Post by buster on Apr 20, 2010 20:46:42 GMT -5
It was opening day (Saturday) of the Indiana Youth Turkey Season. This was Katrina's (my oldest daughter, 8 yrs old) second season turkey hunting. Last year we just couldn't make it happen. This year I found 2 longbeards and 2 jakes running together on a farm I hunt here in Parke County. Saturday morning (April 17) we set up and had birds roosted right behind us in the woods. We had a jake pitch out from the roost at first light right into the decoys. We got her gun up and rested on the window of the blind, cheek down on the stock, ready to rock, and she tells me she can't pull the trigger!! WHAT??!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!? This is the moment of truth and I couldn't believe this was happening. I calm down and I coax and coax her to shoot but she is afraid of the recoil, despite having practiced shooting her 20 gauge several times with light target loads. She says, "You shoot it Daddy!" I explain that only she can shoot bird on this day and that "my" season doesn't start until Wednesday, as the jake walks off to live another fine day. The longbeards unfortunately pitched out into the middle of the field to court their hens. Game over for an 8 year-old with a short attention span.
We go home and I am sooo bummed. I tell my wife what happened and she comes up with an idea. At first I dismiss it, then I think it just might work, psychologically speaking. That evening I fashioned a 'homemade' recoil pad out of 3 layers of bubble wrap, and duct taped it to her shirt. It looks pretty gawdy, but I am desperate at this point. What if that bird was a longbeard....she just can't pass on a mature tom, that would be so demoralizing. My inner child would be devastated. So we sit down and have a heart to heart talk about the wonders of my 'home remedy'. I hoped it would work.
The next morning, we set up in the same spot, and again had birds roosted right behind us. Lady luck appeared to be with as. One of the longbeards gobbled right down our collars from the roost...he was that close. Thank goodness we got set up real early. He pitched out into the woods 10 yards behind the blind and starts strutting and drumming. The jake, pitches down in the decoys again, just like yesterday, only this time with the strange feeling of de ja vu. Now, I am torn between letting her shoot the jake and being done with it, or having her hold out for the bossman showing off behind us in the woods. After seeing that the jake is going to mill around some, I look behind us to watch the tom. I can hear leaves crunching, but he moves out of eyesight. I look back at the jake, who's wondering why this strutting tom with one leg and his one-legged girlfriend are still not moving. I look back behind us again and no longbeard. Oh no! He's gone! I turn my attention back out front. The jake is still confused, naturally. I look back through the hole in the blind, and still no longbeard. Where in the world......as I turn my attention back to the jakebird....well, look at who's strutting out into the field!! Thank goodness. He struts in just like he's supposed to but won't close the distance. He hangs at 40 yards still in strut, back and forth. I get Katrina's 20 gauge on her shoulder with the barrel out the window of the blind. I patterned the gun and know its good out to 40 yards. At 7:05 AM, I whistled at the tom, he sticks his head up and she lets him have it!! Man, what a hunt!!!! We took plenty of pictures, and on the way home from checking him in, we stopped at CVS to have the pictures made.
A nice 2 year-old bird weighing in at 20 lbs. with a 10-inch beard and 1/2 inch spurs. I couldn't be happier! Katrina was pretty excited too. On the way home I asked her if she remembered the hearing the shotgun blast. She says no. When I ask her if she remembers the shotgun kicking, she grins and tells me she didn't feel a thing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the bubble wrap!!!
We go home and I am sooo bummed. I tell my wife what happened and she comes up with an idea. At first I dismiss it, then I think it just might work, psychologically speaking. That evening I fashioned a 'homemade' recoil pad out of 3 layers of bubble wrap, and duct taped it to her shirt. It looks pretty gawdy, but I am desperate at this point. What if that bird was a longbeard....she just can't pass on a mature tom, that would be so demoralizing. My inner child would be devastated. So we sit down and have a heart to heart talk about the wonders of my 'home remedy'. I hoped it would work.
The next morning, we set up in the same spot, and again had birds roosted right behind us. Lady luck appeared to be with as. One of the longbeards gobbled right down our collars from the roost...he was that close. Thank goodness we got set up real early. He pitched out into the woods 10 yards behind the blind and starts strutting and drumming. The jake, pitches down in the decoys again, just like yesterday, only this time with the strange feeling of de ja vu. Now, I am torn between letting her shoot the jake and being done with it, or having her hold out for the bossman showing off behind us in the woods. After seeing that the jake is going to mill around some, I look behind us to watch the tom. I can hear leaves crunching, but he moves out of eyesight. I look back at the jake, who's wondering why this strutting tom with one leg and his one-legged girlfriend are still not moving. I look back behind us again and no longbeard. Oh no! He's gone! I turn my attention back out front. The jake is still confused, naturally. I look back through the hole in the blind, and still no longbeard. Where in the world......as I turn my attention back to the jakebird....well, look at who's strutting out into the field!! Thank goodness. He struts in just like he's supposed to but won't close the distance. He hangs at 40 yards still in strut, back and forth. I get Katrina's 20 gauge on her shoulder with the barrel out the window of the blind. I patterned the gun and know its good out to 40 yards. At 7:05 AM, I whistled at the tom, he sticks his head up and she lets him have it!! Man, what a hunt!!!! We took plenty of pictures, and on the way home from checking him in, we stopped at CVS to have the pictures made.
A nice 2 year-old bird weighing in at 20 lbs. with a 10-inch beard and 1/2 inch spurs. I couldn't be happier! Katrina was pretty excited too. On the way home I asked her if she remembered the hearing the shotgun blast. She says no. When I ask her if she remembers the shotgun kicking, she grins and tells me she didn't feel a thing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the bubble wrap!!!
