went up the dirt path we walked in on toward another field they would see our trucks. We reached the path and still no sign of them. As we eased our way up the path I saw a fresh firebreak plowed through the burned pines. I knew it would lead to the other field and not the truck so we started toward it. Then I saw the fans of 2 gobblers in the thick brush. I told Josie to sit down and I slowly eased to the ground. We got her set up with her gun and shooting sticks. I couldn't help her hold it steady because I had to call. I yelped and a hen started cutting at me. I cut back hard and heard several gobbles. The hens were mad and I knew that was a good thing! The hens came out first and we were sitting in plain view but not moving. There was a pine tree between us and that helped. Then the gobbler stepped out. I told Josie to put the red dot on him and shoot. She couldn't see the red dot. Finally she found it but then she couldn't see the gobblers red head. Then the shooting sticks fell out from under her gun I tried to get her set up again but the turkeys knew something wasn't right and went back in the thick brush. They ignored my calls. I finally got one to gobble and he sounded further away. I told Josie we were going to crawl and go after them. The same way I crawled with her gun she was crawling behind me with her shooting sticks. She made me proud. We were trying to reach the nearest pine to get set up and ready but before we got there a hen cackled and flew. Then there were turkeys flying everywhere, one after another then another. Two of them landed in the pine trees and one of them was a gobbler. Shaking and sitting in the open I tried to help her set up. I told her to shoot him but she said, "I'm pulling the trigger but it won't shoot!" I checked and the safety was off so I told her to pull harder. The shot rang out and the gobbler flew, higher than I've ever seen one fly before. We watched him sail away, both of us still full of adrenaline with a smile on our face. It was an absolutely amazing hunt. She experienced things many turkey hunters have never felt or seen. Sometimes getting the bird isn't what it's all about. She did everything she was supposed to and more than you'd ever expect from an 8 yr. old! We found out afterwards that Bryce and Jamey were watching most of this unfold with binoculars and could hear the hens cutting back and forth with me and the gobblers gobbling. What a rush! Those memories we will all share for the rest of our lives. We were all worn out from a long weekend of chasing turkeys but what an awesome weekend we had We'll be after them again Easter weekend on the first quota hunt at River Creek. I can't wait!
