IdahoBugler
Well-known member
This may not be a big game animal but when Idaho allows youth to hunt at 10 it sure made my boy feel like he was a big time hunter. Cool thing with Idaho they allow youths to hunt a full week before everyone else. I had to do some finagling since the opener was on Easter. I informed the boy we had a whopping 5 hours to hunt so we could make it in time for Easter brunch. We left Saturday just in time to find some birds and see where the snowline was. From the get go we were into birds and I had to back out a couple of times to make sure we would have a good hunt in the morning. We roughed it in the truck and got up in plenty of time to be in what we thought was the right spot. It was just getting light and the woods were surprisingly quiet. We made it a ways in and still had no responses to our calls. Finally with plenty of light to hunt I got a call from a hen. We snuck a little closer and gave another call they sounded like they were close but in the tree. I made it 3 more steps and I was dead wrong, they were on the ground and running in. I hurried and sat down and Kawika was stuck in the open unprepared. A big tom was following 6 hens right into our laps. At 20 yards the hen busted our movements and the ordeal was over. I was bumming big time and just knew I blew it. Kawika was still in high spirits and knew the day had just begun.
We left the area and made it 100 yards when I heard another hen yelping. Walked up another 100 yards and let out a call. Just over a little rise 30 yards in front a gobble erupted. We found the closest tree and setup. A few calls later with some coxing, 4 jakes poked their heads over the rim at 20 yards. Kawika settled his nerves and made a great shot on his first turkey. Right after the shot he yelled, "I got him." He then took off like a shot after his bird. It was the greatest experience I have had in the woods. Enough story here are the pics.
Here was our setup. That is a decoy but the exact spot Kawika shot his bird.
A happy hunter.
A very proud father.
Time to head out of here.
We left the area and made it 100 yards when I heard another hen yelping. Walked up another 100 yards and let out a call. Just over a little rise 30 yards in front a gobble erupted. We found the closest tree and setup. A few calls later with some coxing, 4 jakes poked their heads over the rim at 20 yards. Kawika settled his nerves and made a great shot on his first turkey. Right after the shot he yelled, "I got him." He then took off like a shot after his bird. It was the greatest experience I have had in the woods. Enough story here are the pics.
Here was our setup. That is a decoy but the exact spot Kawika shot his bird.
A happy hunter.
A very proud father.
Time to head out of here.
