PA Youth Hunt

[dreis]

Our PA youth hunt this was past Saturday.  I was asked to tag along and do some calling for my assistant baseball coach's (who was also my high school coach) son. We were able to bring a ready and willing 2 year old to Zach's gun at 6:45. It was Zach's first bird.  It was an awesome morning, better than my entire season last year.  We were covered up in noisy birds!  We made an initial set up on the birds on the roost, but after they started to circle us and one bird was REALLY fired up and gobbling on his own, we moved about 100 yards in hopes of pulling him in. While moving another bird gobbled twice on his own a few hundred yards from the one that was really hammering.  We got set up, me about 15 yards behind John and Zach.  One series excited yelps and cutts on the Hooks Executioner mouth call and a few seconds later I saw the bird coming down the side of the mountain towards us in an all out sprint.  I didn't even have time to get out one of my pot calls.  Within about 2 minutes of first laying eyes on the bird, Zach dropped him at 20 yards with his 20 gauge.  It was awesome getting the watch the entire thing unfold and sharing the moment with John and Zach.  John and Zach's excitement was a site to see and made me look forward to and hope even more that I one day get to share a similar moment with my son.  John even made the comment on the way out, "Well, hopefully when Carter's old enough to hunt, I'll get to walk him through it while you do the calling." It was a morning none of us will ever forget. I was very thankful to have been invited to tag along and thankful to have helped Zach harvest his first bird.  Zach's bird sported a 9" beard, 5/8" spurs, and weighed 18 lbs.

Zach with his turkey.


Zach and his dad, John


Zach and I

[jmck]

now that's SPECIAL Derick
congrats on the great hunt and better yet--sharing and bringing another youngster into the sport
Proud for ya friend

[B-Ready]

Awesome job!!... Congrats

[gonehuntin982]

Congrats to the three of you !!!!!

[Turkeybuster]

Congrats. to you all and Derick you tell a good story too.

Jon

[etboxcalls]

Congrats again Derick....Good talkin with you last night, thats hunt makes for a great story!  Lets hope this rain settles down or we may never get this game in It's nasty out there today.  Congrats again bud.

Ed

[Dcoleinpa]

that is great!

[Silverspur]

Awesome job by all involved

[REV. MIKE]

congrats on a super hunt with the young gentleman 

[AlabamaDave]

Congrats man!

[Porter]

Awesome job there!

[Will]

Great hunt!

[ncturkey]

WTG Zach.

[VGJ5]

Awesome, and congrats!  It's always great when you can get someone his first bird.  Someday, when he's a seasoned turkey veteran, he will still be telling the story about the guy that helped him get his first bird. 

I will always remember the hunts with my dad as a young boy, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.  A friend that's a little older than me recently told me that my dad brought him turkey hunting for the first time when he was a boy; he said he will always be appreciative of my dad teaching him.  Way to carry on the sport!