Persistence pays off for a local youth turkey hunter
The last few youth turkey seasons have been tough at best. Those that have stuck it out and finally harvested a bird learned one of the best lessons life can offer.
For once the weather man was wrong and in a dry direction this time. With rain forecasted in our area this past weekend, young turkey hunters were preparing for another cold, wet hunt. I wasn't excited about another soaked bird weekend, and was ready for a struggle. Your most important thing to remember as a turkey hunter is to never give up. Keep on trying even when things are not working out and the weather isn't cooperating. This die-hard attitude tends to pay off even for the least experienced of hunters. Keeping a positive attitude can make all the difference when times get tough. Learning to deal with adversity and react in a manner that makes the best of the situation is a life skill that will surely be used by a youth hunter in the future.
Turkey hunters woke to a frozen winter looking environment this past Saturday. This was only the second time in my life that I would be turkey hunting in the snow. This type of weather has a negative effect on the birds, and typically sends you home cold and empty-handed. Rather than head out at first light, we chose to let it warm up a bit and hopefully heat the birds up, too. I have found on cold mornings that gobbling and breeding activity tends to be suppressed. As the day progresses and the sun rises, heat is generated, which gets the birds excited. An otherwise tight-lipped gobbler will sometimes holler his fool head off when he finally gets a taste of sun.
Kody Olsen was my youth hunter again, and we were determined to get it done. He had hunted with me the previous two seasons, but we were only able to get close once. The weather made it nearly impossible to tag a bird, which isn't easy most of the time even on the best of days. Kody was dropped off by his father at 8 a.m. Having been injured on the job, he was unable to join us, but still made sure to get his child out. This is the factor that dictates the success of every hunter. Getting into the woods is the first and most important step in the battle. Most of the time a turkey hunter’s biggest enemy is his or her own pillow.
We started out on a section of state forest. After walking to several locations and calling to no avail, I felt it was still a bit too cold out. By 9 a.m., the snow was beginning to melt in the woods and you could feel it warming up. We moved on to another section of state land and covered several more miles. Still no birds, but not a complaint from Kody.
In all the time I have hunted with him he has never whined about a single thing. He was keeping his head in the game, which almost always ends up with a successful outcome. It was now about 10 a.m., and it was time for another move. We headed to some private land where I have harvested several birds. I told Kody that gobblers usually don't show up here until around 11 after they have flown down and left the roost. The birds head uphill to some green and corn fields, and return to the woods several hours later. This gives you time to go other places and save this spot for a last-ditch effort.
We hiked about a mile to our set-up location and put the decoys out. It was now 10:30 a.m. and I started calling. At almost 11 on the button ,Kody turned to me and said he heard a gobble.
As we turkey hunters know, everything sounds like a gobble when you want to hear one. I wasn't sure he actually had heard a bird or if he was being tricked again. With another calling sequence, my question was answered. A gobble thundered back at my call, and I knew we were in the game. He was coming in slow and not answering every call, but was getting closer. We still hadn't determined which direction the bird was approaching from. I told Kody that was the next thing we had to do. The bird was still over 250 yards away when we figured out he was coming up the hill. It's odd how hard it can be to pinpoint a bird’s location, but is super important to position yourself facing the bird. Our decoys were set up for a different approach, so we opted to get up and get the decoys between the bird and ourselves.
I let out a call as soon as we were re-positioned, and the bird instantly hammered back. I knew we had gotten away with the move, and that the bird was now under 200 yards out and closing fast. The bird then went silent as many do, and I almost messed it all up. It's hard to know when to call sometimes, and if you do, it can give away your position. On other times, your lack of calling causes the bird to lose interest and walk off. I chose to call and got no response.
I now knew to bite my lip and wait, he was surely sneaking in. Not two minutes later, I see his head periscope above a small rise. They do this a lot, and it's super hard to see that small head. One movement and the hunt is blown. I wasn't sure Kody saw the bird, but he was sitting super still and I wasn't too worried.
The gobbler went into full strut several times as he slowly peaked the hill looking directly at us. My final call had allowed the bird to pinpoint our location, and he was looking hard for the hen. The problem with this is you can get spotted as the bird looks. It's best for the bird to come in not totally sure where the call was coming from, so it's harder for the bird to pick you out. Kody had his gun pointed at the bird, but it was out of range and skirting us to the left side. As the bird passed behind a large tree, I saw Kody make his swing. The bird stepped out from behind the tree and fanned out one more time. He was now under 30 yards out and raised his head up high to give us a look. I gave Kody the shoot call and removed my hands from my camera readying myself for the shot. The safety popped and the bird flopped followed by the loud report and cloud of smoke.
Kody had finally joined the ranks of a successful turkey hunter and the next generation of conservationist was born. I so enjoyed helping this fine young man on his journey and feel blessed to have played a role in his outdoor education. It was such a reward to see his hands trembling over 15 minutes after the shot was taken. Hooked for life would be an understatement. Congratulations on your harvest Kody and remember nearly anything is possible if you believe in yourself and never give up!
