My very first Turkey hunt story

[BigHills BuckHunter]

I wanted to tell a story of my very first turkey hunt back in 2001 when I was 12 years old. Feel free to post your first turkey hunt as well. Or your first turkey hunt with your child.

It was Spring 2001 the 1st season in West Wisconsin. I just passed hunter safety last fall and was dying to get out in the woods to hunt turkies. I remember being so excited to hunt I couldnt sleep the night before. I woke up at 2am cuz I was so excited. My dad and I both had tags for 1st season so we went out together. It was a clear morning about 32 degrees. I remember I had an old owl hoot tube to locate turkeys. We walked on top of the ridge and I blew into the call and gobbles exploded from the woods all around. Back then it seems there were alot more birds than there is now. I was jacked to hear the birds respond to the call! I didnt know what I was doing back then so my dad led the way. He picked a spot on top the ridge with a well used 4-wheeler trail. He sat behind some cut logs as I sat underneath a down tree to my back. I remember he gave me a call to use an old HS strut slate call from the 1980's. I coudlnt believe he was going to let me use the call! I remember calling about every 3 minutes at first then my dad told me to call every 15 minutes or so. We had birds gobbling all over but none would come in. We sat from before light all the way until 10:30 AM. Im surprised I had that much patience as a kid. The gobbling had stopped long ago and we were thinking of checking out the neighbors land we had permission on. I was just about to get up when I looked about 100 yards away and saw 6 jakes running down the hill to our spot. We didnt use decoys. They got closer and closer and closer. Before I knew it they were 10 yards in front of my dads shotgun. I had my bird picked out but I wanted him to shoot first. He must have wanted me to shoot first because He didnt shoot. They just stood there looking around and getting nervous. Then my dad shot and knocked one down. All flew away except two of them. I had a 30 yard shot and aimed for the head and fired and he fell down too! We got a double with my dad on my very first turkey hunt. Patience really paid off that morning. I was so excited that bird was probobly 15 pounds but I would have felt the same taking a 30 pounder. I was hooked for life at that point. I will never forget that morning as long as I live. That was the foundation to the turkey hunter I have become today. It feels good to look back and realize how special that day will always be. Since then I have killed 5 more and have called in many others for many people but that 15 pounder will be my favorite. To hunt with my dad is such a blessing it really connects us together whether its turkey or deer.

[dan]

Great story...

I shot my 1st turkey near Montello Wisconsin. Turkey hunting was new to Wisconsin and there were none around near my home so I did not have any experience with them. I had watched video's about how to call and thats it... I was walking thru the woods randomly calling when I seen two jakes with a hen. I tried calling but they would not answer. So I belly crawled to about 30 or 40 yards and then fired one shot and dropped one of the jakes.