Todays' the first day of the second season for Illinois's gun season, and since I couldn't head to my favorite haunts I had promised myoldest boy I'd go "hunting" with him out behind the house. We've got a strip of woods that separates us from the 16th green, and if you follow that past the golf course it runs out past the city limits.

I grabbed my little Ross Carnivore since it's so light it doesn't even feel like I'm hardly carrying anything, one arrow and a judo point for shooting any sparrows that were low enough to the ground. Just for grins, I grabbed a Muzzy MX-3 and stuck it into my jacket pocket as well.

We had slipped down the strip a good ways, and finally decided we'd better head for home. We'd made it back a little ways when I looked down into a slight ravine to my right and saw a hen turkey 35 yards away. She was as still as a statue, so I wasn't sure if she'd spotted us or not (we were walking out in a field on the outside edge of the woods). I whispered for Matthew to be quiet, and reached into my pocket and swapped out tips.

I eased the little Carnivore to full draw, and settled in JUST as the hen started walking forward. I hada group of huge oaks off to my left that would prohibit a shot if she made it more than five yards or so, so I hurriedly whispered to my son to "make his turkey calls!" He cut loose with a series of soft yelps that stopped her right in her tracks, allowing me to send my arrow on its way to her. The MX-3 tore through her upper thigh, sending her flopping straight up before she scurried off into some thick brush.

Matthew and I ran to the shot scene so I could recover my only arrow I'd brought, as I knew I was probably going to have to make a finishing shot. Once I had my arrow, we strode into the brush and quicly flushedher. She stumbled forward and then lifted off for a short 40-yard flight before landing face first with her chest stuck in the ground and wings spread; I knew things were looking good at that point. One more short flight as we approached again and she'd used about everything she had left, and I finished her shortly after that. Matthew was standing 10 yards away as I spotted her in the brush for the last shot, and when I told him we'd got her, he ran over to me and high-fived me a few times before wrapping me up in a huge bear hug. It was an awesome moment.

That's GREAT Greg! Congrats!

Good stuff!

Great story

OMG, that might be the coolest hunt I've ever heard of!! No way either one of you forgets that day.
It does'nt getmuch better, great job Greg!

Good story Greg....Congrats on the bird. Great way to get your son fired up and ready when the time comes

Shane

That is Awesome! Great story, memories made. Congrats!!

You have no idea.

Ishouldn't even try to describe how consumed that kid is with hunting but it's worth a try. [:-]
He will literally sit motionless in the bushes by his house for an hour ignoring the cold hoping for a shot at a sparrow with his bow. We would get mini lectures about passing up bucks or does each day as we would relay the events of our hunting........then he'd tell us why we DIDN'T kill a big buck. Then he will critique our shot placement on the ones we do kill.
He'll go from running around the basement playing football to immediate catatonic state in front of the TV as a big buck walks onto the screen.
His favorite toy for thetime I was therewas a mouse squeaker call so he could practice calling in Mt. Lions, and he practices "blood traling" his dad who pretends to be a deer he shot.
He was literally in tears at the thought of not being able to go to the taxidermist or the meat processor with us.......
and as you can see, can call turkeys better than many grownups I've heard using his voice.

I've never seen anything like it.

Congrats!!! Thats awesome!

No wonder the kid is like that, his dad has him all brainwashed.

He's going to be a hell of a hunter some day, that's for sure.