Well I took my little cousin out this morning for youth day. We arived at our spot around 5 a.m. We heard 6 birds here sunday morning in the snow!!! Well only 1 bird gobbled this morning and he only gobbled 4 or 5 times on the roost. We had a good idea of his location but was a little unsure since the wind was quite brisk. Well, we meandered toward the direction about 200 yards we thought he was at. We sat there for about an hour and nothing. His dad and I started calling some to see if could raise a gobble cause we knew he was in the area. Still nothing!!! Well after another hour of not hearing anything I had to get up and pee. I have been on crutches since thursday cause I pulled a muscle near my knee cap but left them at the house. So I hobbled away and done my duty about 50 yards from them. Before I started heading back I called and he answered but sounded like he was still way below us. He gobbled back at me 5 more times. They never even heard him and I could see them. So I hobbled back and told them. I called again and barely heard him. The still didnt here him!! So I layed my call down and just went silent for about 15 minutes. He then gobbled on his own and was much closer and they even heard him this time. So I pulled out the old faithful Cody and started the music. Sure enough he was coming. I was trying to get my cousin situated when I saw him running across the hollow about 100 yards below heading our way. I kept telling him to move his body and gun to the right cause I could tell thats where the bird was going to go. Well he gobbled and struted for a few minutes below us and I could tell he was a whopper. My cousin was about 10 feet below me in a blow down. I kept telling him to turn his body to the right since he is right handed so he could steady the gun better. Well he didnt listen and I noticed the gun barrel was moving alot. Well there was a logging road about 35 yards below us. I told him to wait until he stepped in it to shoot him. The tom stepped in the road and started strutting toward us. He couldnt get a shot cause of a red oak. His arms were getting tired by then and I could tell he couldnt hold the gun still. Well I was watching the bird waiting on him to shoot. The gobbler seen something he didn't like and started to walk away. I clucked, he shot, and the gobbler flew away!!!! I was so sad for him. This would have been his first bird and great one at that. He had about a 11" beard!! I told him not to let that get him down, everyone misses. Your only 12 years old that was your first miss but there will be many more to come! Heck he seen me miss the first one I ever called in and he was dandy as well about 6 years ago. Me and his dad have killed enough birds and want to get him 1 so I'm going to dedicate all of my saturdays to him until he gets one. Me and his dad are lucky and can every day of the week and saturday Anyone else have any luck or bad luck??

I took my cousins son yesterday . He loves to deer hunt but on the couple of times that he turkey hunted he found it boring . I have been scouting my place for a few weeks and have heard a lot of different gobblers . I figured that I could change his opinion of turkey hunting with a few hard gobbling birds . We went out long before daybreak to a great area and I told him that the gobbling thould start around 5:30 because it had done so every day that I hab scouted . Well , by 6:00 we still had not heard the first gobble . I could not believe it ! We moved to another area and I got one to shock gobble one time a couple hundred yards away . That was pretty much it for the morning . What a frustrating morning . I only hope that I can get him to go again .[/u]

9 of my friends and I teamed up with 7 youngsters for the youth hunt.
It could have been better, BUT NOT MUCH BETTER.
Tally for the day:
3 longbeards and 1 jake tagged. 3 were the hunters 1st bird.
2 misses on 2 birds by one young man that shall remain nameless.
1 pass on a jake right on the edge of .410 range.
One of the birds was taken by a 15 year old young lady, her first. The recoil from her 12 ga. busted her lip but she said she "didn't even feel it."
Then there was the young man that I accompanied along with his uncle. The wind just about blew us away. We heard 1 bird gobble 1 time and saw no birds. I told the young man that I was sorry that we didn't hear and see more than we did, his reply, "That's okay, I still had fun."
That my friends is WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!!!

barry

There it is. What do you know, an old dog learned a new trick.

barry

I took my cousin's 13 yr old son out for the KY youth day. There were a lot of birds gobbling on the other side of the KY river from us. We did call up a jake, and he missed it clean......the poor kid was shaking bad, and took it kind of hard.....so I'll try to get him another when the regular season comes in.

