Advice on son' s 1sth Turkey Hunt

[Illini]

My son (11 yrs.) drew a youth hunt permit this year and this will be his first turkey hunt where he gets to do the shooting. The dates are March 29 and 30.

I personally have never hunted turkeys before mid-April in the spring. Will the birds be gobbling then? Any particular calling that time of year that works better than others? What do you think about hunting with him out of a doghouse blind? Any tips to hunting out of the blind? Any tips in general about hunting with a youth?? We' re pumped and can' t wait.

Any advice will be appreciated. I just want this to be a GREAT experience for him.

Thanks for the response.

[MOTurkeyTamer]

About the Doghouse blind......my nephew took his 5 yr. old son out last spring on the 1st Saturday of our season. He put up his Ameristep Doghouse blind the night before in a good spot where turkeys frequent, and he took a 22 lb. tom while his young son looked on. All this while it was raining! So to answer your question about the blind, it worked for them and it made a believer out of me in blinds if you' re so inclined to use one. Good luck on your hunt!

MTT

[VP]

If your able to scout the property before the hunt , do so. It will make a world of difference the next morning. Look for tracks on roads and around water- Glass any feilds or clear cuts- Get out and do some walking, look for scratching, teirds and other turkey signs- Stay until dark and listen, alot of birds will sound off to owls ar crows just before or after they fly up to their roost- You best bet is to try and locate a bird the day before to minimize the amount of walking you have to do with the little one. If you do find one try and slip in withen about 50 to 60 yds with out spookin him off and set up with a decoy or to and give him some soft tree yelps , just to let em know you are there and then shut up- Let em fly down to you and get the youngin to shoot em- It' s that EASY !! hehehe- Make sure you take the little fella out before and pattern his meat missle on a turkey target or two, it will pay off when its time for the hammer to drop. Let em know to shoot only at the top of the neck and head- Hope this helps you guys out. Oh Yea make sure you have fun no matter if you get a bird or not- I stiil remember the first time turkey hunting with my dad, It' s an experience I' ll carry with me the rest of my life !!
COMEON !

[Illini]

Thanks for the advice!! I have also been told a " Jakehouse" blind might work well with a young hunter.

Will the birds be very vocal that time of year??