It was opening weekend for the 2012 youth hunt in Mississippi. Me and Bryce (8 year old son) got up at 5:00 a.m., rubbed a warm wash cloth across our face, ate a breakfast bar and painted our face for the morning hunt. We got out there a little late but heard turkeys gobblin as soon as we got out of the truck. We hurried to the area where we heard the gobblin and Bryce was amazed because he had never heard a real turkey gobble before. We set our decoy out in a plot near the area where the turkeys were roosting, got situated on the ground and made a few morning tree calls. The gobblers responded and it sounded like 4 or 5 of them about 100 yards away. We could hear other hens in the same area so after about 45 minutes of calling we decided to try and go to them since they were still gobbling when they hit the ground but hung up with their other girlfirends and not coming our way. We creeped into the woods to within about 100 yards
of the gobblin but the Mississippi hills prevented us from seeing them. We set the decoy out and proceeded to call more aggressively now with some cuts and cackles. Two huge gobblers appeared over the hill just out of range at about 65 yards. Bryce had a 20 gauge crack barrel with a 3 inch number 5 turkey load but I knew they were too far for that gun. We were both sitting there and couldn't move, his eyes looked like they were big as baseballs, the gobblers just hung up and wouldn't come any closer. Bryce and I were able to whisper and I told him to not take the shot unless they came closer. The turkeys didn't stay long because they could sense something was wrong and they eased over the hill.
We had what I call a great morning hunt. We didn't kill one but the experience the little fella got was one that he could remember forever. We went back to the camp and Uncle Gary and Uncle Ronnie had a nice breakfast cooked up for us. We ate and sat around and told them our morning experience and little Bryce was just gleeming with excitement. He shot his beebee gun for a little while but kept asking when we were going to go back and try them again. After about all of that I could stand I told him to get his boots on and lets go.
We got back out to the lease and I decided for us to go and sit in a ground blind that we already had set up so I could possibly sneak a nap in and maybe him too. We got set up in the ground blind, set out the decoy and Bryce made a few yelps on the old push button box call I had. The blind was set up looking at 3 lanes, one to the left, one in the middle and one to the right and all surrounded by planted pines and some underbrush. About 5 minutes later I heard something that sounded like it crossed the creek in behind us and just a few minutes after that a large gobbler snuck into the lane to our left. I told Bryce to be still but to look over there. The turkey snuck across that lane quick and I told Bryce to get his gun ready and if he stepped out in the middle lane to bust him. The gobbler came out in the middle lane but was about 65 yards away and just out of range. The turkey crossed that lane and got in the pines to our
right and began to strut and drum for literally 2 hours. Bryce and I were so uncomfortable staying in this shooting position for so long. Our legs were asleep, we were sweating, mosquitoes and wasp were trying to attack us. I had been purring and yelping softly with my slate call all this time but he wouldn't budge and was just out of range. We were both about to lose it and go crazy. I kept telling Bryce to hang in there buddy he is gonna give up pretty quick. Finally, 2 hours in to this amazing hunt, the big gobbler started clucking real loud and I told Bryce this is it, he is either gonna check out or come see us. Bryce got in position to shoot him in the middle lane, I had to cock his hammer back because it was too hard for him, the turkey started walking toward us and turned into the middle lane at about 45 yards. I told Bryce to take careful aim and let him have it, thinking he wouldn't come in any closer since we had this same
deal happen to us that morning. Bryce fired the ground on him and rolled the big turkey, I quickly jumped out of the blind to rush over and make sure he didnt get away, which kinda freaked Bryce out. We high fived and I did a little victory dance over his turkey. The gobbler had a 10.5 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. I think this hunting experience for me and Bryce will last a life time and I am so glad I had the opportunity to take him and share this with him at such a young age. Hopefully, this experience will help steer him in the right direction on a lot of things in life.