2025 documenting hunts / another Ben series

[BenP]

Was trying to decide if I wanted to continue in the 2024 thread as turkey season is included in the previous year regulations and tags but decided I'll keep it to actual year it happens in.

So youth turkey is coming up in a couple weeks and the 6 (J) year old wants to go. I'll take him and the 11 (G) year old together but J gets first shot.

Had him practice today with the .22 and .410 and he did excellent and didn't want to stop shooting. Totally different experience from G my oldest who needs a pep talk every season to gain the courage to shoot. I don't know why he get nervous to take the first shot each time but once he gets that first one he is good and wants to keep shooting.

J has no fear or hesitation with it.





Bought some TSS to improve his odds of success and had him shoot one to pattern it and see the max distance. That costed 24 minutes of my work life for one shot.

Just need to print some more turkey targets and have him practice on that and then he will be ready.

 

[duckhunt]

Looking forward to following along.

 

[rjthehunter]

Great to see! Kids are so different from one to another.

My girlfriend has a 5 year old, and he's been slowly starting to show interest in hunting & fishing. He was with when I shot my whitetail buck this year. He's still a mommas boy, but that'll happen when you don't have a male figure in your life.

It's exciting to see Kids of a similar age who wants to go. Brings me some hope still!

 

[WildWill]

Had him practice today with the .22 and .410 and he did excellent and didn't want to stop shooting. Totally different experience from G my oldest who needs a pep talk every season to gain the courage to shoot. I don't know why he get nervous to take the first shot each time but once he gets that first one he is good and wants to keep shooting.

J has no fear or hesitation with it.

I have a very similar situation. My boy loves shooting, hunting, fishing, all of it no coxing needed. My daughters is a different animal altogether she's not fascinated by firearms and just as content to watch wildlife as run a hook or bullet through it. She's saved a few deers lives by calling me off in the blind. Recently while sighting her brothers 410 in she asked to shoot and did quite well when I asked her if she'd like to kill a turkey. With no hesitation she answered Nah and ran off to play.

 

[typhoon916]

Following

 

[BenP]

A few more shots today with the mask on to make sure he could see fine. First shot was deadly.

Have two toms with 3 hens on the property so hopefully we get a double in the morning.

 

[BenP]

On Friday after shooting the gun J and I went to roost the birds. But first to take the trash off and right after I got back in the truck he starts telling me "dad, dad there's a wasp in here.

I open the door to let it out and then the crying starts. He got stung on his right hand ring finger. The wasp was in one of the back seat gun sling holders and J put his hand in there and got stung. So that started off great but he was still good enough to go turkey looking.

Get to the spot and the turkeys are on the path which spooks them some. They run down the field and chill. But right before sunset they get spooky again and ran to the woods right where there is a point. So I couldn't see if they roosted on the left of it or the right.

 

[BenP]

Took a gamble this morning on which side of the point to set up on and I chose the left. So, woke the boys up at 0445 and get them ready and met my middle brother up there to get set up.

Bunch of owl calling and some gobbling which was the first sign that they roosted on the right side. Maybe when they fly down they will come to this side of the point... long story short, they didn't. So with them not able to see us I decided to pack out so that the kids could get breakfast and maybe try again this afternoon. J can't go long without eating before he starts to "wither" away so didn't want to get stuck into late morning if the turkeys moved to a spot where they could see us leaving.

 

[BenP]

Today was not my day with turkeys. We went out in the afternoon and turns out the hens crossed the path and were in the woods on the side and the toms were still on the other side from this morning. So once we parked and i was looking around I noticed them through the swamp walking away spooked to the woods where they roosted at.

Bummer so was going to go around the woods and try and set up (didn't know the hen was on the other side at this point) once we got on the road J said he wanted to go back home to be with his chicks that we bought today after the morning hunt and to be with mom. So went to take him home and then had to drive into the county to drop him off with mom.

She went to see her dad as a farm hand tried to plow a power pole and ripped the line off some peoples houses.

So it was G and me for the afternoon.
Went to the other side of the woods and looked around and didn't see anything. Went to the front and saw the hen so figured the toms were going to be on that side with her.

Nope by the time we got back the side the toms were out in the field. Tried to sneak through the swamp to get into a position where I knew they would come for roost but couldn't make it far enough before it got too swampy and couldn't get into the field without the birds busting so watched them go into the woods and then we came out.

Did walk up on a rabbit in the open part of woods and was only 5 feet away without it moving. G loved seeing that and a green tree frog.

Maybe Monday afternoon. Depends how the pregnant wife feels.