What would you do?

[bmhern]

Not saying this is right or wrong but if I am in front of a gobbler coming my way, I do nothing but let him come and get ready. If I did call and they answer, I do nothing, let him make the next move, that will dictate what you need to do, maybe get your gun up and be ready as he may slip right up on you. There are no set rules, all birds are different. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Kevin6Q]

When I go hunting with kids I just assume we'll get busted no matter what we do. My 12 y.o. son has busted us by looking at his watch, clapping his feet together, deciding he can sneak up on them, coughing, playing with calls, and the list goes on and on and on. He has hunted with a bow, a shotgun and always wants to run and gun them. Sitting just makes him jumpy so we try to find birds he can crawl around in the mud and try to get close. He calls and has a great time but I also figure we're having a good time in the woods together and he has a great appreciation for hunting and has started reading some turkey books (Bad Birds, A Fork in the Road)  for his independent reading at school. He has been hunting with me since he was 10 and this will be his 5th season (2 spring and 2 falls under his belt). By absolutely dumb luck and divine intervention by the Gods of Thunder he shot himself a 12 pound hen this past fall. He was super excited and helped me smoke the breast to bring to a family gathering to share. He was super proud to tell his hunting story. That one bird was preceded by twenty or thirty encounters.

Unsolicited advice about hunting with kids but just let them have fun and don't let them know your head is about to explode becasue you spent hours scouting, setting up and calling just so they could fidget and send away the trophy bird. If chasing turkeys is fun and they enjoy themselves there will be plenty of time to fill tags. Let them think they screwed up and missed out you'll be chasing birds by yourself for decades. Net time your in the same situation, get a visual before handing them the gobble call, slate, goose or owl call and sit back and enjoy the fiasco. When the birds run off congratulate the kid on having a go and ask them what the next move is. Chase those birds eben if you are sure it's not going to work.

Out with a kid with no blind just running and gunning for gobblers ; I tip my hat to you.

[WAGinVA]

Everyone with kids should read the previous response.  I wanted much too badly for my son to kill a gobbler during his youth seasons.  He did not like to get up early and never was really excited about hunting.  I could have waited until latter in the day and just let him have fun but I did not.  He is now a third year dental student that I am extremely proud of but has very little interest in turkey hunting.  The previous thread is great advice, you only get one chance.

[hobbes]

If I had slipped ahead and sat down, but couldn't see them once I got there..........I would have called to them.  Unless I can see the bird walking toward me, I call to them to check their location. 

However, I would have started soft and sweet and I don't gobble or carry a fan.  I also would have expected that the lone tom may have been my best chance to kill one of them, and he may have possibly given the three an incentive to check me out before he showed up. 

[TrackeySauresRex]

   I think if it would have been me alone without a kid who couldn't sit still, I would have waited longer.  I was trying to make something happen quick because he was moving all over the place.

Ahhhhhh,the good Ol days Lolol! I know what that feels like,and wouldn't trade it for the world. I will say this... That kid is going to turnout to be a great turkey hunter. Keep him coming.

[Farmboy27]

When I go hunting with kids I just assume we'll get busted no matter what we do. My 12 y.o. son has busted us by looking at his watch, clapping his feet together, deciding he can sneak up on them, coughing, playing with calls, and the list goes on and on and on. He has hunted with a bow, a shotgun and always wants to run and gun them. Sitting just makes him jumpy so we try to find birds he can crawl around in the mud and try to get close. He calls and has a great time but I also figure we're having a good time in the woods together and he has a great appreciation for hunting and has started reading some turkey books (Bad Birds, A Fork in the Road)  for his independent reading at school. He has been hunting with me since he was 10 and this will be his 5th season (2 spring and 2 falls under his belt). By absolutely dumb luck and divine intervention by the Gods of Thunder he shot himself a 12 pound hen this past fall. He was super excited and helped me smoke the breast to bring to a family gathering to share. He was super proud to tell his hunting story. That one bird was preceded by twenty or thirty encounters.

Unsolicited advice about hunting with kids but just let them have fun and don't let them know your head is about to explode becasue you spent hours scouting, setting up and calling just so they could fidget and send away the trophy bird. If chasing turkeys is fun and they enjoy themselves there will be plenty of time to fill tags. Let them think they screwed up and missed out you'll be chasing birds by yourself for decades. Net time your in the same situation, get a visual before handing them the gobble call, slate, goose or owl call and sit back and enjoy the fiasco. When the birds run off congratulate the kid on having a go and ask them what the next move is. Chase those birds eben if you are sure it's not going to work.

Out with a kid with no blind just running and gunning for gobblers ; I tip my hat to you.

Agreed it's all about the kid having fun!  But I also believe it's about teaching them the nature of the sport and safety. My kid started hunting turkeys at 6 and we never used a blind. It's up to the parent to know when their kid is ready to start learning the game and then when they're ready to start playing the game. When I first started hunting with the gang driving for deer my dad made me walk most of the drives. He said "if you want to do this then you're going to learn the hard parts right away!"  And although I don't know your specific situation, I would never allow my son to try to sneak up on a bird. Not only is it a difficult thing to do bit in certain cases it's also a very dangerous thing to do. I'm not trying to be critical but I believe in showing new hunters the typical way that hunting is done. Sure it's not always fun and I always give my son the option to go home whenever he is ready. But when we are hunting we are doing it seriously and he loves it.

[Kevin6Q]

Farmboy27, no criticism taken. Safety is THE number one priority when we hunt or use firearms or other weapons. I skipped over the safety part to avoid being too preachy. Most all of the sneaking up upon happens after we're busted and the birds are heading to the far treeline. In cut corn the sight lines are a few hundred yards and I don't think he ever closed to within 200 yards of anything. We talk about about safety quite a lot and he has backed off when he figured the chase might compromise his well being. The solo chases are also with a bow which can be dangerous are much less so then a gun. His firearm habits are very good.

I'm a big believer in  experiential learning and we can talk about woodsmanship all we want but until you see the cause and effect it is mostly talk.  We talk about movement and being still and how to gain a good position etc. I let Nate dictate what we do and he's learned a lot. The bird he shot was all his. I was mostly a driver and legal adult. He even took his mom to the game reporting station.

[Bill Cooksey]

I was lucky with both of my boys (youngest just killed his last youth season turkey on the TN opener). I don't use a blind, and it's a very rare situation if I sit anywhere for more than about 20 minutes, so it made it easier to keep their interest.

One suggestion on making male turkey sounds though is to try a jake yelp before going to the gobble. It rarely scares the birds, and it often has the same effect a gobble would. Just don't overdo it. You'll know quick if it will work, and if not you can either back off or throw out a gobble.