I took my nephew out yesterday we heard a bird about 80 yards from us. We sat up and called to him after he flew down unfortunately he flew down the opposite side of the ridge it took me an hour and a half to get the bird to finally come back to our side. We were in a road below a high wall and the birds were above the high wall only one way down where our decoys were sat up. When the bird worked in it had another silent gobbler with him they both passed up the hollow where you can get down at and went right above us about 30 yards away strutted on the side of the 20' cliff and gobbling his head off. My nephew would have to turn almost 200 degree's in order to get the shot and the bird was eyeing us and the decoys so we opted to wait and hope he comes back down, sure enough he came out of strut and headed down the just as an old hen popped up over the ridge where he had roosted and make 4 yelps at the gobbler and he turned and went after her. She led him back to the top and they stayed there for about 45 min he was strutting and she was feeding. It was so funny my nephew had been turkey hunting before with his dad but has never seen a turkey. When the birds first came into sight and right off he fluffed up and drummed my nephews remarks where oh god, oh god OH MY GOD, it was priceless and to have it on film makes it worth the effort that much more. I do with however that the V.D.G.I.F would allow a few more days for the youth hunts. One day is just not enough.

My youth day started out very slow. Sfter listening to about4 birds Friday am I thought we would be in the catbird seat. Sat am we heard not a peep. I was amazed and think it was the front passing through. We hit another spot to hear a lone gobble and after our third setup headed back to the truck. As we were taking our gear off I took my box out and hit it once....GOOBBLLEEE..WAY OFF. I said to the young man who minutes later told me he was bored you want to go after him, a smiled beamed and we were off. We set up in a bad location where it was thick, I did not like it but it was all we had at the moment. He cam closer but then drifted away. We then tried to get above him better and in a better setup. All of a sudden we hear a hen. I try to compete but we lost the battle. He gobbled good and came to about 80 yards. It was a good ending to a slow day.
Awaiting the opener next week. Congrats to all of those that scored.

We had a great youth day.. My buddy and I took out his 13 year old boy.. He just started hunting and is still learning.. We got out of the truck at 4:45 and was getting things together when at 4:50 a gobble rang out.. he was close.. we were able to sneak in and setup a popup blind, I put him and his dad in the blind and I snuck to put a deke out, well a turkey took flight.. I thought I had blown it, but when it flew I though it looked kinda small, so I was hoping it was a hen.. I backed up behind the blind about 30 yds and waited to see what would happen, I heard one bird way off to the right, and another started firing up about 300 yds to the left, but I just knew we were closer to the first one we heard from the truck so I hung tight and started some tree calling, soft purrs and clucks on the power crystal, about 5:50 not one but two gobblers lit it up out in front about 75 yds from us, I know we were in business as I had busted the hen away .. I shut up and they gobbled well for 10 minutes or so then I heard one of them fly down, I did two fly down cackles and started scratching in the leaves and purring, I heard the second one fly down. About 5 minutes later I see turkey heads coming right in front of the blind. They came into 30 yds plenty close enough for the 870 to bark, but it never did and they finally got nervous and walked off. Later I learned the youngster never could find them in his scope, he didn't seem too upset about it. Oh well it was fun.. and later we fooled with the third bird that must be the boss because we watched two hens sprint across a field to his gobbling, but he would not come.. Awesome morning though..

I took my 8 -year -old son yesterday, what a day!! Thanks to V.D.G.I.F
for the early season. Saw a lot of toms, after an hour and a half we were able to gain the interest of a 20lb. ,10" beard and 1" spur tom that fell to my sons model 500 20 ga. mosseberg youth shotgun at 35yds. It was his first day of turkey hunting and 6th time to shoot a shotgun and my 10th consecutive opening day bird and by far the best!! Word of advice for teaching a youngster to shoot. A red dot scope is very helpful.
A 40mm is preferred for its wide field of view, it has long eye relief, and you don't have to worry about sights to line up in the excitement.

Have the youth shoot low brass shells at turkey targets for confidence, then use turkey load for hunting. When I asked my son if he noticed a difference when he shot he said he doesn’t remember the gun even going off!! I’ll post a picture if I can have some advice on how to. Thanks