Iowa Youth Season

[chadly]

The opener predicted 25mph winds gusting to 40mph with sleet and snow.  27 degrees at sunrise.  It had been a long week and I told the kids we would skip the opening day as the weather was poor and I was tired.  It proved to be a good choice as we woke up to what had been predicted.  We were working on school work when my daughter said "dad two turkey out the window".  I've lived here 18 years and never seen a turkey before.  That sighting got us excited and we decided to head out. 
Makayla was up first.  She just turned 13 and is one of the sweetest kindest little girls you will ever meet.  We hit the woods just a few minutes before noon.  We were back to the truck in less than an hour.  It was a quick hunt.  Right place right time I guess.  As we walked in and some crows sounded off and with that two toms did as well.  We called and they answered.  They were not together.  We made a few moves calling each location.  Finally we settled in for the last spot.  He came in strutting the whole way.  He was alone and looking hard for us.  At 30 yards he fell out of strut and looked right at us.  I'm not sure if saw us or not.  Did not matter it was all over for him.  25lbs 5oz.  Monster bird but not much for spurs.  We were on the board and excited to say the least.  My favorite part was as we sneaked and moved from one place to another she would reach out and hold my hand.
Joshua 15 years old was up next (no picture).  The weather predictions were perfect for Saturday.  This was his 9th and final year for the youth hunt.  He is a seasoned pro for a kid.  He knows the drill and is so fun to hunt with.  Quiet, still, and belly crawl or whatever is necessary.  He's an excellent shot and very patient.  I don't have to explain things to him.  He's been there and done that.  We hunted 6 hours and worked 4 different birds.  The closest we could get was 60 yards.  No bird for him.  However, here in Iowa his tag is good for the adult season so we have more time.
Josiah was next at 10 years old.  I was blessed with twins and he is the younger of the two.  He is a silly boy with a natural funniness about him.  He keeps everyone laughing and never stops moving or talking.  Ever!   He has not been interested in turkey hunting until this year.  This would be his first hunt.  We did not hear much noise from the roost but boy oh boy did they hammer when they got on the ground and continued all morning.  We moved as close as we could to some birds and we watched them for a couple hours.  They were 150 to 200 yards away but stayed in the same place.  There were three toms and they were getting busy with the hens one after another.  We could not move or they would see us.  At one point two of the toms joined forces to beat the third bird up.  They chased him around and right past us at about 10 yards.  Josiah could not get on them and off they went.  We continued to watch and within time it happened again.  This time they saw us and paused just long enough for him to pull the trigger.  First hunt and first bird.  Lucky kid.  Just under 22lbs.
Finally this morning Elijah had his turn.  He is the twin to Josiah.  He has a big heart and is very compassionate.  I wrote about him last year as he got his first turkey and cried after realizing he had taken a life.  At that point he said he did not think he wanted to hunt again.  Throughout the year every time I would make a pot pie or jerky I would tell him that this was the bird he shot.  He felt proud to provide for the family and decided we needed more turkey meat and there was only one way to get it.  He was the most excited of the kids to get out and hunt.  We got to our spot to have the local farm dog chase our truck to the parking lot.  He barked nonstop as we got ready.  We then walked a quarter mile to our listening spot.  That stupid mutt continued on for 20 minutes nonstop.  No birds made any noise anywhere.  And I knew there were birds in the area. The barking had silenced them.   It was getting light and we had nowhere to go.  Finally we heard a hen yelp.  I was hoping she had a silent friend.  We had no other options so we headed that direction.   She yelped and again and we headed right to her.  It was much lighter than I would have liked so we moved with extreme caution.  Elijah grabbed my arm and said, "look dad" as he pointed.  There were two turkeys in a tree 75 yards away.  We hit the dirt and crawled a few more feet up to a tree we could hide behind.  The tree is behind him in the picture.  It had a split in it and I told him he would have to stand and shoot through if he had a chance.  Just then a gobble rings out real close.  I let out a light yelp and scratched some leafs just to let him know that we were there and on the ground.  I did not hear him fly down but he made his appearance immediately.  He was on mission and coming our way.  He stopped at a downed tree 20 yards away and Elijah pulled the trigger.  The two other birds we saw were still in the tree.  It was a quick and fun hunt.  23.5lbs. 
I'm blessed beyond measure to be the father of these four kids.  We are all blessed to have these hunts this year.  Life is short.  Have fun.  Enjoy family.   I wish you good luck and be safe in the turkey woods. 

[Dtrkyman]

Awesome hunts, I am Iowa bound in a week!

[JeffC]

Congrats to your young lady and young gentlemen, Awesome job Dad on pictures and telling the story! Good luck Joshua, look forward to your story and pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[btomlin]

Congrats, kids!! 

[Turkeybutt]

Congrats to all of you! You should be very proud of what you accomplished.
Dad great job!

[Yoteduster]

Congrats to the kids and you good job and thanks for posting the story

[toneloc]

Unbelievable success.  Congrats....sounds like a great bunch of hunts and regular season not yet started!

[Zobo]

Way to go, nice gobblers!

[tomstopper]

That's fantastic. Congratulations to all of these kids. Very cool

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[2eagles]

Happy for you and the crew!!

[richard black]

That is excellent, congratulations to all of you on several nice birds. Family is everything. Thank you for sharing with us.

[chadly]

thanks for all the kind words.  It was a fun weekend.  Looking forward to more hunting.  Stay safe and enjoy your hunts. 

[Wigsplitter]

Great job dad!! Nice pictures as well!! Don't get no better than you kid getting a gobbler in my book!!

[owlhoot]

Congrats, great job kids  And Dad. Seems like  those kids  have stacked up a few?

[tbowers]

Sweet! I bow hunted in SE IA last year after waiting 5 years, there are birds everywhere. I wish a NR license wasnt $350!!!! Thats insane