I was a younger man when I carried this kid on my shoulders with a summit tree stand strapped to my back and a bow in my hand. My feet were much lighter though it’s only been about a dozen years.
I bought him a little green bow and he truly believed he was going to kill a deer that day. He had one fiberglass arrow clutched in his hand that wasn’t strangling me on the hike in across the marsh.
He got mad at me when a month later we followed a blood trail to it’s now deceased source and he saw the stark life and death honesty of a broadhead.
A few years later and he was carrying a daisy BB gun along on afternoon squirrel hunts and shooting 3d with me.
I’ll never forget the day at the age of ten he killed his first turkey. A jake, (I’ve never been prouder of any turkey, or any person for that matter.) It was 5:55 in the morning by my watch when he pulled the trigger and yelled “I got him papa!” That time is etched solidly in my memory.
He’s followed behind me for a long time. Sometimes asking me to slow down, once standing and crying because he walked into a bunch of wild rose thorns and couldn’t get out of the mess without the thorns cutting him and of course I carried him that day too if only a few yards….
Over the last six seasons he’s been my constant turkey hunting partner. We’ve killed quite a few birds together and it has been our custom to pray together in the pre dawn and share a celebratory hug when I called a bird in to one of our guns and either he or I filled a tag. Either way we have been happy to share the time, the hunt the sound of the world waking up while we watch and listen to it.
We hunted a bird together that we named the ridge king and though it took a few seasons we killed that him together with my call and his shotgun.
We hunted a lot of birds together and he listened to all of my stories and asked a lot of questions. He honestly believed I had some actual turkey wisdom to pass on to him. Over the past 6 seasons he’s killed some great birds. And I’ve been blessed to share these hunts and these birds with him.
This spring it’s been different. He turned 16 last fall and got a job and a truck and even though I warned him, he got a girlfriend. It seems he doesn’t listen any better than his old man.
His schedule is filled a lot with these new things so I’ve been hunting solo and so has he. We agree that it’s not the same, not as fun. So we’re making plans to hunt out of state next spring. We’ve arrived at the point of having to plan our time together.
He’s been asking a lot of advice this spring (his first solo season) and he’s made all of the typical mistakes. He’s moved when he shouldn’t, set up wrong, busted birds walking in, had birds that wouldn’t commit, over called etc etc. he’s been frustrated but he’s stuck with it.
He hunted this morning, I knew because his bedroom door was open when I rolled out for work at 4:30. His truck was gone when I looked out the window while making coffee. I picked up my phone and fired off a text. Telling him to be careful ( yeah he’s still my kid) and “good luck”. I didn’t expect to hear back. I knew where he’d be, no cell reception up there.
I went about the business of getting ready to go to work.
I was pouring my second cup when my phone rang. It was the kid. It was a face time video call. I knew what was up immediately and his usual smile was proof of that. I could hear wings beating against his legs over the phone. I knew he was standing on a Toms head. He gave me the play by play as I drank my morning coffee. It was good to have that conversation. I was honored and humbled that his first thought was to include me. The enormity of that was not lost. He’s become a turkey hunter. He doesn’t need me to call, scout or lead him to a bird. It’s the yin and Yang of raising and teaching your best friend to love the same things that bring you immeasurable joy. I’m
Very proud.
When we hung up I noticed the time on my cell phone…. 6:07 I wonder what time it was when he pulled the trigger?
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