It’s March. Winter is leaving and Spring is coming. It seems only a short time ago, Vicki and I were shooting doves in September. It certainly doesn’t seem like seven months have gone by since then. The last excuse for taking to the woods is coming up: Spring turkey season is just around the corner.
With spring comes an invigorating freshness in the outdoors. The wildflowers are blooming. The woods are alive with lush shades of green as everything growing is born again. It’s a great time to be alive and outdoors. It’s also a great time to take a kid hunting. Not just to go kill something, but to spend some quality time getting to know each other again.
In our world of fast-paced business and countless activities that can overfill any spare time we might have, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to share something as special as the outdoors. In fact, if you keep trying to find the time to do it, you probably won’t. You must make the time.
Perhaps the worst thing you could do is wait until the last minute to “get ready to go.” Kids don’t have the experience you have. They need to be taught how to do things. I think that is, after all, what parenting is about. All too often as parents, we tell our kids what to do without explaining why things should be done a certain way.
As teachers, Vicki and I have learned the first step in the learning process is understanding how things work. The next step is comprehending the logical progression of events that must take place to create success. It is at this point that the why something should be done a certain way becomes understood. Once anyone understands the “why,” the need to practice to become proficient becomes obvious.
Make the time now to start getting ready for spring turkey hunting with your kids. After all, it’s the anticipation of doing anything that creates the passion with which we do something. Where do you start?
Look at your calendar and actually block out some time to spend practicing with the shotgun – not just at the range, but at home. The age of a kid going on their first turkey hunt is not nearly as critical as their body weight. Kids come in all shapes and sizes. Although there are exceptions, we find that 92 pounds is the average minimum weight necessary to consistently mount and shoot a shotgun.
Don’t make the mistake of using a light pump or single barrel 20-gauge for a kid to go turkey hunting with. There is no trade-off for weight and recoil. Light guns can be carried and shot by a light-framed kid, but they kick like a mule. If you don’t believe me, try it. All it will take is a couple of shots with a light short 20-gauge by a 60-90 pound kid and the fun is over. On the opening day of turkey season, he or she will be at the mall playing video games and you won’t have anyone to mentor or share your experiences with in the turkey woods.
Beg, borrow or buy a 20-gauge semi-auto with screw chokes. Get the stock cut so that it fits the person using it. Install a good recoil pad on it. Something like a Kickeez or Trapdude recoil pad will work nicely. In our experience, they are the best recoil reducing pads on the market. Your local gunsmith will be able to help you with this—provided you don’t wait until the last minute!
Go to your local shooting range and pattern the gun with different turkey loads and different chokes. You should shoot the gun with the different loads and chokes to determine the optimum combination. The best combination will be determined by the distance you are shooting. I would be reluctant to have a kid shoot at a gobbler farther away than 20-25 yards with a 20-gauge.
Again, there will be exceptions. But the exceptions will be based on the number of practice sessions prior to the hunt and the proven proficiency of the shooter. I would use copper-coated lead 6’s or the Heavy Shot #6’s in patterning the gun. If you were shooting a 12-gauge, my favorite shot size is a #5 shot, either copper-coated lead or Heavy shot. The twenty, however, has a smaller payload, and using 6’s gives you more pellets in the payload. This, coupled with the fact that your maximum range will be no more than 20-25 yards, should give an inexperienced shooter a great combination for success.
Once you have determined the best choke and load combination for the gun to be used, it’s time to get the kids involved.
I would start in the backyard—showing them how to sit leaning against a tree. Yes, I said showing them how to sit leaning against a tree. Remember, what might be an obvious “no brainer” to you just might not be as obvious to an inexperienced hunter. Go to great lengths to explain why things are done a certain way!
It’s of utmost importance that the novice or beginner knows why. What works for you might not work for them. Be flexible and creative. Practice with the gun they will be using—unloaded, of course! This is a perfect time to not only talk about mounting and aiming the gun, but safely as well. Go slow and be positive with your comments. You are giving your child the benefits of your experience.
Experience is a tough teacher. She gives the test first and the lesson later. Practice is about understanding why and how. It’s also a great time to share a memory or two of past hunting adventures.
Young arms and hands tire easily. Two or three short sessions are better than one long session. Keep it safe and fun and learning will accelerate!
Once there have been a couple of sessions in the backyard, and the young shooter has become more comfortable with not only mounting and aiming but handling the gun safely, it’s time to go to the range. Do not shoot turkey loads until the last time you go to the range prior to the hunting trip. Purchase some turkey head targets and a box of light field loads—7/8 oz or 7 ½’s would be perfect. The lighter the load, the less the felt recoil. Less recoil yields greater proficiency.
Shoot three or four targets at 20 yards, talking about the aiming point on a turkey. We would suggest that aiming at the neck where the feathers stop would be ideal. This gives the young shooter the greatest amount of pointing error.
This would also be a great time for you to take a few shots at 20, 30, and 40 yards with your turkey gun. Example is a great motivation and teacher. When young inexperienced eyes see older experienced hunters dedicated to practice and preparation, a good thing happens. They begin to realize that practice and preparation are just as much a part of the hunting adventure as the hunt itself! That ain’t no bad thing!
Ideally, a trip to the range once a week is a good thing. As the hunt draws closer, it would be okay to shoot one or two turkey loads during a practice session – no more. Young hands and arms need to get used to the recoil of the real thing without being beaten up. Excessive recoil on young shoulders (or old ones, for that matter) induces closing of the eyes and jerking the trigger. Neither of those is conducive to success in the turkey woods.
The backyard sessions need to continue along with the sessions at the range. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get the family video camera and put it on a tripod two feet off the ground. Record both the experienced hunter and the novice slowly moving into position to take a shot as if the camera were a turkey’s head, with an empty gun, of course, and with a face mask and camo gloves. Face masks and camo gloves are a must when a turkey is within 20 yards. They are also sometimes cumbersome, even for an experienced shooter.
Getting the inexperienced hunter to experience as much as you can with what they will actually be doing while hunting ensures a greater probability of success at that magic moment when ol’ tom turkey comes a-struttin’.
A lot can be learned from watching yourself on video. The kids seem to like it too. To actually see how slow the movements need to be from the point of view of the turkey is very informative.
We think you will find that young hands and arms will be much smoother and steadier when the gun is in some shooting sticks. Stoney Point makes some great ones. Every guide we have talked to without exception has agreed that shooting sticks improve the success rate of all turkey hunters, regardless of experience in the field. Get a pair and practice with them. If a turkey sees you fumbling around with good equipment because you haven’t practiced with it, chances are good you won’t see him again.
It sounds like a lot of work just to go turkey hunting with your child, doesn’t it?
Try thinking of it this way: The preparation for the first trip is not just about the first trip. It’s about understanding what role shooting proficiency and ethics play in hunting and the future of our hunting heritage. It’s also about building a hunting relationship that will not only last your lifetime but theirs as well.
Don’t be so selfish. Make the time. Take the time. Do it right the first time. You will be glad you did.
