My son's first bird!
#1

My 10 yr-old shot his first deer last fall, and Saturday got his first turkey! He has been practicing for quite a while with the CVA Optima Elite 20ga, and used it to take his bird on the opening morning of the Illinos youth season.
We sat up in a blind before light and I was hoping and praying for at least a gobble on our hunt. We got that and more. They gobbled like crazy for us on the roost, and then 10 longbeards and about a dozen hens pitched into the field and slowly worked our way. The toms strutted and gobbled and put on a great show. A jake wondered off from the flock to investigate the decoys. Well, several of the hens followed him and they were all shoulder to shoulder in the decoys and he didn't have a safe shot. He sat there like a statue and waited for them to spread out. When they did I clucked and he raised his head. As soon as that jakes neck stretched out my son smoked him!
I am so proud of how well he did. Now I am just waiting for the day when he can start calling for me! Pics will follow when I get on the desktop computer-
rw
We sat up in a blind before light and I was hoping and praying for at least a gobble on our hunt. We got that and more. They gobbled like crazy for us on the roost, and then 10 longbeards and about a dozen hens pitched into the field and slowly worked our way. The toms strutted and gobbled and put on a great show. A jake wondered off from the flock to investigate the decoys. Well, several of the hens followed him and they were all shoulder to shoulder in the decoys and he didn't have a safe shot. He sat there like a statue and waited for them to spread out. When they did I clucked and he raised his head. As soon as that jakes neck stretched out my son smoked him!
I am so proud of how well he did. Now I am just waiting for the day when he can start calling for me! Pics will follow when I get on the desktop computer-
rw
#7

Congrats to your son and you. I brought out my 10 year old nephew last season, his first year, and had a jake at 20 yards but he hesitated and the bird walked away. The second day my brother and I put a nice Tom in front of him at 15 yards and the same deal happened. He claims he will shoot this year. I hope so because sleep deprivation isn't fun when the turkey walks away. All in all though it's great to be in the outdoors with a kid, teaching them how to hunt and live without the electronic devices. At least for a little while anyways.