Iowa Youth Season

[chadly]

Hunting with kids is joy to say the least but it also presents its challenges.  As the kids get older and have more experiences under their belts I find it even more of a joy.  This is the second year of no blind and no decoys.  Run and gun is what I love and run and gun is what we did. 
Elijah age 11 was first to score.  Three years ago I wrote about his first bird and how upset he was after realizing he took the life of a bird.  I thought he may never hunt again.  He bounced back and hunted last year with no issues.  He is now of my four the most excited about hunting which says a lot as they all love it.  It was on his second outing that we were watching a tom deep in the timber with hens for about an hour.  He did not give two spits about my calls.  As time went on and hens were slowing leaving him I called and two different birds answered.  They continued to gobble every few minutes.  They were a long ways off but coming our way.  Eventually I guessed they were in the 150 yard range and as they gobbled the bird we had been watching was now alone.  Hens had left him.  As the two gobbled he would gobble.  It was as if they were in a gobble contest.  His head turned red and he headed our way.  There was a small ditch he needed to cross.  Turkeys and ditches, creeks, fences you know the deal.  He paced back and forth at the ditch 75 yards away.  90 degrees to our left I caught movement.  The two toms were 25 yards.  Not in a million years would I have guessed they were that close.  A quick shift and they saw us.  They both stuck their heads up and he pulled the trigger.  24lbs 2oz bird.  We were thrilled.
Next was Makayla age 14.  On our first hunt we had what I thought to be 3 gobblers working our way.  Answered every call I made.  They were so close but we could not see them.  Every time I scratched the leaves they would thunder.  We could hear them drum and scratch.  They worked their way around us and finally just out of range went 5 toms.  They worked off to private ground.  It was an intense hunt that I would have put money we were getting a bird.  I would lost my cash on that one.  It was the second time out that we had another incredible hunt.  Called him in from a long way and he stopped on a nob 45 yards away and gobbled and strutted for 10 minutes before he saw something he did not like and boogered off.  We decided since it was really early we would head back to the car and try another spot.  On the way to the car we saw some birds in a field.  We reposition a good distance from where we were knowing from past experience where they enter the timber.  We got lucky and they passed right by at 20 yards.  20lbs 2oz with super long snood.  I love long snoods.
Josiah age 11 twin to Elijah was next.  Our first morning was a bust.  Our second morning seamed to repeat the first.  There were some birds to the south of us on private but that was it.  We decided early that we would move to 100 yards of the property line and do some calling and play a game wordle.  First call and a tom answered as did a jake from different direction of each other.  Then a hen lit up.  She went absolutely nuts for 10 minutes.  Barely stopped to breath.  She just kept at it and there were more birds in the area than I had realized.  She had about 8 birds answer her.  We watched as she faded across the field alone.  I made some more calls and both the tom and jake answered.  It was this point I knew this was going to happen.  I could hear him drum long before I could see him.  He passed by at 30 yards and I slipped the safety off and told Josiah to shoot when he could.  Well him sitting a solid head height lower that me he never saw the bird with all the multiflora.  It moved to the field to our right and strutted and gobbled at 50 yards.  No way is he coming back.  He's a turkey in an open area.  Here I am come to me!  I told my son I think we are cooked when two jakes appeared.  One strutting and gobbling.  It happened quick and let him decide if he wanted shoot.  That bird never flopped.  I'm not fan of shooting jakes but we were excited to have a bird.  We were pleasantly pleased when we walked up on him.  He was huge.  18lbs.  Never seen one that big before. 
Thanks for reading, be safe, and enjoy the sights and sounds of creation.  It's always a joy to be in the turkey woods.

[JeffC]

Congrats Elijah, Makayla and Josiah on great hunts, thanks Dad for sharing, enjoy while you can, they grow up fast. By best hunt was with my son, now lives 6 hours away...

[captpete]

Congrats to the 3 young hunters and to you for getting them out there!

[Marc]

Great stuff right there!  And nice photos!!!

How long is the youth season?  Lucky man, and obviously a good turkey hunter, and patient father to be able to get 3 kids out for successful hunts...

Those how have not take a child out have no idea...  And then to run & gun to boot?  Good, good, stuff there.

[Turkeybutt]

Way to go dad! Congrats to all the kids on great hunts and making memories with your father.

[chadly]

Great stuff right there!  And nice photos!!!

How long is the youth season?  Lucky man, and obviously a good turkey hunter, and patient father to be able to get 3 kids out for successful hunts...

Those how have not take a child out have no idea...  And then to run & gun to boot?  Good, good, stuff there.

Our youth season is 3 days!  It starts on good friday and ends Easter.  Anyone with kids is busy those days so it stinks to say the least.  However, the youth tag can be used during the adult seasons.  I talked to DNR to some extent on this a few years back.  The youth season used to be 9 days.  DNR said so many people complained that the youth season was too long and messed up there seasons that they changed it.  I don't agree with that but it is what it is.