Good wishes and happy harvesting. Turkey season begins tomorrow, May 1.
For once the weather man was wrong and in a dry direction this time. With rain forecasted in our area this past weekend, young turkey hunters were preparing for another cold, wet hunt. I wasn't excited about another soaked bird weekend, and was ready for a struggle. Your most important thing to remember as a turkey hunter is to never give up. Keep on trying even when things are not working out and the weather isn't cooperating. This die-hard attitude tends to pay off even for the least experienced of hunters. Keeping a positive attitude can make all the difference when times get tough. Learning to deal with adversity and react in a manner that makes the best of the situation is a life skill that will surely be used by a youth hunter in the future.
Turkey hunters woke to a frozen winter looking environment this past Saturday. This was only the second time in my life that I would be turkey hunting in the snow. This type of weather has a negative effect on the birds, and typically sends you home cold and empty-handed. Rather than head out at first light, we chose to let it warm up a bit and hopefully heat the birds up, too. I have found on cold mornings that gobbling and breeding activity tends to be suppressed. As the day progresses and the sun rises, heat is generated, which gets the birds excited. An otherwise tight-lipped gobbler will sometimes holler his fool head off when he finally gets a taste of sun.
Kody Olsen was my youth hunter again, and we were determined to get it done. He had hunted with me the previous two seasons, but we were only able to get close once. The weather made it nearly impossible to tag a bird, which isn't easy most of the time even on the best of days. Kody was dropped off by his father at 8 a.m. Having been injured on the job, he was unable to join us, but still made sure to get his child out. This is the factor that dictates the success of every hunter. Getting into the woods is the first and most important step in the battle. Most of the time a turkey hunter’s biggest enemy is his or her own pillow.
We started out on a section of state forest. After walking to several locations and calling to no avail, I felt it was still a bit too cold out. By 9 a.m., the snow was beginning to melt in the woods and you could feel it warming up. We moved on to another section of state land and covered several more miles. Still no birds, but not a complaint from Kody.
In all the time I have hunted with him he has never whined about a single thing. He was keeping his head in the game, which almost always ends up with a successful outcome. It was now about 10 a.m., and it was time for another move. We headed to some private land where I have harvested several birds. I told Kody that gobblers usually don't show up here until around 11 after they have flown down and left the roost. The birds head uphill to some green and corn fields, and return to the woods several hours later. This gives you time to go other places and save this spot for a last-ditch effort.
We hiked about a mile to our set-up location and put the decoys out. It was now 10:30 a.m. and I started calling. At almost 11 on the button ,Kody turned to me and said he heard a gobble.
As we turkey hunters know, everything sounds like a gobble when you want to hear one. I wasn't sure he actually had heard a bird or if he was being tricked again. With another calling sequence, my question was answered. A gobble thundered back at my call, and I knew we were in the game. He was coming in slow and not answering every call, but was getting closer. We still hadn't determined which direction the bird was approaching from. I told Kody that was the next thing we had to do. The bird was still over 250 yards away when we figured out he was coming up the hill. It's odd how hard it can be to pinpoint a bird’s location, but is super important to position yourself facing the bird. Our decoys were set up for a different approach, so we opted to get up and get the decoys between the bird and ourselves.
I let out a call as soon as we were re-positioned, and the bird instantly hammered back. I knew we had gotten away with the move, and that the bird was now under 200 yards out and closing fast. The bird then went silent as many do, and I almost messed it all up. It's hard to know when to call sometimes, and if you do, it can give away your position. On other times, your lack of calling causes the bird to lose interest and walk off. I chose to call and got no response.
I now knew to bite my lip and wait, he was surely sneaking in. Not two minutes later, I see his head periscope above a small rise. They do this a lot, and it's super hard to see that small head. One movement and the hunt is blown. I wasn't sure Kody saw the bird, but he was sitting super still and I wasn't too worried.
The gobbler went into full strut several times as he slowly peaked the hill looking directly at us. My final call had allowed the bird to pinpoint our location, and he was looking hard for the hen. The problem with this is you can get spotted as the bird looks. It's best for the bird to come in not totally sure where the call was coming from, so it's harder for the bird to pick you out. Kody had his gun pointed at the bird, but it was out of range and skirting us to the left side. As the bird passed behind a large tree, I saw Kody make his swing. The bird stepped out from behind the tree and fanned out one more time. He was now under 30 yards out and raised his head up high to give us a look. I gave Kody the shoot call and removed my hands from my camera readying myself for the shot. The safety popped and the bird flopped followed by the loud report and cloud of smoke.
Kody had finally joined the ranks of a successful turkey hunter and the next generation of conservationist was born. I so enjoyed helping this fine young man on his journey and feel blessed to have played a role in his outdoor education. It was such a reward to see his hands trembling over 15 minutes after the shot was taken. Hooked for life would be an understatement. Congratulations on your harvest Kody and remember nearly anything is possible if you believe in yourself and never give up!
Good wishes and happy harvesting. Turkey season begins tomorrow, May 1.
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