North Carolina
Youth Day Opener
April 4 2015
My daughter Macy and I were up early for the Youth Day Turkey Hunt. We were hunting at friends farm in Cleveland Co. N.C. We arrived about 6:05 am. I was not sure where to setup. So I chose an area down near a creek along the fields edge. We had seen turkeys in that area last year. I set out a hen and jake decoy at 20 yards out in the field. At first light I hooted to try and get a turkey fired up. When nothing gobbled I decide to try a little tree calling on a mouth caller and a box call. A Hen replied back with some tree yelps. We talked back and forth for awhile and then she flew down. The hen sounded like she was coming to us. Then after a few minutes she started moving toward the field to our left. We heard more turkeys flying down. I got a glass call out to see if I could get one to gobble. A bird gobbled at my first series of yelps. There also was another gobbler sounding off further down the creek to our left. They really liked the glass call. The birds started moving toward the field to our left. Macy spotted them first. A few hens, three jakes and a longbeard where 80 yards out at the edge of a terrace. Two of the jakes broke away from the group. They went right to the decoys. One of them was strutting. Macy said she wanted to shoot one of them. I yelped at them to try and get them to separate. But they did not. They walked away out into the field with the other turkeys. They all exited the field to our right. Macy was a little sad she did not get a shot. I asked her if she wanted to get up and try and move around on them and she said yes. I started to gather up my calls and was about to get up when I suddenly spotted a gobblers head sticking up just over the terrace 80 yards out. I told Macy there was a gobbler to the left. She saw him too. She turned off her safety and got down on the gun. The longbeard started strutting toward the decoys. He strutted all the way in! I told Macy to “shoot him”! He stuck his head up and she rolled him. We got up and went out to her first longbeard. We high fifed and hugged. He was a nice heavy longbeard. We took a lot of pictures. She asked to carry him out. I asked are you sure he is heavy. She said yes sir I can do it. After she punched her tag with his sharp spur I helped her get him up on her shoulders. I took a few more pictures of her carrying him out. We got back to the truck and we took a few pictures of Macy and I with her first longbeard. It was a great day in the turkey woods. We both thank God for a wonderful day. We are so blessed.
Macy took her longbeard with her Remington 870 Youth Camo 20 Gauge Shotgun
She was shooting Hevi 13 20 gauge 3” 1 ¼ oz. #7 with a Indian Creek .562 Choke
Her birds stats:
Weight: 24 lbs. 4 oz.
Beard: 10 ½”
Right Spur: 1 1/8”
Left Spur: 1 1/16”
NWTF Score: 76.125
Calls used: Twisting Creek Antique Bald Cypress and Walnut Shortbox
Daryl Slaton's Osage Bronzed Glass
Hooks Custom Mouth Caller
SS Custom Mouth caller
Hooks Harrison Hootn Stix
