Kids Turkey Hunt

[J. Riekers]

My friend Charles took his grandson and I took my 5 yr old son to our property in NE TX for our annual turkey hunt. Brandon and I arrived first and we set up a pop-up blind, shooting sticks and video camera on a tripod. Another friend Ricky came to help out and also let Brandon use his SXS .410 bore. We have a very stout load of 1/2 ounce of # 8 1/2 shot. (I always laugh at the special turkey guns and dynamite sticks - we've been lucky not to need them as this was the 4th turkey with this load). We were trying to get a jake to come to our decoy but it was hung up in brush. We finally got a shot and I put the rangefinder on him and it said 16 yds. Brandon then informed me the trigger would not pull. Oops, safety. When the bird presented itself again it was 21 yards. I clicked the safety off and told Brandon to put the bead under its chin. Meanwhile I got the video up and running again. Pop! One shot and the turkey went down. 5 yrs old and he's already shot two Rio's and an Eastern. Other birds scattered. Charles had just arrived and was ready. Ricky followed the birds and figured out where they were going. Charles, Troupe and Ricky circled a creek bottom to cut them off. A few clucks and two shots later Troupe had his bird too. He chose a much more specialized turkey gun, a single shot .410 with 3 inch #6 shot! (That has worked for him for the past 3 years too!)

[imfuncity]

Outstanding!! Oh to be 5 and to have a patient father like you - well done.

[tx81]

Hunting turkey . . . . . . . . . . now that begs to shake some cobwebs from the few gray cells I have remaining.

I think I was maybe 8 or so when my grand-dad woke me up well before dawn and took me out to a certain spot in the pastures of South Texas. I may not have bagged any turkey since, but I've managed to get my sons interested in hunting - just like my grandfather did for me.

Congrats to all who have passed on the love of hunting to the next generation . . . . . and to the young ones who are getting the education of a lifetime.

[81police]

Great photo and great hunting!