The annual Florida Youth Spring Turkey Hunt was held this weekend. My youngest daughter Morgan is just about to turn 10 and I have been easing her into shooting a little here and there. Actually, for a 10yr. old girl she is a heck of a shot. Then again, I think this is common for girls. My oldest daughter Jessica can almost out shoot me from a bench, almost!
As you can guess, having me for a dad has exposed my girls to just about everything there is to experience in the Florida outdoors. Like it or not, they're absorbing knowledge just by being exposed to it so much, especially since they are young.
A couple of weeks ago I asked Morgan if she would like to go on a turkey hunt. Her reply was, sure!
The closest thing I had to a short, suitable shotgun was an old Remington 870 pump in 16 ga.. It is really a self defense type gun but it will get the job done at close range. The only problem was the stock was to long for her so I have to sit behind her and hold the butt to absorb the recoil.
Morgan and I stopped by the property the weekend before last to give the gun and Morgan a test run.
I shot a little video of it and I'll share it when I can get it edited and uploaded. She peppered a 8/12"x11" paper at 20+yds, every shot! That was all I needed to see. She's now duly certified to hunt!
You can watch a short video of
"Morgan Preparing for the Hunt!" by clicking on the link.
I have been tied up working and videoing turkeys at a little ranch I have access to so I have not had time to get over to the hunt club to scout us some birds to hunt. Morgan and I left right from the office (late) Friday afternoon and made the hour drive to the club. We arrived in time to scout the roads from the truck and luckily it hadn't rained that day there to wash it all out.
Gobbler Track with Strut Sign!
More Strut Sign!
Big Set of Gobbler Tracks amd Strut Sign!
We barely got through the first gate when we cut some turkey tracks on a little stretch of clay road. We got out to investigate and immediately located some strut sign! That's what I want to see! We pushed on until well after dark, scouting the roads with the headlights of the truck.
Look at Strut Sign!
Morgan inspects some Deep Strut Marks in the headlights!
It was after 8:00 when Morgan and I rolled up on a pile of turkey sign near a "T" in the road we were tracking. Morgan immediately found some wide strut sign where a gobbler had drug his wings in the hard sand road, obviously displaying for a hen. I had left the truck running while we inspected the situation with the turkey sign and took a few pictures. We got back in the truck and hadn't made it 100yds when the truck just died! We were in the middle of no where! It was a good two mile hike just to get to our camp. I killed the lights and hit the key! No start! "This don't look good Morg!" Luckily, I had some starting fluid in the tool box. I shot a little in the throttle body and the thing finally cranked up! Thank god! It wouldn't have been as big a deal if I were by myself but Morgan changed the situation considerable. When the truck cranked I told Morgan, "lets get outa here!" Morgan replied, "yeah!"
We probably located a half dozen different gobblers just based on the strut sign we found that night, most of it after dark in the truck lights.
Morgan and I made it back to Palatka just in time to get some dinner at Sunny's. It was great afternoon and we had had a pile of laughs.
The next morning we decide to hunt a little "T" with a stub road leading into an old cut over swamp that is a historical roost area. We did not know for sure there was a gobbler there but there was some track sign and there are always a few turkeys using here. Our back up plan was to run back down the road to a pasture where we had found another strutting tom's sign.
Morgan and I were standing at the "T" in the road where we planned to hunt. It was pretty light but to early for turkeys to be flying down. All of the sudden I see this turkey gliding across a little chop that abuts the road and it lands not more than 50yds from us! Morgan and I quickly got set up but the bird ended up being a hen. She came up to within 15 yards of us but some oak scrub kept me from getting her on film.
We stayed there about an hour and then pulled out and headed for plan "B" . We walked up on a turkey down the road that I believe was a hen and when we got down to where she had been, there was a pretty good bit of turkey sign including some strut sign. We were standing there inspecting it when we heard a gobble! It was up around some houses. We hiked back up there but he would not gobble again so we headed back. Morgan and I were trying to decided where to set up when that tom starting gobbling at some dogs and chickens at the houses. He never gobbled again after that. We did see a couple of hens in the pasture including one that came from the houses so I believe the gobbling was a wild bird.
We ended up leaving him as there was not much we could do. He surely had some hens with him. Calling him away from them and over a fence would be about impossible.
We made one more hunt off a powerline where I have killed several birds. We found some hot sign where a hen had been scratching under a water oak and a gobbler had strutted for her but we could not
raise a gobble and the birds never showed.
The wind was really picking up and it was near noon so we called off the dogs and headed of home without a bird in hand.
I will take her to Bull Creek where she can kill one of the jakes I have been filming.
Morgan did a great job and hung right in there with me. I don't know how far we walked but it was a stroll! We had a great time and got some video and pictures that I am sure Morgan will really treasure one day.
Morgan after a hard morning of turkey hunting.
Best of Hunts,
;Larry Stephens
