Here is a picture of me I'm guessing 1.5-2 years old after dad had had a successful spring morning. As you can see I didn't have much say or choice if I was going to be a spring gobbler hunter. I think I turned out alright. As you can I was way to little to hunt but it wasn't to many years after this I was in the woods with my dad. He would carry me up mountains across rivers and creeks. He was always getting on me all the time and keeping me straight he'd say "Boy you sound like a bull walking through the woods. Walk fast but walk lite. Set your foot down easy if you feel a stick under your foot pick it back up and set it down in another spot. When I stop; you stop." Before I could get through the mountains good just a little boy he had me out in the woods at night coon hunting with his reliable female bluetick named Cindy. He take me deer hunting trying to get me a buck taking away from his vacation time to get himself a big buck. If I'd kill a buck or a turkey he would always take a big deep breath and say "Boy I'm glad I got you one now I can hunt!" Lol. My dad got me first buck when I was 5. He started hunting me on spring gobblers when I was 5 and he finally got me my first gobbler when I was 8. I called in and killed my first spring gobbler by myself with no one with me when I was 13. The only thing I could think about was turkey, deer, and coon hunting and trout fishing. In elementary school the teacher would say write a story or draw a picture as it was always about a hunting or fishing.

What I'm trying to say is I wasn't out on a street corner doing drugs or stealing or breaking the law in free time; I was on a creek bank chasing a trout or on a ridge after a buck or spring gobbler. Get them kids in the woods. They'll turn out alright!

If you have any youth success stories I'd be cool if everyone would share them here on this post!
I'll kick it off. I have called a lot birds to adults but I called in my first gobbler to a kid last spring to my 9 year old cousin on youth day. It was my first time taking a kid turkey hunting and it was Caleb's first time turkey hunting. We found the gobbler in mid morning. As bad as I hated to make Caleb make the long walk I had to push him kinda hard to make a big loop around and above the gobbler to get in position to work the gobbler. Caleb never complained. We were down hill of the gobbler and we made the loop in above him. I used a crow call to get in position and once we was as close as we could get and got set up I gave him some soft clucks and scratched the leaves he gobbled and I never made another call. It took him about ten minutes to get to us. The gobbler was trying to swing to our left and circle us. The gobbler was easily in range for me 42 steps but that was a pretty good poke for a little boy. I knew that it was now or never and this was as good as it was going to get by the way the gobbler was acting. I ask Caleb if he had the bead on his head he said yes I said if you do squeeze the trigger. He put a couple pellets in his head and he got him. Caleb got to see the gobbler strut, gobble, and the whole nine yards. We ran to the bird and I said you got him you got him! Caleb was so happy he was crying. I think I was more excited than I had ever been on any gobbler hunt. He killed his first gobbler with the same 20 ga I killed my first gobbler with. He had 10.5" beard ad a little over 1" spurs. Pretty dang good first gobbler. I had forgot my camera that morning and my cell phone. When me and Caleb got back to our grandad's to show grandad and Caleb's dad the bird we walked up behind grandad's house to get some pictures of the bird in the woods.

Spit n Drum are we long lost brothers?!?! Your last few sentences describe me exactly ! I grew up outdoors on the streams chasing trout or in the woods hunting, and I am forever grateful for my dad,uncle,and granddad for instilling those traditions and values in me! You are soooooo true about keeping the kids out of trouble and out of drugs as well. I still smile to this day thinking back to the interview and day I got hired as a firefighter and the disbelief I received when asked if I had tried drugs etc and I answered nope, NEVER!!! I have twin boy/girl now and I CAN'T wait to raise them as I was in the great wonderful Gods creation/outdoors!!

Your description of hunting with your dad sure brought back some great memories. I remember the look I'd get if I stepped on a twig and broke it or moved when we were waiting for a deer.
This year I am going to take my 9 year old granddaughter on her first hunt. Hopefully I can make the same kind of impression on her as my dad did on me.

enjoyed your post....