midsouth_hunter

Any pointers on taking a 6 year old turkey huntingfor the first time? He will not be using any gun this year just want to get him out and experience the outdoors and see whatI do when I hunt. I want him to have fun and not get too boredif hunting is slow. Thought about hunting for a shorter period at first.Any other pointers?

mouthcaller

My son will be 13 in a week and has been hunting since he was very young (probably started at 5 or 6). I didn't buy him a gun until he was 9 I think. He killed his first bird last year.


Six isawefully young. Your need to understand and be willing to accept that your chances of killing a turkey while hunting with a 6 year are less than hunting by yourself. You can't move as fast to get on a gobbling bird, you can't cover as much ground, and it is hard to keep them still.With that said the otherrewards of huntingwith your son(or daughter) outweigh those issues -but you must understand this fact and keep it in perspective.

Keep it fun and don't plan on staying very long. You may be better going out for a couple of hours in the afternoon rather than getting up so early and hunting birds off the roost. You needto put him between your legs or right beside you in order to communicate and keep him still in case you get some turkeys close. I found it easierput my son right between my legs so I could wisper in hisear and tell him to bequite and stillwhen necessary. Definately use a blind or make a natural one with limbs and cut greenery. Use decoys to get the turkeys attention off you.

The biggest thing that turns off youngsters that age, in my experience, is staying out too long, getting cold and/or hungry,and excessive walking. To a 6 year old a half mile walk in the woods or across a cut corn field is a pretty long hike. Plan for a short walk to your hunting area, take some water and snacks, don't stay too long, and keep it fun.

Edit: One more thing I almost forgot - get him one of those push pin box calls that are easy torun and let him call some. That breaks the boredom if you don't see any birds and gives him some ownership in the hunt. Kidswant to call and participate in the action. My son has been using some kind of call since I started him andhe is a pretty accomplished caller with both friction calls and diaphrams. Blows a decent duck call too.

As you can tell by my "screen name" we like to call around our house.

hoosierHUNTER76

here is a pic of me and my 11 year old daughter with her first bird last year 24lbs 11 1/2 in. beard
<a href="http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll158/sinkgoal/?action=view&current=ashleyturkey-1.jpg"

best adive i can tell you is be very paitent
let him sit in between your legs so you can help out

dtk913

My daughter will be 8 yeards old next week. This spring will be the fourth year I have taken her with me turkey hunting. The first year I took her it lasted about 45 minutes. This last year she went with me two different days for about 3 hours each. She doesn't hunt yet, but she looks forward to turkey season as much as I do. The funny thing is I have never shot a turkey when she is with me. I know she would love it, but I don't think that is why she likes to go with me. We have had some close encounters, and to see the excitement on her face is better than getting the bird. We almost always go for morning hunts. All the gobbling on the roost is really exciting for kids. I have also found that hunting out of a blind makes it a lot more enjoyable. It allows them to move around a little bit, because asking a little kid to sit still for a couple of hours is unrealistic, and the run and gun method (which I like) is not an option. Last year I even worked with her a little on a box call. She got the hang of it and I let her do some calling when it was slow. She about came out of her skin when a gobbler answered her back. I havealso taken her deer hunting with me(bow hunting) and did shot a doe two years ago. You can't imagine the feeling you get when you realizeyour kids are going to be your hunting partner someday.

My advice would be to get a blind if you can and go for it. You will have an absolute blast. Just remember start out slow, and make sure you don't keep them out if they seem like they are losing interest. Also pick a nice day as far as weather goes. If your hunting turn out anything like mine have you won't be sorry.

Dan

fingerz42

Do your homework before the season starts. Then come the first day you bring your son/daughter out you will be guaranteed to hear some gobbling on the roost. If you can start the day off with interaction between a gobbler and yourself I think you are on the right track. As mouthcaller said, if you can get some sort of a call for him to run he would sure feel like he was a part of the hunt, rather than an onlooker.

I'd also stress that "success" isnt always measured in whether you come home with an animal that day or not. Sometimes "success" is just hearing those birds and interacting with them in their own turkey lingo. Sometimes "success" is just having a peaceful day in the woods, etc. In other words, I would stress the finer details of the hunt, rather than just the kill. Some young kids today get to caught up in the kill, thus, losing interest very quick when they dont come home with a kill in the first few days. Again, stressing "success" as things other than kills can be very beneficial.

midsouth_hunter

Thanks for all the great advice. I do want to get him out in the woods and experience the positives about just being in nature and enjoy the expereince. I am taking him scouting a little before season starts.

hunting junkie

What i do is take a blind,snackes and drinks and a confy chair that way he naps.And when i see something
i just wake him up. Oh by the way he is 14 now and it still works.

trevorpt

buy a little portable blind to put in front of you... that is what i did when i was young because i liked to move around a lot... also it helps to hide you a little better. I think you can get them at walmart for like $20

Gamblinman

+1

Also. if he plays games, bring them with you. Those little tykes attention span is pretty short so make sure you have plenty to kkep him busy during slack time.

Congrats on being a great parent. It will pay major dividends down the road!!