A day of first!!

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GLenn

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The Virginia special youth weekend of spring turkey season was unforgettable for me and my grandson (Mason) and his dad Ryan. Ryan and Mason are both novice hunters and have jumped in with both feet. They just started hunting with me two years ago and I managed to "guide" both to there first deer in 2021 with the Muzzy. I took both turkey hunting last spring but we never managed a shot but the gobbles at daybreak had them hooked big time.

Youth weekend was two weeks ago and Mason was ready. I had scouted for a week and had located multiple birds. One morning I drove down the woods road to where I had heard one at daybreak a couple of hours earlier. I stopped just to look up ahead and saw movement. And to my surprise there was not one bird but 5 long beards together. I backed out and had Ryan set up a blind two days before the opening Saturday.

The weather forecast was pretty bad. That was the strong cold front that was producing snow for many of you in the upper Midwest but our forecast was for strong winds and chance of showers. Winds of 30MPH at daybreak and gust to 50 during the day. Turkey hunting in the wind is usually poor and had I not been taking a very excited 11 YO I would have stayed in bed. But you "never know tell you go".

We eased down the woods road in the dark to the blind and got ready for daybreak. It was windy but I don't think it was 30 but it made hearing a gobble difficult. But we finally heard one at 6:30 that we could play with. I made a pretty loud opening series and got an immediate response so the game was on. I didn't call much and pretty softly when I did. This draged on for about 45 minutes. The bird had flown down and had moved closer. Then he quit gobbling. I told Mason and Ryan that now was when he was making his move and not to think he lost interest and moved on. Then two different birds gobble behind us. I made another call and the bird in front had moved much closer and to our left. A few minutes latter a really close gobble came from our front right. It was just over a little rise. I thought to myself that this was getting pretty intense even for me and I've been doing this for over 50 years. The wind was building and now the rain was beginning to fall. I had quit calling at this point. Then there was a flash of lighting and a clap of thunder.

Well, when that thunder went off there came double and triple gobbles!! Then Mason whispers, "I see them". Then I see them coming. 5 long beards in a tight pile. Now the rain is pouring and then another clap of thunder. Then all 5 start double and Tripple gobbling at the thunder about 35 yards out. I tell Mason to wait for them to come to the decoys. Wait for one to separate from the group. Aim for one head and neck. Don't shoot the whole bunch. I'm sure the boy was tired of me telling him what to do but I wanted him to get one worse then he did. They never came to the decoys for some reason and finally the last bird in the group dropped back from the group a couple of feet and I said shoot when you are ready.

Mason finally got the shot off and the bird dropped on the spot. It wasn't the largest bird ever but a 17# gobbler with 3/4" spurs and a double beard is pretty special to any turkey hunter. And it's really special when it's your first one.

image.jpeg

This was Mason's first turkey and the first time I had 5 long beards come at the same time and my first turkey hunt in a thunder storm.

In all my years I've only gotten one double bearded turkey and Mason's first had two.
image.jpeg

Now to get his dad his first is next on the list.
image.jpeg
 
The Virginia special youth weekend of spring turkey season was unforgettable for me and my grandson (Mason) and his dad Ryan. Ryan and Mason are both novice hunters and have jumped in with both feet. They just started hunting with me two years ago and I managed to "guide" both to there first deer in 2021 with the Muzzy. I took both turkey hunting last spring but we never managed a shot but the gobbles at daybreak had them hooked big time.

Youth weekend was two weeks ago and Mason was ready. I had scouted for a week and had located multiple birds. One morning I drove down the woods road to where I had heard one at daybreak a couple of hours earlier. I stopped just to look up ahead and saw movement. And to my surprise there was not one bird but 5 long beards together. I backed out and had Ryan set up a blind two days before the opening Saturday.

The weather forecast was pretty bad. That was the strong cold front that was producing snow for many of you in the upper Midwest but our forecast was for strong winds and chance of showers. Winds of 30MPH at daybreak and gust to 50 during the day. Turkey hunting in the wind is usually poor and had I not been taking a very excited 11 YO I would have stayed in bed. But you "never know tell you go".

We eased down the woods road in the dark to the blind and got ready for daybreak. It was windy but I don't think it was 30 but it made hearing a gobble difficult. But we finally heard one at 6:30 that we could play with. I made a pretty loud opening series and got an immediate response so the game was on. I didn't call much and pretty softly when I did. This draged on for about 45 minutes. The bird had flown down and had moved closer. Then he quit gobbling. I told Mason and Ryan that now was when he was making his move and not to think he lost interest and moved on. Then two different birds gobble behind us. I made another call and the bird in front had moved much closer and to our left. A few minutes latter a really close gobble came from our front right. It was just over a little rise. I thought to myself that this was getting pretty intense even for me and I've been doing this for over 50 years. The wind was building and now the rain was beginning to fall. I had quit calling at this point. Then there was a flash of lighting and a clap of thunder.

Well, when that thunder went off there came double and triple gobbles!! Then Mason whispers, "I see them". Then I see them coming. 5 long beards in a tight pile. Now the rain is pouring and then another clap of thunder. Then all 5 start double and Tripple gobbling at the thunder about 35 yards out. I tell Mason to wait for them to come to the decoys. Wait for one to separate from the group. Aim for one head and neck. Don't shoot the whole bunch. I'm sure the boy was tired of me telling him what to do but I wanted him to get one worse then he did. They never came to the decoys for some reason and finally the last bird in the group dropped back from the group a couple of feet and I said shoot when you are ready.

Mason finally got the shot off and the bird dropped on the spot. It wasn't the largest bird ever but a 17# gobbler with 3/4" spurs and a double beard is pretty special to any turkey hunter. And it's really special when it's your first one.

View attachment 33618

This was Mason's first turkey and the first time I had 5 long beards come at the same time and my first turkey hunt in a thunder storm.

In all my years I've only gotten one double bearded turkey and Mason's first had two.
View attachment 33619

Now to get his dad his first is next on the list.
View attachment 33620
Good read! Congrats and thanks for sharing that awesome hunt.
 
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