5:00 am: I wake up the kiddo "still wanna go hunting?" and I get a wide eyed response YES, thank you daddy for taking me hunting!
5:30 am: Come on Riki, its getting late... Still gettin her vest together (again)
6:00 am: WOMAN GET A MOVE ON, WE'RE LATE!!!
ok Dad making sure I have ALL my calls.
6:10 am: We finally leave!
6:45 am: Dad can we stop I gotta Pee
7:00 am: Dad had to stop now grrrrr
7:20 am: Finally walking into the woods
Now see theres a little more to this story so far....The night before I asked her if she wanted to try and do some calling and maybe call one in for dad. Why the excess packing of the vest!
7:45 am: birds down already (I wasn't suprised with all the lolly gagging) and in the pasture feeding. We get set up in the woods and she's asks what now? I said just hit em with a little cluck or two and see what they do. Well she was pullin out her favorite mini half moon (yes she has more than one and brought them both) and sit slipped out of her glove and hit the deck, and the turkeys bolted! She looked at me with panic in her eyes and before could say anything I told her hey that sounded like someone stepped on one...dont worry about it I am sure this group remembers what dad did to them yesterday lets go cut 'em off.
This is what I did to one Friday!
8:15 am: We circled around and catch up with them farther down the pasture. Dad what now?? I told her Riki lets bust 'em up! Grab a couple of Hedgeapples run at them get as close as ya can throw the hedgeapples and try amd get them to fly in different directions. (I thought the hedgeapple deal would be funny watching her do) Anyways, she takes off running and stops after 20 yds turns and says run right at them huh? Meanwhile the group of about 18 or so runs across the path she was running to her direct left and I say GO GO GO. Well she didnt spot the main group and runs her legs off about 400 yds before she she stopped from me whistleing at her. we meet back up and I ask.... were you chasing a bird? No, I just ran like you said!
(guess I need to be more specific).
Well they ran off in the direction of the upper pasture so after another end around we took a little rest in a meadow on the way to the upper pasture to let the birds settle a little bit. Checked the forum and did the modern technology thread 9:15 am...
9:45 Back to business! We walk about 75 yds close to the upper pasture. Lookin through the woods we see em about 150 yds off. Itell her... its time to call em in again. I get the dad... what now? I tell her... I am gonna sneak up to the edge of the pasture, and when I give you the signal, start callin. well I get about halfway and I hear her Permar Kee'er go off (crap wasn't ready) well that got their attention and they closed the gap to about 50yds from me an d started pickin around in the grass. I looked back at her and waved (the signal) and she waved back...
.. I gave her another signal...no not that one...maybe if it was Porter
... and she putted on the moonie (from her bestest buddy James). It was perfect and dad was proud and I dropped a hen (14lbs) at 30yds.
Well now I saw something funny... the hen I dropped never even flopped a wing.... 3 turkeys walked up to it and were looking over it like they were thinkin "what happened to her"....and went back to feeding and closed in on the wood line. RIki snuck up and asked if I got one, and I nodded. the birds were still right there. I handed her the gun and said "want one?" she grabbed the gun.
Well I putted like she did on the slate I got from my buddy Larry (Hayseedboy) and they looked up then she said what one? I said pick a big one!
putted a few more times and A good size hen in the middle of about five hit the deck with the ring of the gunshot!
After a few high fives and the "killed a bird happy dance" ,we went out to them as the birds watched from about 5yds inside the woods.
Anyone who has heard me tell stories of hunting with the kid knows the first picture to be taken......."take a picture of me next to the blood dad" and here it is...
And here are the rest!
It was a great day!
Richard
