.410 shot gun ... check
shotgun ......... check
shooting sticks.. check
blind... check
turkey calls... check
youth hunting permit... check
PB&J sandwiches... check
juice box..... check
camp chairs for small people.... check
So I am taking my niece Lauren out on her first turkey hunt. We have had a few days of shooting to make sure that she can hit what she needs to. We worked on her muzzle control and overall gun safety, she is ready. For the last two years, Lauren has been asking to go hunting with us. Last fall, we started working toward this day. I admit it she has me wrapped around her finger so I might be a bit biased. Well for the uninitiated, spring turkey hunting runs in two main varieties. There is the set up and call and try to pull in a tom or a jake from his harem and there is the the spot and stalk where you basically run around calling trying to get a tom to answer you and then you move in on them. Now turkeys have amazing eye sight and well spook very easily. Well my 9 year old niece does not have the legs I do so we are setting up and calling. Now some things I did not know. A. Getting a nine year old up at 330 am is not a nice thing. Now Lauren did very well. Well, first things first a breakfast to start the day. Here we go toast with PB&J
Then its time to get dressed and head on out for the orientation briefing and to set up for the day of hunting.
Now she is a small girl which is why we are using a .410 shotgun. Here she is sporting her shooting vest and required blaze orange hat, to prevent us from being shot by other hunters. Yes not many turkeys wear blaze orange, its a fashion thing.
Out we go and set up in our blind to see what we can get to come in. We set up on a boundry between timber and this field with our decoys out in front. We heard some shooting right off at dawn but this is the first weekend of early youth season. Not quite the peak time but hey we take what we can get. NOW comes in the 9 year old zone. Dawn was at 655 am.. we were set up at 530 am.. yeah do the math. For me its not a big deal to wait, for a 9 year old... .. wow .. we waited and talked about what we wanted to do. Dawn rose and we started to watch and listen and call. We heard some gobbling but nothing close by. We saw several batched to turkeys but couldn't pull the tom's off of their hens. All in all the first day was a bust no birds no shots. ahh well, about 1030 ish she was bored. My rule is, if it isn't fun we shouldn't be doing it. Lauren was getting bored so we broke camp and took off back home so she could make it in time for dance class. We cruised through the area to see all different species of ducks that were nesting in the area and talking about which ones we hunt and usually see.
As we drove around the preserve Lauren became rather quiet and alarm bells went off. After all, I used to get into all kinds of trouble as a kid, mostly when I was quiet. Quiet equals sneaky sneaky and sneaky means I am up to something. So I looked back to see what she was into and.. well .. girls are different I guess.
Aw well, we tried again the next morning, with a slightly revised list. Add in a Nintendo DS to help her pass the time and this is what you get.
Hunting is hard work. Well we lasted a bit longer, even in the blind I think we were moving too much and well we were not exactly quiet. After all one must have a serious face while hunting. Trying to keep her entertained. We had fun, it was not what I had hoped to accomplish but I tried. I had visions of her getting a turkey right off the bat, but it didn't happen. On the drive home from that second day, I hear from the back seat, " Uncle Mot, what am I going to hunt after turkeys?"
Mot: Well, little one we normally hunt ducks but you are not quite big enough to move up in shotguns to hunt ducks.
Lauren: Well I will grow at least 2 inches by then, well that be big enough?
Mot: We will see.
Lauren: Can I hunt deer?
Mot: Did you like Bambi?
Lauren: No, Deer taste good right?
Mot: Yes, little one they taste very good.
Lauren: OK can we hunt deer?
Mot: Yes we can.
Lauren: Okay
I have created a monster, and well I like it. Now to look for a new gun so that my niece and hunt deer.
It is going to be an interesting few years.
She did very very well getting up that early. Especially with Sam helping. :-) :-) :-)
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