As winter faded and spring came, I continued to get one question asked of me from my daughter. "Daddy can we go turkey hunting"? Of course we an go I would tell her. How could I say no?! Of course taking a 3 year old and being successful seemed like a stretch to me, especially knowing we were going to do this with a bow and arrow. I wanted to be sure the weather was good and of course we at least had turkeys around to keep her excited.
One Friday as I picked her up from day care, she asked me again on the way home, and I said yes lets get home and grab our stuff and go to the blind tonight. It was awesome to see her excitement level grow and the smile on her face. As we got home, her mom asked what we are doing. After she said we're going turkey hunting, mom said great lets all go! I thought to myself, well lets grab some drinks and snacks cause there is no way we are getting a shot at a turkey with four people in the blind, one of which is 3 and the other 1.
As we got into the blind, there were already turkeys in the field. I got them set in the blind I crawled out and placed the decoys, of course not without direction from Kalli on where they must go. Once I got to the blind, I tried some calling, but the turkeys really were not interested, and I had two kids giggling and playing. About the time snacks were about gone and Rylee about had enough, three jakes started working to us.
Kalli settled right down and Laura tried to keep Rylee quiet. I thought there was no way this would happen. The trio eventually made there way to about 30 yards before they thought something wasn't right, maybe it was the little heads popping out of the blind window but I am not sure.
I pulled back settled the pin and released the arrow. I was lucky enough to snag a wing feather for Kalli to take home from the hunt! That night she asked if we could go again in the morning.
At 4:30 am the next morning, she rolled out of bed and was ready to roll. Of course we had to be sure to grab some snacks and her water bottle for the mornings hunt. The morning weather was not ideal. Winds were steady and increasing throughout the morning. It was also cold and shortly after sunrise it started to spit rain. We decided we would go get some good breakfast and spend the rest of the day at home and come back another day.
A week later we again headed to the blind in the evening after daycare. That evening, we again had the whole family, and saw about 30 turkeys, but none would come close that evening. I decided to ask a friend of mine if we could go hunt his farm in the morning. After gaining permission, I knew it would be a good day, for his farm is loaded with turkeys and we would be sitting in a ground blind on a food plot.
As we arrived at the farm the next morning, we were running a little late. As soon as we got out of the truck, the birds were already gobbling on the roost. As we got settled into the blind, it was non stop gobbling until they flew down. Kalli was not sure she liked all that noise in the dark, but settled right in eating her snacks.
Shortly after we heard the birds fly down, about a dozen hens worked their way out into the food plot just 10 yards from us. Kalli's eyes sure got wide and a huge smile was on her face. She says "Daddy shoot one!" I told her we could not because they were hens, which she did not understand. As they began to work away she said, "Dad hurry they are getting away!" I told her, just be patient Kalli the big toms will be coming out shortly.
I had no more than said that and the first tom stepped out and gobbled his head off. I made sure she could see and told her to watch them. I drew back, settled the pin and released the arrow. SMACK! A perfectly placed arrow and the bird went about 10 yards, laid down and expired.
She looked and me smiling from ear to ear and yelled "We got one!" We got down to retrieve the bird and she was jumping with joy continuing to say that she was so happy we got a turkey! She said this all the way home and even for a few days after.
That was my last tag of the season, and she kept asking to go again. I told her we can't hunt but we can go watch the turkeys. She would ask why we could not hunt and I would tell her because I did not have another turkey tag. She would take me down stairs, walk me to my bow and point to my quiver of arrows and say, "Dad you have all those tags left we can still go!"
She remembers this hunt yet today, but will she remember it in 10 years? I do not know, but I know that I will never forget this hunt. This has now given me a whole new meaning and purpose to turkey hunting from here on out. Now this will be my time to spend with my kids to harvest a bird with them and continue to expose them to the outdoors, hunting and teaching them the circle of life.
Get out there and take your kids hunting and fishing, it will be the best experience you can ask for. Kalli is now always wanting to go turkey and deer hunting.
This hunt took place on May 27th, 2020.
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