I knew we were reaching the breaking point. Sitting at the base of a huge white oak tree, we were dealing with a stubborn ol’ gobbler that I knew was not going to show himself, or at least not right now.
The young man sitting on my right shoulder had done all that was asked of him in a difficult situation. This little turkey party had started like a lot of them do. There was lots of gobbling at first, and it seemed he was going to march right in and shake hands. This soon changed, of course, and his gobbling ceased at less than a hundred yards. Now we sat in silence except for the occasional cardinal or nuthatch filling up the quiet.
As he gripped a borrowed 20-gauge shotgun, I knew the kid next to me was in a strain — because I had been there many times before.
“It’s all part of turkey hunting,” I thought to myself, “and he needs to learn.”
(READ MORE: For the slumping turkey hunter, gobblers’ silence isn’t golden)
I glanced at the gun barrel for the 10th time and saw he was a trembling a little more as time went by. I decided enough was enough; no need to put him through the wringer on what was his second turkey hunt ever.
“Just relax for a minute, bud,” I said, knowing he would be relieved to hear it.
He had kept the gun barrel pointed in the direction we last heard the turkey for a good fifteen minutes; he was a real trooper.
“I would bet that ol’ turkey got with some of his girlfriends out there,” I told him. “We’ll just chill here a while and see what happens.”
I could see the kid visibly relax, and he smiled at the mention of the turkey having girlfriends. He was back to having fun, and I wanted to keep it that way.
This is certainly not the first time we have talked about this.
One of the things I believe I should do here in this platform as your humble outdoors scribe is keep reminding you of your duty to pass on our hunting heritage. Yes, and by “you,” I mean all of us who have spent much of our adult lives on the water and in the woods in pursuit of fish and game.
Many times we have talked here about various surveys when they come out that usually tell us the number of hunters in the US of A is going down. To get the hunter numbers back up to a sustainable level simply means we have to replace ourselves, those of us who are going to age out of the hunting experience.
The only way to do this, as I see it, is for experienced hunters to take those new to the sport into the fields and woodlands to go hunting. Nothing else will take the place of taking a kid (or an adult new hunter) out there to let them experience it for themselves. The hunting bug will either bite them or it won’t. For someone to become a lifelong hunter, it must come from within.
(READ MORE: When it comes to attracting new hunters, mentors matter)
We can, however, do things that will encourage this process to happen. We can till the soil that will nurture the new hunter.
The first thing, as I have said, is to just take them along. Kids, young people, often don’t expect a red carpet experience, they just want to go, to be part of the crew. They are usually not expecting to take a Boone and Crockett buck or a long-bearded gobbler every time. Kids just want to have fun, and you can help make this happen with a few simple rules.
Keep it light; don’t be so all-fired intent on taking the game you are after at all costs. If you are successful in taking the game you are after, fine, but don’t make this the only thing you are out there for. If your young protégé wants to nap in the blind or eat a lot of snacks (which you need to have on hand), go with the flow. Don’t overexert your little hunter, because while long walks may seem necessary to you, remember what it felt like when you were a kid and consider that “the shorter the legs, the longer the mile.” Keep the hikes short at first, and the whole outing may not need to be overly long. If you see enthusiasm waning and/or little people getting tired, cut the trip short or do something else.
On that do something else note, try to be flexible in that a turkey or squirrel outing may turn into climbing and swinging on grapevines, looking for morel mushrooms, throwing rocks in the lake, or any one of a hundred things from the mind of a child. They have the imagination and sense of wonder that can make the day a success if you tune in to it yourself.
Turkey hunting in itself has many facets that can encourage a young hunter to try and become a part of hunt. If a kid wants to call for turkeys, let them. Give them their own call, give a little instruction, then turn them loose. Not letting a new hunter do this and be a part of the hunt is a sure way to discourage them.
Is this the best way to absolutely ensure you are going to drag home a dead turkey? No. But do you know how it will boost a kid’s enthusiasm and the joy of the day if they’re playing with a box call and a gobbler suddenly answers? I have seen it happen, and believe me, it is a milestone for a young hunter and one they will never forget.
Take that kid turkey hunting.
“Guns & Cornbread” is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.