Sitting with my son. ....

[Deerthug]

In our blind. Heard a few gobbles earlier. Called one in but it was out of site. Came to about 75 yds and started moving away. Scant gobble since then. Going to wait it out but how the heck do you get a 14yo to stop moving? Hen just walked past us 10 yds saw movement and tool off.

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[Skillet]

LoL. Same here! There were 3 gobbling on the roost within 150 yards. As soon as they hit the ground, they shut up. As far as getting my 12 year old to sit still...... yeah right. I have to keep telling him every 5 minutes. He's sleeping now, first time he hasn't been wiggling all morning. Good luck!

[Skillet]

Yesterday, except he wasn't upside down.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Skillet

[turkeyfeathers]

Camo duct tape works well : ). Had my 12 year old daughter out yesterday and she's a rock. Same here , gobbles on roost and been quiet since.

[Deerthug]

Just had another hen out to 50 yds. Tom following behind clucking but he went another direction. My son was shaking. Lol. Love it!

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[NFA-ADK]

That's awesome Deerthug, good luck!

[grampy]

I let the youngsters use their i-phones with the sound off. That seems to help a little. But keeping a 13 and an 11 year old still as they need to be is almost impossible after the first hour. .........Patience Grasshopper...........

[Deerthug]

Finally. ....

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Edited May 2, 2015 by Deerthug

[Skillet]

My son just missed a big tom. I found most of his pattern in a few saplings and 1 feather where the bird stood. Sick to my stomach, worse than missing myself. Nothing we could do. Looked for him for half an hour. I put my arm around him and said "I know". What else can you say to a kid with a broken heart?

[Deerthug]

Ugh! Don't let him get discouraged. It happens to the best of us. I prepped my son on the ride up that this year may not be like his first time last year shooting a Tom. We may be successful but told him don't expect it because if you expect it and it does not happen it is very upsetting. I know it's even harder when it's in his sites and misses. I would have him do some practice to pattern his gun as a way of keeping him at it. My son was shaking when he saw a Tom following a hen about 50 yds out. Is there a such thing as Tom Fever? Lol.

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[Deerthug]

Time for coffee......

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[Deerthug]

Back at it since 5am in the blind. Watched and listened the woods wake up. Had many gobbles early. Lots of cackels. Now its quiet. 2 gobblers were singing like dual banjos.

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[turkeyfeathers]

Hope your son is back at it for redemption this morning. Go get em lil guy ! It'll be bitter sweet if he tips him over another day. Been there done that as I'm sure we all have.

All quiet in 9h after birds gobbled on roost.

[Skillet]

He's kinda bummin, but we're out here. All quiet though, even on the roost. It's tough when you have a small amount of land to hunt. If you spook them, you're all done for a few days. We've moved as far as possible from yesterday's spot and put the deke out in a meadow, hoping a Jake will sneak in. The girlfriend is out on a piece down the road we are allowed to hunt, but all quiet there as well.

[Deerthug]

Called in a huge Tom from a good 200 yds away and he hung up about 60 yds to our left out of view. He sat there for a good 30 mins and then headed into the woods behind us. Then a Jake pops out about 60 yds and heads the other way. Few gobbles since then. Son is getting restless.

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[alloutdoors]

Ok, this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth. I think some of you really need to get these kids out of those blinds. Don't take this the wrong way, I've shot birds from a blind myself and they can be very effective at hiding a kid but it also has to be the most mind numbingly boring way to hunt turkeys that there is, and I think some of you are seeing that expressed in the restlessness of these kids. Unless you are setup where you have a front row seat right when they fly down you are going to be sitting watching the same unchanging scenery out of a small window for some unknown period of time. A blind just throws up an unnecessary barrier between you and the world around you, you become more of a spectator than a participant. It's no wonder the kids are getting bored.

 

Even on a small property where you still might have to stay put in one place, I would much rather sit against a tree and feel the breeze on my face, feel the first few rays of sun as they take off the morning chill, smell the dampness in the spring air, and watch a meadow vole scurry through the leaves a few feet from my boots. A blind eliminates or diminishes a lot of these experiences and sensations. If a squirrel runs past the front of your blind it's no big deal and no different than watching one at the bird feeder in your yard. When the same squirrel jumps over your legs it's a completely different story. A blind changes the hunting experience too, if a bird sneaks in and gobbles from behind your blind it may startle you but it's nothing like the tension when you are in the open leaning against a tree and you know you can't move a muscle. Spend less time worrying about making a kill and focus on selling them on the full experience. If that means they learn the hard way why you have to sit still, so be it. It will mean that much more when they do get a bird.

 

For what it's worth, nobody in my immediate family hunts. My first spring turkey hunting I was 14, and I had to teach myself and I didn't have a blind to sit in and didn't need a smartphone or game pad or any thing else to keep entertained. I simply wanted to be there. The simple truth may be that some of these kids just aren't interested in being there, but I would try to make sure they get to have the full turkey hunting experience before making that evaluation (and I'm not referring to making a kill).

 

 

Edited May 3, 2015 by alloutdoors